The United Nations’ global compact for migration is a success for some and a failure for others
In December 2018, world leaders convened in Marrakech to discuss the refugee and migrant crisis. The landmark event followed with the adoption of two important agreements: The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. This meeting was poignantly timed to fall on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This timing highlighted for the global community that migration is a human rights issue, especially given the worsening conditions of migrants and refugees. While 164 countries adopted the agreement, other countries including the United States, Australia, Austria, Latvia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Chile, Dominican Republic, Poland, and Slovakia refused to attend the summit or sign the accord.
The framework for the agreements is designed to protect the 258 million people—about 3.4 per cent of the world’s population—who are international migrants. The agreements include provisions to distribute responsibility among states and support host countries that accommodate migrants.
The 23 objectives of the Global Compact include policy recommendations seeking to: improve data collection on the status of international migration; minimize factors that compel people to leave their home country; and, provide migrants with a proof of legal identity. It also aims to reduce migrants’ vulnerabilities at each stage of their migration, including “The conditions they face in countries of origin, transit and destination”. Furthermore, it seeks to combat smuggling and human trafficking.
Many countries are opposed to this pact with some retreating during the negotiations and others not even attempting to negotiate. The United States made its opinion on refugees and migrants clear when it proposed building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Italy put a hold on its boats rescuing migrants or refugees at sea. Chile, which initially showed support for the conference, backed out a few days before when the Interior Undersecretary made a public statement saying that Chile was not going to Marrakech in part due to concern that they would be made responsible for cooperating with certain obligations towards migrants or refugees. The Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, offered his resignation after a protest against the agreement in Brussels turned violent.
The UN stated that the Global Compact is not a treaty and it does not impose on member states sovereign powers to determine their immigration laws. It is not a legally binding instrument and is an attempt to express a collective commitment to improving cooperation on international migration. The discord between participating and non-participating countries is intensified in the way that different states perceive the agreement’s role in addressing migration. While countries like the United Kingdom embrace the agreement as a beacon of hope for curbing illegal migration, other countries worry that it will lead to more migration or erode a country’s ability to be in charge of their own immigration laws. There is also a divergence in perception within the countries themselves. An online petition signed by more than 100,000 U.K. citizens asked that the country not to agree with the Compact. Similarly, citizens on the far-right in countries like Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Hungary were highly discontent with the Compact, which has resulted in a wave of withdrawals.
Identifying migration and refugee rights as human rights is one of the foundations of the UN’s Compact. However, there is a long way to go before the UN achieves a universal consensus on migration. With populist and far-right movements gaining a stronghold in many European countries, reaching a point of global cooperation may require more effort in recognizing the issues and addressing the myths surrounding refugees and migration. For example, the foreign minister of Hungary said: “This pact poses a threat to the world from the aspect that it could inspire millions [of migrants].”
The Global Compact rests on history; migration has always been a part of the human search for a better life. The UN aims to ensure that the natural movement of humans is done in a safe, orderly, and sustainable manner for both the migrants and the host countries. This kind of international collaboration may help combat issues like trafficking and exploitation in the long run. But the rising hatred and fear among populations is going to be a hindrance to the acceptance and implementation of the Global Compact. Acknowledging that some countries were not present for the signing of the Compact, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed some hope that they will see the Global Compact’s value and join in this common venture.