Proper migration on UN's mind. United Nations for first time has finalized Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to better manage international migration, address its
challenges, strengthen migrant rights and contribute to sustainable development.
- This is for first time UN Member countries came together to negotiate agreement covering all dimensions of international migration.
About the "Compact":
- The compact is the first intergovernmental agreement to cover wide-ranging dimensions of international migration in holistic and comprehensive manner, agreed upon by all the UN member states minus the United States.
- It is not legally binding.
- It sets out 23 objectives to deal issues ranging from factors that compel people to move, legal channels for migration, combating trafficking and smuggling, harnessing the economic benefits of migration and return of the migrants.
Some interesting facts:
- Currently, over 250 million migrants worldwide account for 3% of the world’s entire population, but contribute 10% of the global gross domestic production (GDP).
- Migrants remittance is huge contributor to their home countries’ development.
- The process of developing compact was started in early 2017 as implementation of decision by the UN member states that was adopted in the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016.
- UN member states’ another decision pledged in the declaration is to develop a Global Compact on Refugees.
