A migrant family looks at the border fence that divides the United States and Mexico near Las Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, after jumping the fence to enter the United States at San Ysidro, Calif., on December 2. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Leaders from 164 countries adopted a global pact Monday to improve the world's response to migration flows, but the United States walked away.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration gives migrants access to basic services and aims to prevent human smuggling through anti-trafficking efforts. It also seeks to eliminate discrimination and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work and facilitate safe and dignified returns.

"The compact only reaffirms that migrants should enjoy human rights and independently of their status," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the start of a two-day conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Monday.

The United States did not support the non-binding pact, which has been in the works for two years. A year ago, the Trump administration said it was "inconsistent with U.S. immigration and refugee policies."

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at the time, "it is is the primary responsibility of sovereign states to help ensure that migration is safe, orderly and legal."

Other countries that backed out included Australia, Hungary, Austria, Latvia, Poland and the Dominican Republic.

The latest Gallup survey found that 15 percent of the world's adults, about 750 million people, would like to move to another country if they had the opportunity. The survey talked to 453,122 adults in 152 countries from 2015 to 2017. That's up from 13 percent between 2010 and 2012.

The United States remains the top destination for migrants.

The Trump administration took a stand against caravans of Central American migrants who arrived at the border in the last few weeks, deploying the military and threatening to close the border if the groups crossed. At one point, U.S. border officers used tear gas on migrants as they approached the border. Now, thousands of migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, have put their names on a list to start the political asylum process, which could take months.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel supports the pact.

"Migration is a natural phenomenon," Merkel said. "It happens all the time all over the world. If it happens legally, it's a good thing."

Guterres said 80 percent of migrants take safe, orderly routes but still risk death as they cross deserts, oceans and rivers. There's also the risk of falling in with human smugglers, he said.

"Whether their movement is voluntary or forced; and whether or not they have been able to obtain formal authorization for movement, all human beings must have their human rights respected and their dignity upheld," the United Nations head said. "To deny this, and to vilify any group of people, is the road to dehumanization and horror."

Experts say there are 258 million migrants seeking asylum worldwide -- 3 percent of the world's total population. The number could increase from population growth, trade, rising inequality and climate change.

Children of the migrant caravan</s>More than 150 countries will join a United Nations conference to adopt a global pact to better handle migrant flows, a senior U.N. official said on Sunday, less than the number that initially worked on the plan.

MARRAKESH, Morocco: More than 150 countries will join a United Nations conference to adopt a global pact to better handle migrant flows, a senior U.N. official said on Sunday, less than the number that initially worked on the plan.

In July, all 193 U.N. members except the United States finalised the so-called Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to better handle migration.

Since then, the text has come under fire from European politicians who say it could increase immigration. At least six European Union members - mostly in formerly Communist Eastern Europe - have shunned the accord

U.N. Special Representative for International Migration Louise Arbour said more than 150 governments had registered for the event in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh set to adopt the accord on Monday, without giving details.

The pact is not legally binding but can provide very useful guidance for countries facing migration, she told a news conference.

"Many challenges will stand in the way of its implementation, not least the toxic and ill-informed narrative that too often persists when it comes to migrants," she said.

In the latest political turmoil over the pact, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel relaunched his government on Sunday as a minority administration after the biggest party in his coalition quit in a dispute over signing the compact.

The right-wing N-VA pulled its ministers after Michel refused its demand that he not agree to the pact.

Also on Sunday, Chile's Interior Ministry Subsecretary Rodrigo Ubilla told El Mercurio newspaper that the country's representatives would not attend the event, saying: "We have said that migration is not a human right. Countries have a right to determine the entry requirements for foreign citizens."

In November, Austria's right-wing government, which holds the EU presidency, said it would also withdraw, saying the accord would blur the line between legal and illegal migration.

Australia also said in November would not sign up to the migration agreement because it would compromise its hardline immigration policy and endanger national security. nL4N1XV663

Among other leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose 13-year chancellorship has been marked by her open-door migrant policy, will attend the event.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is a framework for cooperation and aims to reduce illegal migration, help integrate migrants and return them to their home countries.</s>A total of 164 UN member-countries attending the two-day Intergovernmental Conference on Migration on Monday in Marrakech, Morocco unanimously adopted the Global Compact for Migration.

A total of 164 UN member-countries attending the two-day Intergovernmental Conference on Migration on Monday in Marrakech, Morocco unanimously adopted the Global Compact for Migration.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 18 Heads of States and Governments, 81 ministers as well as civil societies, public and private sector representatives, among others are participating in the conference.

There was no dissenting voice when Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita, President of the conference, put forward the question for the adoption of the document.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the 72nd and 73rd UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, in their speeches, explained the reasons and processes leading to the negotiation of the compact by the UN-member states.

The participating presidents of Spain, Albania, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Panama, Comoros all expressed support for the Global Compact.

So also did German Chancellor Angel Merkel and the Prime Ministers of Belgium, Portugal, Demark, Kingdom of Eswatini, Hellenic Republic and Secretary of state of the Holy Sea.

Most speakers noted that the Compact was timely, coming on the day of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

They stressed the need to guarantee the human rights of migrants and create conditions for countries of origin, transit and destination to better cooperate.

Later at a news briefing, the UN secretary-general said the unanimous adoption of the Global Compact was an emotional moment for him, having been directly involved with migration issues in his official functions back in the years as a civil society volunteer.

He said with better international cooperation, it would be possible to invest much more in countries of origin and create conditions for people to have an option to stay in their own country and build their lives.

Guterres said: “I do believe that better international cooperation will also open the way for more opportunities for legal migration, taking into account the needs of markets, demography and the situation of different countries in the world.

“I believe that this Compact will also help substantially in creating the conditions for a more balance development in countries of origin, avoiding the forced migration.”

He said the document, as adopted by the conference, would be sent to the General Assembly for endorsement.

As the conference continues on Tuesday, more nations are expected to make presentations on the immediate next steps leading to the implementation of the Compact.

The Compact, negotiated over a period of 18 months, is the first-ever agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration in a comprehensive manner.

The Global Compact for Migration is a non-legally binding document grounded in values of state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination and human rights.

It recognises that a cooperative approach is needed to optimise the overall benefits of migration, while addressing its risks and challenges for individuals and communities in countries of origin, transit and destination.

It comprises 23 objectives for better management of migration at local, national, regional and global levels.

The Global Compact for Migration aims to mitigate the adverse drivers and structural factors that hinder people from building and maintaining sustainable livelihoods in their countries of origin;

It intends to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities migrants face at different stages of migration by respecting, protecting and fulfilling their human rights and providing them with care and assistance.

The Compact seeks to address the legitimate concerns of states and communities, while recognising that societies are undergoing demographic, economic, social and environmental changes at different scales that may have implications for and result from migration

Furthermore it strives to create conducive conditions that enable all migrants to enrich societies through their human, economic and social capacities, and thus facilitate their contributions to sustainable development at the local, national, regional and global levels.</s>Global Compact for Migration Backed by Most of the World

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Dec 10 2018 (IPS) - Safe, orderly and regular migration received support today, Dec. 10, with the adoption by 164 countries of the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration.

After a few last-minute hitches, including more international tension and argument than was welcome, the intergovernmental conference taking place in the Moroccan city of Marrakech agreed to a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), a proactive document that will guide States on all matters related to migration.

Well timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the historic adoption of the GCM was presided over by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres who urged countries to treat the Compact as an obligation to human rights that will benefit all.

“We are not establishing a new right to migrate. No. There is not a right for anyone to go anywhere at any time according to his or her whim,” Guterres said during the official ceremony to adopt the Compact. “What we are establishing is the obligation to respect the human rights of migrants—which of course is absolutely obvious when we at the same time celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It would be unconceivable to exclude migrants from the scope of the Universal Declaration.”

The conference was preceded by increasing concerns about certain U.N. member States not supporting the Compact. Some declined outright to participate and adopt the Compact, while others said their final decision must await further internal deliberation. The United States was the most notable and voluble naysayer, condemning the compact and labelling it a violation of national sovereignty.

“We believe the Compact and the process that led to its adoption, including the New York Declaration, represent an effort by the United Nations to advance global governance at the expense of the sovereign right of States to manage their immigration systems in accordance with their national laws, policies, and interests,” the U.S. government said in a national statement released on the eve of the conference.

Other countries who bridled against the compact or refused to sign it include Hungary, Australia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland and Chile.

“It will make an enormous positive impact in the lives of millions of people—migrants themselves, the people they leave behind and the communities that will then host them,” said Louise Arbour, the U.N. Special Representative for International Migration.

“This of course will depend on capturing the spirit of today’s event to move to the implementation of the multiplicity of initiatives that this Global Compact will permit member states to put in place. I am delighted to echo the words of the Secretary-General: it is a wonderful occasion, really a historic moment and a really great achievement for multilateralism.”

The adopted Compact lays out 23 objectives covering all aspects of migration, with each having a general goal and catalogue of possible actions that can be implemented by member states. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn enormous criticism for her decision to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees from places like Syria and Afghanistan to her country. It is a decision that may well have cost her another term in power as she recently announced she will not seek re-election. However, Merkel remarked that the adopted Compact is “about nothing less than the foundation of our international cooperation.”

Such potential significance has attracted to the conference, in addition to high-powered diplomats and officials, approximately 400 non-governmental organizations from civil society, the private sector and academia, and over 700 registered press.

The ceremony adopting the Compact also included speaker Cheryl Perera, a prominent representative of migrant communities, and founder of OneChild, a non-governmental organization which seeks to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children abroad. She called for an end to the drivers of irregular migration on the large scale, and for better protection of migrants on the smaller scale.

“We must do better together,” Perera said. “It is important that we involve the private sector, specifically the national airlines, hotels and others to protect children from trafficking.”</s>As world leaders meet in Morocco to adopt the Global Migration Compact, a senior UN official says the document is a re-affirmation of the values and principles embodied in the UN Charter and in international law.

Ms Louise Arbour, the UN Special Representative for International Migration and Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration, said this on Sunday in Marrakech, Morocco.

Arbour made the remark at a news briefing on the eve of the two-day Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

She said the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration would forever change the way the international community manage human mobility.

The envoy saluted the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco in creating an inspiring environment to launch “one of the defining projects of our generation’’.

“The Marrakech Compact will remain the reference for all future initiatives dealing with cross-border human mobility,’’ she said.

She announced that UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, would declare the conference open while other speakers would include the President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés; President of the International Organisation of Employers, Erol Kiresepi and the co-founder of One-Child organisation, Cheryl Perera.

According to Arbour, more than 150 governments represented by their Heads of States, Heads of Government or senior officials are expected to participate in the conference.

In addition to government officials, over 700 partners, including high-level representation from civil society and the private and public sectors as well as migrants would engage in discussions about innovative partnership opportunities, collaboration and cross-sectoral initiatives with governments.

Arbour said the conference would focus on encouraging creative and cooperative thinking around the full range of the Compact’s objectives with specific discussions on implementation, innovation and partnerships.

“A plenary debate would provide Member-States with the opportunity to formally announce initiatives and confirm their political commitments to the Compact,’’ she said.

Meanwhile, the conference programme showed that two dialogues would run parallel to the plenary, bringing together high-level panellists from different sectors.

The speakers include Ms Madeleine Albright, Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, Mr Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Ms Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Others are Dr David Fine, Global Head of McKinsey’s Public and Social Sector Practice, Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for Liberian President and Chair of the High-Level Panel on International Migration in Africa, Ms Manuela Carmena Castrillo, Mayor of Madrid, Dr Joanne Liu, President of Doctors without Borders and Mr Tarik Yousef, Director of the Brookings Doha Centre.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is the first-ever, inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

It was born out of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016.

It is the culmination of 18 months of discussions and consultations among the Member States and other actors, including national and local officials, civil society, private and public sectors and migrants themselves.

It provides a platform for cooperation on migration.

However, it is not legally binding and therefore, no new legal obligations arise under domestic or international law for participating States. The text is an agreed outcome from the intergovernmental negotiations and it is for each State to determine its next steps.</s>MARRAKECH, Morocco -- Top UN officials and government leaders from about 150 countries are uniting around an agreement on migration, while finding themselves on the defensive about the non-binding deal amid criticism and a walkout from the United States and some other countries.

The Global Compact for Migration has proven a test for globally minded policymakers who want to ensure safe and orderly migration of people displaced by issues like war, economic necessity and climate change.

They have run into stiff political headwinds, mostly in parts of the West that want national borders to remain sacrosanct.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres among the biggest names in Marrakech for the two-day conference that is set to agree, but not sign, the compact by acclamation shortly after the opening Monday.</s>MARRAKECH, Morocco — The Latest on the U.N. migration conference (all times local):

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sought to dispel “falsehoods” and “myths” over an international agreement on safe, humane and orderly migration.

The U.N. chief spoke at the start of a two-day international conference about the “Global Compact on Migration,” moments before about 150 countries were set to agree to it by acclamation. The United States and at least seven other countries have pulled out amid concerns about migrant flows and national sovereignty.

Guterres called the compact a “road map to prevent suffering and chaos” aimed to benefit everyone. He said over 60,000 migrants have died on the move since 2000, calling that “a source of collective shame.”

He said the pact won’t allow the U.N. to impose migration policies on member states and is not a legally-binding treaty. He said most migration is not from the South to the “global North,” but among states in the south, and added that it was not true that developed countries don’t need migration.

Guterres said he hoped that countries not present would join one day.

Top U.N. officials and government leaders from about 150 countries are uniting around an agreement on migration, while finding themselves on the defensive about the non-binding deal amid criticism and a walkout from the United States and some other countries.

The Global Compact for Migration has proven a test for globally minded policymakers who want to ensure safe and orderly migration of people displaced by issues like war, economic necessity and climate change.

They have run into stiff political headwinds, mostly in parts of the West that want national borders to remain sacrosanct.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres among the biggest names in Marrakech for the two-day conference that is set to agree, but not sign, the compact by acclamation shortly after the opening Monday.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) - The Latest on the U.N. migration conference (all times local):

The Norwegian Refugee Council says a nonbinding international deal on migration "recognizes the rising threats of disaster displacement and impacts of climate change and brings hope for the people affected."

Nina Birkeland, a spokeswoman for the group, says the text "is the first comprehensive U.N. document where the international community makes specific commitments to address natural hazards and climate change as drivers of cross-border displacement."

The accord was agreed by more than 160 countries Monday, but is rejected by the United States and some other Western nations.

Birkeland said Monday that when people cross borders, international cooperation "is not only wanted but required."

The Norwegian humanitarian organization that works in more than 30 countries added: "We regret that the formal review will only take place every four years, which we fear will not be sufficient to ensure necessary action."

More than 160 countries have agreed on a nonbinding U.N. migration accord that seeks to ensure the safe, orderly and humane movement of people around the world, over the outspoken disapproval of the United States and several other countries.

High-level government delegates including German Chancellor Angela Merkel have given their backing to the U.N.'s Global Compact for Migration approved by acclamation by 164 countries Monday, culminating years of efforts supported by U.S. President Barack Obama but rejected by the Trump administration.

Defenders say migration can help national economies by rejuvenating the workforce in aging rich countries and by providing a needed source of cash to poorer countries through remittances. They say orderly migration will save lives.

Opponents say the pact could challenge national sovereignty and they fear an influx of migrants.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sought to dispel "falsehoods" and "myths" over an international agreement on safe, humane and orderly migration.

The U.N. chief spoke at the start of a two-day international conference about the "Global Compact on Migration," moments before about 150 countries were set to agree to it by acclamation. The United States and at least seven other countries have pulled out amid concerns about migrant flows and national sovereignty.

Guterres called the compact a "road map to prevent suffering and chaos" aimed to benefit everyone. He said over 60,000 migrants have died on the move since 2000, calling that "a source of collective shame."

He said the pact won't allow the U.N. to impose migration policies on member states and is not a legally-binding treaty. He said most migration is not from the South to the "global North," but among states in the south, and added that it was not true that developed countries don't need migration.

Guterres said he hoped that countries not present would join one day.

Top U.N. officials and government leaders from about 150 countries are uniting around an agreement on migration, while finding themselves on the defensive about the non-binding deal amid criticism and a walkout from the United States and some other countries.

The Global Compact for Migration has proven a test for globally minded policymakers who want to ensure safe and orderly migration of people displaced by issues like war, economic necessity and climate change.

They have run into stiff political headwinds, mostly in parts of the West that want national borders to remain sacrosanct.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres among the biggest names in Marrakech for the two-day conference that is set to agree, but not sign, the compact by acclamation shortly after the opening Monday.</s>MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — The Latest on migration issues (all times local):

The leader of a U.N. migration conference that has been snubbed by the Trump administration and at least seven other governments has lashed out at “misinformation” about an agreement on migration backed by about 150 countries.

Louise Arbour says she expects the Global Compact for Migration to “stand the test of time.” She defended the economic and humanitarian upsides of legal, safe migration and the contributions of around 258 million migrants worldwide today.

She told reporters: “It creates no right to migrate. It places no imposition on states … It is not legally binding.”

At least 100 ministers or government leaders are expected for the two-day conference opening Monday in Marrakech, Morocco, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Arbour said Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and the U.S. have “pulled out.”

As Morocco prepares to host the signing of a landmark global migration agreement, hundreds of migrants are languishing in a Casablanca camp rife with hunger, misery and unsanitary conditions.

These sub-Saharan Africans who dream of going to Europe are a symbol of the problems world dignitaries are trying to address with the U.N.’s first migration compact being finalized at a conference in Marrakech on Monday and Tuesday.

Rising numbers of migrants live in the makeshift camp on a soccer field near a busy Casablanca bus station. Scant food, lack of heat, no sanitation, lice and respiratory infections are the main worries at the Oulad Ziane camp.

Morocco is a major source of Europe’s migrants but is also a transit country and magnet for other Africans fleeing poverty.</s>Nearly 85 percent of the countries at the United Nations agreed Monday on a comprehensive yet non-binding accord to ensure safe, orderly and humane migration.

USA Today reports that the debate over the Global Compact for Migration, the first of its kind, has proven to be a pivotal test of the UN-led effort to stop dangerous and illegal movements across borders, which have made a worldwide business out of smuggling people.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a migration conference in Marrakech, Morocco: “Unregulated migration bears a terrible human cost: a cost in lives lost on perilous journeys across deserts, oceans and rivers; and a cost in lives ruined at the hands of smugglers, unscrupulous employers and other predators.”

He added that “more than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since the year 2000,” calling the numbers “a source of collective shame.”

The conference capped off efforts set in motion two years ago when all 193 UN member states, including the U.S., adopted a declaration saying that no country can manage international migration on its own and agreed to work on a global compact. The Trump administration pulled out of the accord a year ago. It claimed that parts of the compact clashed with “U.S. immigration and refugee policies.”
164 countries adopt the non-binding Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakech, Morocco.