The United Nations General Assembly endorsed, Friday in New York, the final draft of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, reports MAP. The agreement, which will be formally adopted by Member States at an Intergovernmental Conference scheduled for the 10 and 11 December in Marrakech, Morocco, aims to better manage international migration, address its challenges, strengthen migrant rights and contribute to sustainable development. «Today is a historic day for the United Nations. This day, when we endorse the very first United Nations document dealing with the issue of migration in all its aspects, will remain engraved, not only in the annals of the United Nations, but also and above all, in the memories of the 244 million migrants throughout the world», said Morocco's permanent representative to the UN, ambassador Omar Hilale. «We have demonstrated to the world that the United Nations is capable of agreeing on an issue that has always been the subject of profound differences (...) and proved that political will, open-mindedness and multilateralism can solve the most delicate problems», said the Moroccan diplomat. On the other hand, Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the agreement, stating that it reflects «the shared understanding by Governments that cross-border migration is, by its very nature, an international phenomenon and that effective management of this global reality requires international cooperation to enhance its positive impact for all. It also recognizes that every individual has the right to safety, dignity and protection». The Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular Migration, the first negotiated agreement between governments, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations to cover all dimensions of international migration, was adopted on Friday after a consultation and negotiation process initiated following the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants of 19 September 2016.
