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Monday 16 July 2018

Morocco Praises Consensus Built around Global Compact for Migration

Vocal synthesis
Morocco Praises Consensus Built around Global Compact for Migration (Official)

Morocco commends the consensus built around the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the final text of which was endorsed, on Friday in New York, by the UN General Assembly, said Morocco's permanent representative to the UN, ambassador Omar Hilale.


"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 etched, 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 Hilale before representatives of member states of the General Assembly.

"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.

For Hilale, now that this process has been completed, "we must look to the future to consolidate this momentum". To do so, three points are necessary, namely preservation, promotion and preparation, he pointed out.

"First of all, we must preserve the text of the Pact until its adoption next December in Marrakech. Today we have sealed the text of the Pact and we should, at all costs, keep it as it is. The Pact should not be the victim of divergences, nor of internal political problems at the national level", stressed the Moroccan ambassador.

Secondly, he went on to say, "we are all called upon to promote this Pact in our respective countries. It is our collective and individual duty to ensure the full support of our national authorities and all relevant actors, notably civil society and migrants themselves."

Finally, "we must prepare for the day after the adoption of the Pact. There's no time to waste. We need to start thinking about ways and means to effectively implement the provisions of the Pact," he said.

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.

It offers a unique opportunity for States to improve the governance on migration, to address the challenges associated with today’s migration, and to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.

MAP 13 July 2018