7 December 2017: A three-day meeting in Mexico kicked off the stocktaking phase of the preparatory process for the global compact on migration. In his closing remarks to the meeting, UNGA President Miroslav Lajcak noted that participants agreed that the current response to international migration is unsustainable and that a credible follow-up mechanism is essential.

The stocktaking meeting convened from 4-6 December 2017, in Puerto Vallarta, with the participation of approximately 400 delegates from 136 Member States and 16 international NGOs and UN specialized agencies. The stocktaking meeting will result in a Chair’s summary.

Lajcak underlined Member States’ agreement that each government will continue to determine its own migration policies. Participating in the UN compact process does not mean “diminution of state sovereignty,” he stressed. Prior to the meeting, the US Government had announced the end of its participation in the process, citing its sovereign right to enforce immigration laws.

Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration, said migration is likely to increase due to climate change, changes in population structures, changes in the nature of jobs and other economic factors. She said a coherent international approach will allow the international community to maximize migration’s opportunities. A particular challenge is presented by mixed flows, and finding ways to “deal with those who are ineligible for international refugee protection, yet for whom humanitarian assistance and longer‑term solutions are no less urgent.” Arbour called to put equality and empowerment of women and protection of their rights at the core of the Compact.

Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Videgaray Caso, also noted the “beneficial global effects” of migration and the need for shared responsibilities. He stressed that no country can face migration alone, “no matter how big and powerful it may be.”

Along with the forthcoming report of the UN Secretary-General, the inputs from the stocktaking meeting will inform the zero draft of the global compact. The co-facilitators are expected to release the draft in mid-January, and negotiations are scheduled to take place between February and July 2018. The intergovernmental conference on international migration will convene in Morocco from 10-11 December 2018, per the modalities agreed in November 2017.

Modalities for the Conference are outlined in a draft resolution agreed by Member States on 17 November 2017. The UNGA’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) determined on 29 November, with regard to programme budget implications (PBI) of the resolution, that the Conference would give rise to additional resource requirements in the amount of $668,500 for 2018-2019, which would represent a charge against the contingency fund.

The PBI document also states that these costs relate to holding the conference in New York. If the Assembly decides to hold the conference in Morocco, as indicated in the draft resolution on modalities, the Government of Morocco must defray any additional costs, per UNGA resolution 40/243 on holding sessions away from established headquarters.

The UNGA will host the third in a series of multi-stakeholder hearings on migration at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 18 December 2017. The hearings include representatives of NGOs, civil society organizations, academic institutions, parliaments, diasporas, migrants, migrant organizations and the private sector, and result in input for the intergovernmental negotiations, as part of the mandated preparatory process on the global compact and conference. [Meeting Website and Documents] [UN Meeting Summary, 4 December] [UN Press Release, 4 December] [UNGA President’s Statement, 6 December] [UN Meeting Summary, 6 December] [UN Press Release, 6 December] [Input to Report of UN Secretary-General] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Stocktaking Meeting, 5 December] [Modalities for Conference (A/72/L.9] [PBI for Conference Modalities (A/C.5/72/17)] [Multi-stakeholder Hearing]