18 December 2018
UNGA President Outlines Next Steps for Migration Compact
UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist
story highlights

Following the adoption of the Global Compact on Migration by 164 UN Member States in Marrakech, Morocco, the UNGA will meet to formally endorse it on 19 December 2018.

The UNGA President announced that she will designate co-facilitators for intergovernmental consultations to define the modalities of the International Migration Review Fora that will examine progress in the implementation of the Compact.

12 December 2018: Following the adoption of the Global Compact Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakech, Morocco, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés outlined steps that will be taken to bring “the Compact to life.” These include the Assembly’s adoption of the resolution, which serves as its formal endorsement of the Compact, and the launch of intergovernmental consultations to define the modalities of the International Migration Review Fora called for in the Compact.

The Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration took place in Marrakech, Morocco, from 10-11 December 2018. The adoption of the compact followed intergovernmental consultations led by the delegations of Mexico and Switzerland, which culminated in an informal agreement on the text among Member States in July 2018. At the Marrakech conference, 164 UN Member States joined the Compact’s adoption.

The Marrakech Compact calls for establishing International Migration Review Fora for the agreement’s follow-up and review.

The Global Compact on Migration – also known as the Marrakech Compact on Migration – includes 23 objectives and a set of possible actions for each one. The Compact also contains a section on follow-up and review, which calls for the establishment of International Migration Review Fora to examine progress in implementation. In this section, governments request the UNGA President to hold intergovernmental consultation to determine the Fora’s precise modalities and organizational aspects, and to articulate how the contributions of regional reviews and other relevant processes will inform them. The intergovernmental consultations are mandated to be open, transparent, and inclusive, and to both launch and conclude in 2019.

In a press briefing on 12 December 2018, Espinosa’s spokesperson announced that the UNGA President will designate co-facilitators for the consultations. She stressed the importance of regional reviews to inform the Fora to ensure and strengthen the effectiveness and consistency of the follow-up related to the implementation of the Compact, and noted her commitment to “ensure an open, transparent and inclusive negotiation process.”

She also announced that the UNGA plenary will proceed with the formal endorsement of the Compact on 19 December 2018, in the UNGA Hall in New York, US.

During the closing ceremony of the Conference on 11 December, Espinosa asked “every country” to disseminate the contents of the Compact, adding that its social appropriation will be the best guarantee of its implementation and “will avoid erroneous and even malicious interpretations.” [Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the UNGA President] [UNGA President Closing Remarks During the Marrakech Conference][SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Global Compact Adoption] [UN Press Release on Adoption of Compact]


related events


related posts