PH agrees to global pact on safe migration

The Philippines joined over 190 countries in agreement to promote safe and organized migration as well as reduce human smuggling and trafficking on July 13, which culminated lengthy negotiations on the issue that the United States boycotted.

The global pact on migration was hailed by many supporters including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak.

Mexican Ambassador Juan Gomez Camacho, who stood as facilitator of the negotiations, said it was “a historic day” after four decades of pushing for migration to be recognized as a global issue.

Meanwhile, in her statement, Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said that the global document to tackle the migration issue was “long overdue”. She also noted that the work on the global pact doesn’t stop at its finalization today.

“We will continue to engage in its implementation and follow-up and review, to ensure that it continues to reflect changing needs, challenges and interests,” Arriola said.

The global pact isn’t legally binding, and it is scheduled to be formally adopted at a miniterial meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco on December 11 to 12.

Lajcak is confident that the pact will change how the world looks at the migration issue even though it isn’t legally binding. He also said that the door is open for the United States to come back.

The U.N. estimates that there are 250 million migrants around the world. And according to a McKinsey study cited by Guterres, “they make up 3 percent of global population but contribute 10 percent of global gross domestic product.”

via Philippine Star / Edith Lederer