PH hails UN-approved compact on safe migration

The text, which was approved at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, carries a “strong migrant protection mechanism,” particularly for domestic workers, a campaign Manila strongly pushed for.(Pixabay photo)

MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), hailed the United Nations’ approval of the final text of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM), which seeks to promote safe migration and curb human trafficking.

The text, which was approved at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, carries a “strong migrant protection mechanism,” particularly for domestic workers, a campaign Manila strongly pushed for.

Once adopted in Morocco on Dec. 11, the GCM will serve as a non-legally binding cooperative framework that builds on the commitments agreed upon by member states in the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

“For the Philippines, a Global Compact on Migration is long overdue,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said in a statement.

“Through our four decades of managing migration, we had fought for this — for migration to come to the UN and be recognized as a global issue worthy of mankind’s attention,” she added.

Arriola, who was the lead Philippine negotiator in New York, said the Philippines and other labor-sending states, such as Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Costa Rica had to hurdle opposition from several Western member states before the GCM’s final text was approved.

In 2017, the United States cut its commitment in the GCM’s development, citing a number of New York Declaration policy goals that run counter to US law and policy.

The draft, which is now up for adoption, affirms that migration governance is a “shared responsibility” and cannot be addressed by one state or by governments alone.

For Arriola, however, the work does not end with the negotiation’s conclusion.

“Our work on the Global Compact does not cease with 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,” she said.

The GCM will create a UN network that directs all its agencies and programs to have a coherent approach to migration, with the International Organization for Migration acting as coordinator.