NEW YORK: Pakistan welcomed an agreement on a Global Compact at the United Nations (UN) that sets out a framework to protect migrants.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, while speaking in the final session of Intergovernmental negotiations on a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) said that this marked a historic moment and triumph of multilateralism.
She described this as a balanced document that addressed issues of concern to countries of origin, transit and destination.
The UN General Assembly has agreed on this all-encompassing global compact to better manage the international flow of migrants and protect human rights. It will be formally adopted by world leaders in Morocco in December.
The Pakistani envoy pointed out that “The hard work begins now”.
“We must now agree and undertake our shared responsibility for the protection and realization of the rights of all migrants, to fully realize the immense potential and to harness the benefits of regular migration”, Lodhi commented.
Agreeing with Secretary General Antonio Guterres that, “migrants are a remarkable engine of growth and migration as well as a positive developmental phenomenon”, she said that there was a strong nexus between migration and development.
“Our success rests on mutual trust, determination and solidarity to fulfill the 23 objectives and commitments contained in the GCM”, she emphasised.
Lodhi also said that effective implementation of the GCM can only be through regional and national actions that include detailed action plans and reviews of current legislation.
“We look forward to the formal adoption of the Global Compact in December this year, and on working on its implementation as we take this process forward to the next more critical stage”, she concluded.