ACT Alliance Statement on Commitments for the Global Compact on Migration at the Global Level

Delivered at the Preparatory (stocktaking) meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 5 December 2017

Thank you, Mr Chair.

We have heard several very good suggestions and ideas from states and other stakeholders today, and we welcome the open spirit of the discussion.

At the global level, the following commitments for a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration would be important from our view:

Firstly, we need an increase and enhanced access to regular pathways for migration across all sectors – in keeping with established labour rights standards and relevant ILO conventions, and based on comprehensive, long-term and honest labour market analyses within and between countries.

Secondly, commitments need to be formulated in such a way as to avoid a Compact that focuses primarily on facilitating enhanced returns. We are concerned about the current inconsistency in standards related to assessing voluntariness of return decisions, the transparency and human rights compatibility of readmission agreements, and he lack of effective and independent post-return monitoring in countries of origin; furthermore, reintegration of returning migrants is an area that has not been consistently addressed in global processes so far, and would need a much more robust and participatory engagement with migrants and their communities themselves in order to make it sustainable.

Finally, we would like to draw attention to the need for ensuring complementarity between the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, in order to ensure that issues such as those mentioned above, and potentially affecting people on the move which do not easily fall into the categories ostensibly covered by both Compacts, can be addressed in an integrated and human-rights compliant manner. In order to ensure this, reference should be made in the Compact text to commitments affecting these populations, and provisions should be made in the monitoring and implementation mechanism that would ensure regular and effective exchange between states and other stakeholders, including affected migrants and refugees themselves, about progress towards achieving relevant goals.

Thank you.

ACT Alliance Statement on Commitments for the Global Compact on Migration at the Global Level

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 5 December 2017

Thank you, Mr Chair.

We have heard several very good suggestions and ideas from states and other stakeholders today, and we welcome the open spirit of the discussion.

At the global level, the following commitments for a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration would be important from our view:

Finally, we would like to draw attention to the need for ensuring complementarity between the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, in order to ensure that issues such as those mentioned above, and potentially affecting people on the move which do not easily fall into the categories ostensibly covered by both Compacts, can be addressed in an integrated and human-rights compliant manner. In order to ensure this, reference should be made in the Comact text to commitments affecting these populations, and provisions should be made in the monitoring and implementation mechanism that would ensure regular and effective exchange between states and other stakeholders, including affected migrants and refugees themselves, about progress towards achieving relevant goals.

Thank you.