After a heated political dispute that had dragged on for months, Italy did not sign the Global Compact on Migration, which was signed in Marrakech (Morocco) between 10 and 11 December by 164 other countries. But what exactly does this UN document provide for, and why is it so controversial?

Read also: 18 December is World Migrants Day

The history of the Global Compact on Migration

As the official website explains, the "Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration" (its official name) is an agreement established under the auspices of the United Nations. It is the very first to be negotiated among different governments with the aim of addressing all dimensions of international migration through an integrated approach. The phenomenon, after all, now concerns 258 million people: in other words, 3.4 per cent of the world's population has, for one reason or another, left their country of origin.

The history of this agreement begins on 19 September 2016, at the UN General Assembly in which the 193 representatives of member states signed the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. It is precisely Annex II of the Declaration that provides for the launch of a process of consultations and negotiations, which resulted in the Global Compact.

United Nations ✓ @UN

𝕏

258 million migrants = 258 million stories, journeys & memories.
On Tuesday's #MigrantsDay, let's continue to advocate for migration #WithDignity in a safe & orderly manner: iamamigrant.org/without

♥ 757💬 60 18 dic 2018 · Apri su X →

The Global Compact is not binding law

The first thing to clarify is that the Global Compact on Migration is not a binding document and does not in any way impinge on the sovereignty of states, but simply establishes certain guidelines to follow in order to cooperate more closely in managing international migration. This becomes necessary because, as the document states in plain terms, "no state can address the challenges and opportunities of this global phenomenon on its own".

The negotiators drew on a well-established foundation: international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which has just turned seventy) and other United Nations Conventions, the Paris Agreement on climate, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals; the list goes on at considerable length. Through a long and laborious process, all these documents were cross-referenced with a range of data, scientific studies and contributions from experts.

The 23 objectives on international migration

This lengthy mediation process resulted in 23 objectives, each of which is in turn broken down into a series of actions.

1. Collect accurate and disaggregated data and use it as a basis for developing policies grounded in concrete evidence.
2. Minimise the structural factors and negative drivers that compel people to leave their country of origin.
3. Provide accurate and timely information at all stages of migration.
4. Ensure that all migrants hold adequate documentation and proof of their legal identity.
5. Improve the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration.
6. Facilitate fair and ethical recruitment procedures and safeguard the conditions that ensure decent work.
7. Address and reduce vulnerability.
8. Save lives and establish internationally coordinated responses for missing migrants.
9. Strengthen transnational responses to the smuggling of migrants.
10. Prevent, combat and eradicate trafficking in persons in the context of international migration.
11. Manage borders in a safe, coordinated and integrated manner.
12. Make migration procedures safer and more structured so as to handle screening, assessment and referral appropriately.
13. Use detention only as a measure of last resort and work towards finding alternatives.
14. Improve consular protection, assistance and cooperation throughout the migration cycle.
15. Ensure migrants have access to basic services.
16. Empower migrants and societies to achieve full inclusion and social cohesion.
17. Eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote an evidence-based public debate to shape the perception of migration.
18. Invest in developing skills and facilitate the mutual recognition of abilities, qualifications and competences.
19. Create the conditions for migrants to contribute fully to sustainable development in all countries.
20. Promote faster, safer and cheaper transfers of remittances and foster the financial inclusion of migrants.
21. Cooperate to facilitate safe and dignified returns and readmissions, as well as sustainable reintegration into society.
22. Establish mechanisms for the portability of social security entitlements and acquired benefits.
23. Strengthen international cooperation and the global partnership for safe, orderly and regular migration.

Italy is not among the 164 signatory countries

This, in brief, is the document that was adopted on 10 and 11 December in Marrakech by 164 countries. Donald Trump's United States was not present, nor were the countries of the so-called Visegrád Group (namely Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), joined by Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland.

The Italian government led by Giuseppe Conte also chose not to attend the Marrakech summit, opting to refer the decision to Parliament. The first general debate in the Chamber on 19 December produced no outcome. The motion passed, put forward by the majority, commits the government to examining the measure more thoroughly before reaching a decision on it.

United Nations ✓ @UN

𝕏

There are many myths & falsehoods about the Global Compact #ForMigration. Here are the facts ⬇️

♥ 168💬 32 14 dic 2018 · Apri su X →

The matter returned to the floor of Montecitorio on 27 February, with a motion (signed by the Fratelli d'Italia group leader Francesco Lollobrigida) by which Italy commits to "not signing the Global Compact" and to "not contributing in any way to the financing of the related trust fund". The motion was passed with just 112 votes in favour (those of Forza Italia and Fratelli d'Italia); the government majority abstained, while the Partito Democratico and Liberi e Uguali voted against. After lengthy debate, therefore, our country rejects the Global Compact outright. By the same mechanism, the government also committed "to adopting initiatives to ensure the immediate establishment of hotspots in North African countries for the examination of asylum applications".

What is the Global Compact on Refugees

During those same days in mid-December, with considerably less media fanfare, the UN General Assembly approved by a large majority another Global Compact: the one on refugees. These terms are sometimes confused, but they refer to two quite distinct conditions. A migrant is, in the broad sense, anyone who leaves their country of origin; a refugee, by contrast, is a status defined by the 1951 Geneva Convention and refers to a person who cannot return to their homeland because doing so would be too dangerous.

This document, too, is a product of the 2016 New York Declaration, is non-binding and is aimed at improving international cooperation.

Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi

𝕏

The @UN General Assembly has just agreed to a historic #RefugeeCompact. It is the biggest effort to broadly share refugee responsibilities that I have witnessed in 34 years of work with refugees.

♥ 1592💬 189 17 dic 2018 · Apri su X →

It has four objectives:

1. Ease the pressure on host countries that receive refugees.
2. Foster self-confidence and autonomy among refugees.
3. Broaden access to the so-called "resettlement" process and to other solutions.
4. Support the conditions that favour a safe and dignified return to countries of origin.

In this case, only the United States and Hungary voted against, and the number of abstentions was very limited. Italy voted in favour.

Opening photo © Christopher Furlong/Getty Images