Managing migration

There have been some developments in the UN on the issue of migration, with a UN conference in Morocco adopting a new pact on migration. Coming amidst a climate of anti-immigrant populism, this is a positive step that confirms how serious the crisis of forced migration is in the contemporary world. But the negotiations also confirmed how serious a challenge there is going forward to create an open environment for the millions displaced by war, famine and poverty around the world. Notable rejections of the pact include the United States, where the Trump presidency remains wedded to the idea of building a wall on the Mexican border to prevent migration from Central America. In addition, many countries the world over face rising internal pressure from proliferating Far-Right groups that demand ultra-nationalist policies with a racist anti-immigration agenda. For instance, Belgium might be forced to withdraw from the pact to save the coalition government with the Flemish national party, despite the fact that it is non-binding and serves merely as a framework for international cooperation.

The US rejected the negotiations last year – and was joined by Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and others. Sixteen countries have either opted out or expressed concerns over the document, which is considered the first international document on managing migration. At a time when almost 250 million people are on the move globally, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called it a ‘roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos.’ We should be clear that the guidelines fall far short of any ideal objectives. Moreover, with no enforcement mechanism, it is all good to talk shop, but there is no actual deal on the cards.

The name itself is a give-away. The pact is called ‘The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’. It seems to reinforce the idea that certain kinds of migration are illegal and forces could be deploy to check migration by those who interpret it that way. This is a watered-down agreement that the UN secretary-general has continued to insist is not ‘an imposition of migration policies.’ German chancellor Angela Merkel too has insisted that the pact is ‘to prevent, rather than encourage, illegal migration.’ The pact could be a positive step – but for now it shows us how difficult moving towards a better world will be.