Briefing by the Secretary-General on the Report “Making Migration Work for All”

11 January 2018

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at Informal Plenary for Briefing by the Secretary-General on the Report “Making Migration Work for All”

 

 

Mr. Secretary-General, SRSG Arbour, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for coming this morning for a briefing on this Report of the Secretary-General.

At the outset, I want to pause to pay tribute to the former Special Representative on International Migration, Mr. Peter Sutherland. Peter was a fierce advocate for migrants who contributed significantly to the progress we have made over the years on migration issues. It was his passion that has lead us here today to better protect migrants and refugees

Colleagues,

The negotiations to agree on the Global Compact on Migration will be a focus in the months ahead. I therefore welcome this briefing for the Membership today. The Report sets out many key issues for consideration in the collective efforts to shape the compact.

As you are aware, the Report comes at the end of the second phase of consultations. We have made quite some progress over these two phases, up to the successful stocktaking meeting in Puerto Vallarta.

Now it is time for all of us – Member States, civil society, academia and migrants themselves – to start 2018 with a renewed determination. We need to focus on meeting our goal.

Before giving the floor to the Secretary-General, I want to emphasise 2 points.

 

The first is that in developing the Compact, we have the opportunity to maximise the benefits of international migration. Let us harness that opportunity.

  • We have the chance to strengthen our communities both at home and abroad.
  • We can protect those who are most vulnerable, and promote human dignity.
  • We can bolster our economies at all levels making full use of the economic activity attached to migration.
  • As sovereign states, instead of closing borders and trying to stop migration, we can strengthen border management. That way we will better know, determine and control who enters our countries.
  • And we can also reduce the need for irregular migration.

We will have to find the balance between interests and perspectives. We need to do this in a way that fulfils our commitments and results in benefits – for everyone.

The negotiating room should not be the place for rhetoric, fear-mongering or populist sentiments. Instead, it must be the space for vision, compassion and leadership.

MIROSLAV LAJČÁK

President of the UN General Assembly

To do so, we have to move into the next phase ready to actually negotiate. So, for my second point, I want to reiterate something I said in Puerto Vallarta. We must all come ready to listen, to explain, to use what we have learned, to be flexible, to compromise. This kind of genuine dialogue is the essence of every successful negotiation.

The negotiating room should not be the place for rhetoric, fear-mongering or populist sentiments. Instead, it must be the space for vision, compassion and leadership. It must be filled with trust, confidence and understanding. It must be the place where we recognise and respect each other’s concerns and challenges, and work to find mutually acceptable solutions.

It is only by working together that we will have a successful outcome.

Make no mistake, people will continue to move. As we speak many are making decisions about leaving their homes. Many of these will put their lives and futures at risk. We must therefore resolve to craft a concrete compact by July. In doing so, we will fulfil our commitment to the people we represent here at the United Nations.

 

Dear colleagues,

It will be up to us to show the world what we can do, united, to address the global challenges before us; to better the lives of people everywhere. And once agreed in July, we need not wait till December to start implementing. We can build the partnerships and start preparing the structures we will need to implement the Compact.

With today’s launch of the Secretary General’s report, we now have all the tools necessary to start the negotiation phase.

And so without further ado, I now give the floor to the Secretary-General.

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