– As Delivered-

STATEMENT BY H.E. MARÍA FERNANDA ESPINOSA, PRESIDENT OF THE 73RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

December 10, 2018

Excellency Nasser Bourita, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, President of the Conference,

Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General,

Heads of State and Government,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to begin by thanking the Kingdom and the People of Morocco for their generous hospitality as hosts of this Conference.

Morocco, in the Berber language means “the Land of God.” A “Land of God” that today witnesses a milestone in the history of the United Nations. This Conference is clear proof of the full validity of multilateralism, as the most efficient tool to face one of the most important challenges of today: international migration.

Excellencies,

Migration is part of the history of humanity. This phenomenon has always existed. There is no country or people in the world that has not been transformed by it.

In recent years, we have witnessed great migratory movements that have caused thousands of deaths. Let us bear in mind that no one leaves their family, their land, their affections behind if they do not have a powerful reason to do so. That is why migrant persons are brave, creative, and enterprising but above all, they are human beings.

Today is a historic moment: we are giving migration a human face and, by means of this Compact, we will establish an agreement and a commitment to cooperate, exchange and learn from each other on all of the dimensions of migration and the challenges faced by the countries of origin, transit and destination.

Excellencies,

This Compact is a guide, an instrument with a set of standards, a reference for our public policies in the subject of migration. The Compact is a global response to a reality that we can only face together, because international migration is, by its own nature, a global, cross-border phenomenon.

Excellencies,

Yesterday was the day to commemorate the international day against genocide. T

he Compact that gathers us here today also represents a common vision to put an end to xenophobic and discriminatory discourses and concepts that can lead to tragic stories that we do not wish to repeat ever again.

The Compact that we will adopt today is a flexible Instrument that can adapt to the needs, visions and priorities of each country. It stimulates joint work and cooperation at all levels: States, local governments, the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector and the communities of the Diaspora.

Let there be no doubt: the Compact does not affect the sovereignty of any State.

On the contrary, it reinforces it. No State, no matter how powerful, can solve -by itself- the challenges of migration. The good practices promoted by the Compact are -in fact- already being implemented in several places around the world.

As an example, in my recent official visits to France and Canada, last November, I had the chance to see, first hand, wonderful examples of inclusion, reception and good practices. This shows us that we are not starting the implementation from scratch.

Excellencies,

The negotiations have been long, exhausting and definitely hard. But they have been worthwhile. The efforts have brought us here.

I wish to express my acknowledgement to all States for participating in the negotiations with an open mind and constructiveness. I would like to emphasize the great work, tenacity and diplomatic abilities of the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Switzerland to the United Nations -Ambassadors Juan José Gómez Camacho and Jürg Lauber-, who facilitated the negotiations under the leadership of the former president of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák, to whom I extend my gratitude.

I also wish to acknowledge the profound commitment of the Secretary General and his Special Representative, Louise Harbor, who have followed this intergovernmental process.

Excellencies,

Today, seventy years ago, the international community was adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which acknowledges that all persons, without discrimination, are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Adopting the Global Compact is the best homage that we can pay to the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration.

The fact that people leave their country of origin, cross one or several borders and settle in a country, whichever it might be, makes guaranteeing the fundamental rights of migrant persons even more necessary.

Whether it is a mother from Mali that crosses the desert to get to Niger; a college student from India who studies at Canada; or a retired American who decides to live in Vilcabamba or in Cuenca del Ecuador: all, absolutely all are looking for better and greater opportunities; opening the doors of new worlds; enriching cultural diversity and contributing to development of both the communities that embrace them and the ones that they departed from.

The Global Compact that we will adopt today put those persons at the center, addressing the root causes of migration.

The Compact also gives us new opportunities to work effectively and jointly on one of the worst scourges of this century, which is trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. More than 70 percent of the victims are women and girls.

Excellencies,

To conclude, I would like to leave you a message: migration, the movement of persons across borders, countries and regions will continue to happen and will continue to transform us. Therefore, we must have a shared navigational chart. Cooperation, solidarity with responsibility is the very thing that this Compact offers us.

Perhaps there is no other place in the world that is more appropriate than the African continent, specially the Kingdom of Morocco, to sign this Compact, which from this day forward, will be the Compact of Marrakesh.

I say this because it was Africa where the first great expansion of humanity begun, the first great migration that populated the earth. Africa is our birthplace as a species. It is our birthplace and now it is also the destination that embraces us to go into a future that has enough space for all of us.

Thank you.