Malta was among the 164 countries participating in an intergovernmental conference held on 10 and 11 December in Marrakech, Morocco, to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: the first inter- governmentally negotiated agreement.
The compact was drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
The compact is not legally binding and a core guiding principle of the final text explicitly affirms the sovereign right of states to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction in accordance with international law.
"One cannot underestimate the value of a global agreement on the subject. As a frontline state, Malta has experienced first-hand the benefits of a regional approach towards migration, as opposed to a unilateral one. We are confident that a global approach, to further assist us in managing migration in a safe and orderly way, is an important step in the right direction", Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela told the high-level conference.
In Marrakech, Minister Abela also took part in an event held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Malta continues to make human rights a topmost priority", he said. "We have strengthened our top ranking on LGBTI rights and, in 2017, we adopted our very first migrant integration strategy. We also remain actively engaged in efforts to achieve gender equality and the advancement of women's rights as a matter of priority. In this regard, Malta is currently addressing gender-balanced representation in political and public life, thereby creating a win-win situation for society as a whole."
Minister Abela also held a bilateral meeting with Michael Spindelegger, Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), an international organisation with UN observer status based in Vienna. The ICMPD serves as a support organisation for informal consultations and to provide expertise and services in the area of multilateral cooperation on migration and asylum issues. It has 17 member states, incuding Malta, which joined in May 2018, thus becoming the first Central Mediterranean member. The Minister and the DG discussed the next steps of the already successful cooperation between Malta and the ICMPD.