Fiji attends the Global Compact on Migration Meeting in Morocco

Migration is one of the most challenging and controversial features of modern reality, together with climate change and disasters.

This year in July, State parties of the United Nations agreed to a text for a Global Compact on Migration to guide countries on policies for cross border migration.

It is based on the dignity and human rights of all migrants and includes a section on migrants who move across borders as a result of disasters and climate change.

Together with the recommendations of the Task Force on Displacement of the Warsaw International Mechanism at the UNFCCC COP24 this month, the GCM provides a blueprint to guide the policies of all countries, especially those in the Pacific, which must include such migration in their national policies because of their vulnerability to climate change.

The member States of the United Nation and civil society representatives are meeting in Morocco to formally adopt the Compact.

However, since the negotiation of the text, several countries have withdrawn their support for the Compact.

As migration and the treatment of migrants continue to gather interest, Fiji and the Pacific Small Island Developing States have maintained support for the Compact and especially for the sections which promote an inclusive approach to climate change displacement, as this is an issue of central interest to the Pacific.

Fiji is represented at the Compact meeting by Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan and the First Secretary to Fiji’s Mission to the UN in New York Gene Bai.

Ambassador Khan spoke on Fiji’s experiences with climate change and migration in an event hosted by the International Organisation for Migration and also chaired a side event before the GCM meeting today, on policy coherence between international organizations and national governments, on climate change induced migration.

Speakers included the High Commissioner for Refugees Mr Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration Mr Antonio Vitorino and the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Mr Shahidul Haque.