(VOVWORLD) - Some countries say they will reject the UN’s Global Compact for Migration and will not attend the UN Conference in Morocco to vote on the pact in December. Their rejection of the pact which they agreed on in July has thrown cold water on the UN’s effort to resolve the migration issue.
 Migrants gather in Ixtepec, Oaxaca state, South of Mexico, heading to the border with the US (photo:Reuters)
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Australia is the latest country to drop out of the UN’s Global Compact for Migration, following the US, Hungary, Austria, Czech, Poland, and Israel.
The pact sets 23 goals to ensure legal migration and reaffirms the rights of refugees and migrants, especially children and women.
The cause
The UN’s Global Compact for Migration was unanimously agreed to by UN members in July, with the exception of the US, which withdrew it last year. It went through 18 months of negotiations. Disagreements arose over measures to curb illegal migration flows and return migrants without appropriate papers.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the pact would encourage illegal migration to Australia and reverse its success in reducing human trafficking. Some Australian cabinet members said the pact neither its national policies nor benefits Australia’s interests.
Poland’s right-wing government released a statement rejecting the pact saying it doesn’t ensure national security and defense and could lead to a flood of illegal migration. Poland said the pact goes against Warsaw’s priorities on safeguarding its citizens and tightening policies on migration. It said the UN pact fails to protect national sovereignty.
Hungary and Czech hold tough views on accepting migrants, saying it threatens stability.
Impacts
Without international unity, migration management will be difficult. 250 million people - 3% of the world’s population – have recently migrated to another country.
Some leaders say that if the UN’s Global Compact for Migration is strictly implemented, it will create a firm, responsible mechanism for UN members to work together. President of the UN Commission Jean-Claude Juncker criticized the countries who have dropped out of the pact, saying the EU will lose its leading role in resolving the migration issue if any more EU countries reject it. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the pact is the best way to resolve the issue.