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Written Question
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Tuesday 8th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 20 December (HL12099), whether they will now answer the question put, whether, and if so when, they intend to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Answered by Lord Bates

The UK Government is supportive of the United Nations’ Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, both as a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and as a framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary of State announced the UK’s support for the Migration Compact at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018, and Minister Burt attended the intergovernmental launch event in Marrakesh in December 2018.

The UK voted in favour of the UN General Assembly Resolution to adopt the Compact on 19th December 2018 and issued an Explanation of Vote to set on the record its interpretation of the text. A summary of the Explanation can be found on the UN website at: https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12113.doc.htm

Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places people on the move in situations of great vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration both in our domestic policy work and in our ODA-funded programmes by:

  • Addressing factors that may force people to migrate irregularly, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, and education and driving economic development;
  • Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crime;
  • Supporting enhanced border management;
  • Providing critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return home; and
  • Supporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

The Global Compact for Migration supports delivery of these efforts within the international system and enhances cooperation between states without affecting the sovereignty of all countries to control their own borders. The Compact will not in any way create legal obligations for States, nor does it seek to establish international customary law or further interpret existing treaties or national obligations. It does not establish a ‘human right to migrate’ or create any new legal categories of migrant. The GCM emphasises that migrants are entitled to the same universal human rights as any human being and does not create any new ‘rights’ for migrants.

The Compact commits to protecting freedom of expression for the press and public. The freedom of the media to debate all issues of importance to society, including the issue of migration in all its aspects, is fundamental to a liberal society and the UK Government attaches the highest importance to this.

It also includes proposals which will help the UK make a strong contribution to the delivery of the global Sustainable Development Goals. This includes those relating to orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people; and those intended to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, and child labour.

The final draft of the Compact is available online at:

https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180711_final_draft_0.pdf


Written Question
Department for International Development: Written Questions
Tuesday 8th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what training they provide to officials drafting responses to parliamentary written questions in the Department for International Development.

Answered by Lord Bates

DFID’s Parliamentary Team provide regular training and outreach sessions throughout the year to officials preparing written answers to submit to Ministers in response to parliamentary questions.


Written Question
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Thursday 20th December 2018

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Answered by Lord Bates

Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places those on the move in situations of great vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration both in our domestic policy work and in our ODA-funded programmes by:

  • Addressing the root causes of irregular migration, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, education and economic development;

  • Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crime
  • Supporting enhanced border management
  • Providing critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return home
  • Supporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia

The UK Government is supportive of the UN’s Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Compact is one way in which we are working to ensure that UK migration priorities are embedded throughout the international system. It is a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and helpful framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Compact is not legally binding. Instead, it creates a framework that will allow countries to work together to make migration more beneficial for everyone. It protects every State’s right to determine its own immigration policies, including in areas such as asylum, border controls and returns of illegal migrants.

My colleague, the Right Hon. Alistair Burt MP, attended the formal intergovernmental launch event in Marrakech on December 10.


Written Question
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Friday 7th December 2018

Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Morocco on 10 December; whether they have consulted other EU Member States on signing the Compact; and whether they intend to seek the views of Parliament before committing themselves to a decision.

Answered by Lord Bates

Well-managed migration is in everyone’s interests. But uncontrolled migration erodes public confidence, damages economies, and places those on the move in situations of intense vulnerability. The UK is taking significant steps to tackle uncontrolled migration by:

  • Addressing the root causes of migration, through our targeted assistance for livelihoods, healthcare, education and economic development
  • Tackling modern slavery and organised immigration crime
  • Supporting enhanced border management
  • Providing critical humanitarian support and protection for vulnerable migrants, as well as offering voluntary return and vital reintegration support to those wishing to return home
  • Supporting refugees to stay in a first safe country through our humanitarian and development work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia

The Global Compact for Migration is one way in which we are working to ensure that UK migration priorities are embedded throughout the international system. It is a step forward in international co-operation to tackle irregular migration and helpful framework to help us deliver our commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Compact is not legally binding. Instead, it creates a framework that will allow countries to work together to make migration more beneficial for everyone. It protects every State’s right to determine its own immigration policies, including in areas such as asylum, border controls and returns of illegal migrants.

We have worked closely with our EU colleagues throughout the process and will continue to do so as we approach the intergovernmental launch event in Marrakesh. My colleague the Rt Hon. Alistair Burt MP recently spoke to the APPGs on Migration and Refugees about the Migration Compact.