As more than 150 countries around the world moved ahead with the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) last week in Marrakesh, Morocco, Australia and a few other countries fell behind, deciding not to adopt this pioneering global instrument.
The GCM was adopted in Marrakesh at an intergovernmental conference under the auspices of the UN on 10 December 2018, Human Rights Day. This was a historic moment in the governance of international migration and an incredible milestone for international cooperation on the management of all dimensions of international migration across the globe.
The adoption of the GCM marks the first time that the world's nations have come together in agreement on frameworks, principles, and concrete actions to deal with the growing complexity and scale of human mobility. The contents of the GCM represent the culmination of two years of hard work, debate, and good faith negotiations among UN member states, including Australia. To abandon the GCM is a loss for all the migrant women, men and children affected by human mobility, but also creates a strong signal that we no longer deem multilateralism as an appropriate or effective approach to global challenges.
The compact counted on strong political support from many world leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michael and the top dignitaries from Spain, Greece, Gabon, Panama amongst others.
There was also unanimous support for the adoption of the GCM from the Asia Pacific region with all countries supporting the GCM, with the exception of Australia and Singapore, which abstained on their vote on the GCM at the UN General Assembly on 19 December in New York. Delegations from Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia Tuvalu and Fiji among other countries from our region expressed their support to the GCM as an important governance instrument in the Asia Pacific region.
The Holy See was also one of the 'shakers and movers' in the negotiations and adoption of the GCM. Pope Francis reaffirmed the 20 points of action to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants and refugees.
This strong show of support for the GCM took place at a time of increased nationalist rhetoric, populism and xenophobia. This makes the adoption of the GCM even more of a profound victory. Reaching this point would have been a dream only a few years ago.
"Our government has sent the message that Australia doesn't need the rest of the world, nor