New York, NY — More than 160 nations joined together today at a conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, to adopt the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. This non-binding agreement aims to improve the treatment of migrants worldwide. It encourages nations to work together to fight discrimination against migrants, calls for improved data gathering and sharing between countries, and demands stronger efforts to protect the human rights of migrants and those whose lives are affected by migration.

In response to the adoption of the Compact, Michelle Brané, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, issued the following statement:

“The Women’s Refugee Commission welcomes the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which acknowledges the need for regulating migration as a reality that needs a global response that is consistent with human rights.

“We note that an overwhelming majority of UN Member States support the Compact, despite opposition from a few nations that continue to play politics with the lives of vulnerable people. Contrary to claims by some of the world’s wealthiest nations that migration threatens their borders, migration continues to occur mostly within the Global South. The Compact represents a much-needed rational approach in a time of xenophobia and scapegoating of migrants.

“The Women’s Refugee Commission stands ready to assist in the Compact’s implementation and calls on the international community to stand united #WithMigrants. Here in the United States, we see firsthand the devastating consequences of a government that has deliberately chosen to create a crisis, endanger lives, and contribute to immense suffering rather than complying with our legal obligations, commitments, and traditions, and respecting human rights.”