On May 22, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN gave two interventions during panels of the Informal Thematic Session of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Session is dedicated to the theme of “addressing drivers of migration, including adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters and human made crisis, through protection and assistance, sustainable development, poverty eradication, conflict prevention and resolution.”
 
In the first panel, dedicated to “Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication,” the Holy See stressed that migration must not be looked at just as a negative phenomenon but as a complex reality requiring greater solidarity, a coherent international framework, and a culture of encounter and cooperation.

In the second panel, dedicated to “Human-made Crises as Drivers of Migration,” the Holy See emphasized that migration should not be a desperate necessity but a choice and that the right to remain in one’s country in peace and security precedes the right to emigrate. It said that drivers that force people to leave their homelands — wars, poverty, environmental degradation, persecution and others — must be addressed to make migration flows voluntary, regular, safe and manageable.

The statement from Panel 1 can be found here.
The statement from Panel 2 can be found here.