On June 4, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Opening Session of the Fifth Round of the Intergovernmental Negotiation on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that the current draft of the GCM is premised on the complimentary rights of states to determine their migration policy and on person-centered policies upholding the dignity and human rights of migrants. He expressed gratitude for the concrete reference to the work of faith-based organizations and for the work done to establish a comprehensive normative framework of best practices and migration policies and to close protection gaps from the previous draft, particularly by including the principle of non-refoulement and practical solution for the best interest of the child, family unity, particularly vulnerable migrants, and victims of sudden onset disasters. He expressed concern over the inclusion of references to documents that have not been negotiated and lack of consensus alongside those that have been the object of meticulous intergovernmental negotiations. 

His statement can be found here.