On July 9, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Opening Session of the sixth and final round of the intergovernmental negotiations on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

In his statement, Archbishop Auza welcomed two improvements to the most recent revision of the GCM: the concrete measures to address slow and sudden-onset disasters and the added emphasis on the right to family unity. He underlined three issues that he said still needed to be improved in anticipation of the final text of the GCM. The first is the deletion of broad references to guidelines and principles from documents that were not negotiated intergovernmentally and contain controversial language and issues that do not share consensus. He said that retaining such references in the GCM would “significantly influence” how and to what extent the Holy See and Catholic institutions could support it. Second, he stressed that all persons enjoy the same fundamental human rights that must be respected, protected and fulfilled, regardless of the person’s migratory status. He said providing shelter, health, education and justice are minimal services that all States must provide and the GCM should list them. Finally, he said that the document should restore references to humanitarian protection and the principle of non-refoulement. He finished by reiterating that all persons have the right to remain in peace, prosperity and security in their country of origin, something that demands the international cooperation of all States.

His remarks can be found here.