In Message for Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum, Refugees, Secretary-General Says Global Compacts Can Better Lives of Millions

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the consultative meeting of the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees, in Paris today:

Thank you for coming together for this meeting of the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees.

I am confident your efforts will help yield global compacts for migration and refugees that make the most of an historic opportunity.

The global compact for migration is the beginning of what is expected to be a long journey towards equitable and humane ways of managing human mobility, anchored in respect for the rule of law.

The global compact on refugees, for its part, seeks to establish a workable framework for international cooperation, grounded in the international refugee protection regime.

Both have the potential to better the lives of millions of people who have much to contribute and yet are often exposed to intense vulnerability, and both can give practical meaning to the vision of the New York Declaration.

I wish you success in your consultations, and I count on your continued leadership and solidarity in addressing these crucial challenges.