New York, February 20, 2018. With the broad participation of delegations, the first phase of intergovernmental negotiations for the adoption of the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration began at the UN headquarters in New York.
The Cuban delegation to this segment is headed by expert Margarita Valle, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In her statement, the Cuban diplomat reiterated positions of principles already expressed during the preparatory phase, which should constitute pillars of the Global Compact, including the importance of international cooperation as one of the main ways to face the challenge posed by international migrations and the need to address the root causes of irregular migration flows, such as wars, climate change and underdevelopment. On this last issue, she emphasized the need to achieve the full realization of the right to development to balance migration flows in the world.
Valle also pointed out a group of elements of interest included in the submitted base project that will need to be discussed carefully during the negotiations, with the purpose - she said - of achieving a really balanced text that reflects everyone's concerns which is based on the international cooperation and the recognition of shared responsibility in a global phenomenon such as migration.
This first phase will be extended until next February 23 and will include other collateral activities related to the topic. The process will continue with new negotiation sessions that will last until July of this year. The adoption of the Global Compact will take place in December, at an intergovernmental conference that will be held in the city of Marrakech, in Morocco.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the UN