Activities of Secretary-General in Morocco, 9-11 December
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Marrakech, Morocco, on Sunday afternoon, 9 December. He was there to attend the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
On Sunday night, he attended the launch of the United Nations Network on Migration. In his remarks, he said that the Network focused on collaboration and would mobilize the full extent of the United Nations capacities and expertise to support Member States in the implementation of the Global Compact. (See Press Release SG/SM/19400.)
On Monday morning, 10 December, the Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Migration. He dispelled myths about migration, saying the Compact was not a treaty and was not legally binding. The Compact does not establish a new right to migrate, “but reaffirms that migrants should enjoy human rights independently of their status”, he added. He also stressed that migration was not essentially a movement of people from the South to the global North. “South-South migration today is larger than South-to-North migration,” he noted. Finally, he said that, in the many places where fertility is declining and life expectancy is rising, economies will stagnate and people will suffer without migration. (See Press Release SG/SM/19401.)
After the adoption of the Global Compact, the Secretary-General spoke to the press along with his Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour. He said that witnessing the adoption of the Global Compact was a very emotional moment for him. He added that he believed that the world and the migrants, the countries and the people involved, would strongly benefit from the enhanced international cooperation this Compact allows.
The Secretary-General then held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the Conference with President Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez of Panama; Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark; Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón of Mexico; Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza of Venezuela, Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera of Rwanda; and Erol Kiresepi, the President of the International Organization of Employers.
Following a lunch hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, the Secretary-General also met with a group of youth representatives and discussed the question of migration with them.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended an event to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as 10 December marks Human Rights Day. In his remarks, he said that, over seven decades, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has inspired millions of women and men to demand their rights, and contest the forces of oppression, exploitation, discrimination and injustice. “Let us all keep the beacon of this towering document alight, so it can guide us all on the path of peace, dignity, security and opportunity for all,” he added. (See Press Release SG/SM/19402.)
On Tuesday, 11 December, the Secretary-General left Marrakech for Rabat to have an audience with King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The Secretary-General expressed deep gratitude to Morocco for hosting the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. He also commended the country for its contributions to United Nations peace operations and for its continued support to his initiatives on United Nations reform. They also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
The Secretary-General left Morocco for Katowice, Poland, late on Tuesday afternoon.