Felix at UN forum on orderly migration

Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix is currently representing Guyana at the Inter-Governmental Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco to formally adopt the International Community’s first Global Compact for Migration, as agreed by the Member States of the United Nations (UN) on July 13, 2018.

Guyana is currently managing the migration of Venezuelans seeking refuge here from that country’s economic and social turmoil.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, the Minister told the conference that “Guyana with a Diaspora at least as large as its internal population, is conscious of the unique role migrants can play in the transformation of societies.”

The Ministry said the Guyanese delegation represents the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries as Vice Chair on the Bureau of the Conference and serves as Rapporteur General of the Conference. Minister Felix also presided over the Plenary Session of the Conference and presented the Rapporteur General’s Report.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, negotiated and agreed at UN Headquarters in New York, establishes a series of agreed principles and commitments made by Member States to address the issue ofinternational migration in a holistic manner.

It is expected, once implemented, the Compact will make an important contribution to global governance and enhance international coordination on international migration, present a framework for comprehensive international cooperation on migrants and human mobility and deal with all aspects of international migration.

The local delegation also included Principal Foreign Service Officer and Head of the Diaspora Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Michael Brotherson, Permanent Mission of Guyana in Geneva Bibi Ally and Foreign Service Officer II in the Diaspora Unit Stephanie Savory.

Prior to Conference, Mr. Brotherson and Ms. Ally represented Guyana at the 11th Summit Meeting of the Global Forum for Migration and Development which was also held in Marrakesh.

That Forum served as a precursor to the Inter governmental Conference and brought together a number of stakeholders in a voluntary, informal, non-binding manner to advance understanding and cooperation on the mutually reinforcing relationship between migration and development.