In early December 2017, the US walked out of the negotiations deeming it inconsistent with its policies and projecting immigration as a sovereignty issue. Despite this, in the same month at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was concluded a three-day global stocktaking conference on the ‘global compact’. This was very well attended by the balance 192 countries (with the US conspicuously absent).After due negotiations under the umbrella of the United Nations, the draft agreement was brought before the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, held from 10–11 December 2018 at Marrakesh, Morocco. The compact was approved by the 164 nations that attended (India included). Several backed out – besides the US, so did Hungary, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Bulgaria, Slovenia, Australia, Switzerland and Israel.

The question on everybody’s lips is whether this global compact is in fact ‘global’? Now that several countries have backed out, does it have global consensus? Let us remember that in any case this is a non-binding agreement. It’s more of a signal of a 21st century reality. Migration is and will continue to happen. And, as research shows, it is mostly South to South. So, these 10 or so countries backing-off doesn’t really matter – on the migration stage. They will ultimately be compelled to accept human resource mobility if they too want to remain competitive.