Refugiados sírios en Rio de Janeiro. Wikimedia Commons.
The Global Compact for Migration should
foster a common understanding on the main causes that force people to leave
their countries of origin, and how to mitigate them.
The document also provides
protection and guarantees for the rights of those who migrate, as well as the
need to update current international law for migrants and refugees.
The Global Compact for Migration is
fundamental in reviewing outdated international law that no longer addresses
migratory phenomena in all its dimensions today.
With the constant
transformation of armed conflicts and the acceleration of climate change, hundreds
of thousands of lives depend on the adoption of the document.
Today, one in four migrants do not migrate because they want to, but because they need to escape from widespread violence, civil war, famine, or other forms of social breakdown.
We have been experiencing the largest
migratory emergency since the creation of the UN. Today, one in four migrants
do not migrate because they want to, but because they need to escape from
widespread violence, civil war, famine, or other forms of social breakdown.
It
is perhaps surprising to know that 85% of the world's refugees are cared for by
developing countries where resources are often scarce.
When we see the dimensions of the
interests of richer countries in the respective conflicts as well as the impact
of their economies on climate change, it is easy to see that the current
distribution of responsibilities is unfair.
However, this period of exacerbated
nationalism keeps expectations low on the results of the conference, and the
number of countries that have dropped out of the Global Compact have grown in
recent days.
In spite of everything, Brazil can
become a leader in this matter. Brazil is one of the greatest stakeholders in
the success of the Compact. For each foreigner entering Brazil, two Brazilians
leave.
With the current Brazilian immigration law passed in 2017, it is only
fair that Brazilians receive the same treatment abroad that it offers to
foreigners in Brazil.
These are the conclusions of the recent
study "Brazil and the Future of the International Mobility Regime,"
led by Michael W. Doyle, a renowned professor of Law and International Relations
at Columbia University in New York, and former adviser to the Secretary-General
of the UN, Kofi Annan.
The article is included in the special edition of 70 years
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the ‘Monções: Revista de
Relações Internacionais da UFGD’ (Monsoons: UFGD International Relations
Magazine), in partnership with the UN Office in Brazil.
The study also presents the Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC),
developed by a committee of experts around the world and representing the most
current in the debate on migrants and refugees.
While the MIMC is a much more
ambitious project than the current Global Compact, its ideas can serve as
guidelines for advancing the debate over the next few years.
The MIMC was designed for a more
integrated, fear-free and supportive world. It is an exemplary model to serve
as our benchmark.
Brazil is a multi-ethnic nation, formed by migratory waves from all corners of the world. Brazil has modern immigration legislation, but it still has a long way to go in treating migrants how we wish to be treated.
Some of the MIMC's points that may
interest Brazil are its equalization of forced migrants to refugees, and their
right of access to work, education, housing, and public services.
In view of
the need to integrate national, public, and private interests, the MIMC's
proposals also include an integrated passport and Biometric identification
system, an online visa pool platform for talent recruitment around the world,
and pension mobility.
Although Brazil has a new migration
law, its effectiveness is not guaranteed. This is because, on the one hand, the
migration law has not been fully approved and some points were barred by
presidential decree.
On the other hand, the approval of a law does not
guarantee its compliance and even its non-reversal. It exists to keep Brazilian
citizens on track with external commitments as they face domestic changes.
Brazil is a multi-ethnic nation, formed by migratory waves from all
corners of the world. Brazil has modern immigration legislation, but it still
has a long way to go in treating migrants how we wish to be treated around the
world. May today serve to remind us who we are and who we want to become.
