This followed the recently held two-day conference in Marrakech, Morocco that provided the platform for member states to discuss and adopt the treaty for safe, orderly and regular migration.

A statement issued by the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit (MALU) – New York, United States, a copy of which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the “GCM was formally adopted with 152 votes in support, five against and 12 abstention”.

Ms. Louise Arbour, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration was quoted as saying, “The formal endorsement of the Compact represents a resounding commitment to an international migration framework.

This is based on fact, not myth, and to an understanding that national migration policies are best implemented through cooperation not in isolation”.   The statement said the UN system was committed to supporting implementation of the Compact through the creation of the UN Network on Migration.

This Network, it added, would leverage the impact of the UN’s considerable expertise and capacity in helping to strengthen the benefits of migration and to also address its many challenges.

It noted that no single part of the UN community could effectively tackle all dimensions of migration, but together “we have the chance to make a real difference. That is what the Network about”.

The statement said the Network - an executive committee of eight, was going to provide strategic oversight and was the principal decision-making body. Membership of this committee includes the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The rest are United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.