The global flow of refugees and migrants poses challenges, opportunities and obligations for
countries around the world. At the very heart of the debate on migration management is how to
ensure that the different interests and needs are addressed within a strong human rights framework.
The United Nations (UN) is investigating the issue in great depth, and one of the main outcomes of
the UN General Assembly in 2016 was a declaration demanding greater international cooperation
on managing migration. This declaration was widely endorsed, including by the European Union
(EU). As a result, two global compacts have been adopted in 2018, for refugees and for other
migrants; this briefing will focus on the latter. According to the International Organization for
Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency in charge of the global compact for safe, orderly and
regular migration, these compacts 'provide the opportunity to move ahead in strengthening the
norms, principles, rules and decision-making processes that will allow for more effective
international cooperation in responding to what is a defining issue'. Providing continued
institutional support to address these issues and implement the outcomes of the global compacts
will be a challenge.