The Chilean government will not sign the UN Global Compact for Migration as it is up to the states to determine the entry requirements for foreign citizens, Rodrigo Ubilla, the subsecretary of the Chilean Interior Ministry, told El Mercurio newspaper in an interview.
The pact is expected to be formally endorsed at a two-day intergovernmental conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, scheduled to start later on Monday.
“Our position is clear: we say that migration is not a human right, while countries have a right to set conditions for foreign citizens’ entry,” Ubilla said.
He specified that Chile would not take part in the upcoming conference in Marrakesh.
The UN Global Compact for Migration represents the international community’s attempt to establish a common global approach to all aspects of international migration. The pact comprises 23 objectives for better managing migration at local, national, regional, and global levels.
While all UN nations initially approved the compact, with only the United States declining it, several countries have revised their positions later over concerns that the pact might put restrictions on their national migration policies.
From 2000 to 2017, Chile, alongside Angola and Qatar, has been a country experiencing the fastest growth of international migrants numbers, according to the UN estimates. Chile has welcomed around 2 million migrants in 2017.