Mr. Chairman,

The Russian Federation has supported the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. This compromise document covers many dimensions of international migration, including humanitarian aspects, development issues and human rights.

The Global Compact is not a legally binding instrument and does not impose legal or financial obligations on the acceding countries. At the same time, it enables States on the basis of their own national priorities and legislation to address challenges in the field of migration management, sets out specific directions for the approaches towards international migration and shapes universal views on this issue.

We expect the Global Compact to become a foundation for long-term comprehensive international cooperation aiming to create channels for legal migration, establish effective control over migration processes, elaborate instruments against illegal migration, including readmission, as well as combat migration-related crimes.

It is equally important to facilitate the establishment of a solid basis for a peaceful life and return of people to their homeland in the States facing mass exodus of population. It is evident that many migration-related issues can be addressed by achieving political settlement in the States of origin of migrants, as well as assisting these countries in their social and economic development.

Mr.Chairman,

The Russian Federation has already actively embarked on the work related to the Global Compact. On October 31, 2018, President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, approved an updated version of the Concept of State Migration Policy of the Russian Federation that sets the new strategic vector for the Russian authorities in the field of migration management.

The Concept contains a number of provisions corresponding with the principles and objectives of the Global Compact.  In particular, it envisages that Russia should remain open to foreign citizens considering it a country with favorable conditions that meet their economic, social and cultural needs. The rules for entering Russia, as well as acquiring the right to stay and to work in the Russian Federation should be simple, understandable and transparent. Migrants should have equal opportunities to receive public services, including information services, in the field of migration regardless of their migration status, level of income and other aspects. Administrative procedures should be streamlined, including through the extensive use of modern digital technologies, to eliminate conditions conducive to corruption, decrease the probability of technical errors and reduce time-related, organizational and financial costs of all participants in the process.

We believe that the new Concept will contribute to making Russia more attractive for migrants and strengthen mechanisms for regulation of migration flows.

Mr. Chairman,

The Russian Federation takes the view that international cooperation on migration supported by the UN and other relevant international and regional organizations is one of the cornerstones of the effective migration governance and of the GCM implementation.

The GFMD plays a very important role in this context. We believe that the added value of the Forum is in its informal state-led character that provides space for constructive and substantial intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder discussions on the whole spectrum of migration related issues. This nature of the GFMD should be maintained.