Taxonomy Detail

GCM Guiding Principles

People-centred

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is based on a set of cross-cutting and interdependent guiding principles. This page provides resources for the guiding principle of People-centred:

“People-centred: The Global Compact carries a strong human dimension to it, inherent to the migration experience itself. It promotes the well-being of migrants and the members of communities in countries of origin, transit and destination. As a result, the Global Compact places individuals at its core." (GCM, 2018: para. 15)

Throughout human history, migration has been a courageous expression of an individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life. People may have the desire and the capacity to move to other places to seek greater opportunities, freedom, safety and security. Increased global interconnection, affordable transportation and rapid advances in digital communication tools facilitate movements that have overall remained stable in relative terms. Global mobility entails both opportunities and challenges for individuals and families, whose well-being needs to be at the center of this context. Migrants are human beings with equal rights to life, dignity, liberty and security. They should be not simply perceived as agents for economic development, burden to the society or helpless victims or even as criminals, but instead, as human beings with human rights.

The Global Compact for Migration (GCM) report is available in AR, ZH, EN, FR, RU, ES.