Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

UN protesters off base

After reading your paper on Dec. 27 and seeing some strident opposition to the newly agreed to UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, I thought it would be a good idea to inform myself on what exactly this compact was.
let-sahlen.03_122019.jpg

After reading your paper on Dec. 27 and seeing some strident opposition to the newly agreed to UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, I thought it would be a good idea to inform myself on what exactly this compact was.

I first looked at what exactly the United Nations is and why it's there.

The UN Charter outlines four main purposes for its existence. Number 3 states, "Fostering cooperation between nations in order to solve economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian international problems."

I then looked at the compact in question to see what it said, exactly.

The UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is a rather lengthy document but there are salient points. The preamble of the compact states that "this global compact rests on the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations." Item 4 states that "refugees and migrants are entitled to the same universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, which must be respected, protected and fulfilled at all times. Item 7 states that "this Global Compact presents a non-legally binding, cooperative framework that builds on the commitments agreed upon by Member States..."

In the section titled "Our Vision and Guiding Principles," Item 12 states "the Global Compact aims to mitigate the adverse drivers and structural factors that hinder people from building and maintaining sustainable livelihoods in their countries of origin, and so compel them to seek their futures elsewhere."

There is much, much more about migrant treatment and cross border policies, but what struck me about what was said at the protest is that there appeared to be no understanding of the compact at all. The UN has no authority to compel countries to do anything, so please explain how it's being tyrannical. The compact is also completely in line with the actual purpose of the UN itself so it's globalist only in the fact that all but three countries of the world are members of the UN.

The pact also seeks to improve the lives of people in their own countries before they are driven to live elsewhere.

I realize that hysteria created south of our border around immigration has spawned fear of "caravans of illegals and really bad people" and "open borders." This compact allows none of that. It is a humanitarian document that seeks to treat people humanely during times of personal and familial upheaval.

Allan Sahlen

Prince George