Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tô Anh Dũng says that Việt Nam’s approval of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration agreement is an important step in international co-operation in migration. VNS Photo Gia Lộc

HCM CITY — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is co-ordinating with relevant agencies in the country on a plan to implement the international Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in co-operation with the International Organisation for Migration, has organised three conferences in Hà Nội, Đà Lạt and HCM City on the GCM agreement, the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement prepared under the auspices of the UN, covering all dimensions of international migration.
Speaking at the third conference held yesterday in HCM City, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tô Anh Dũng said: “Việt Nam is seeing more and more of its people migrate to other countries and more foreigners coming to it."
More than 100,000 Vietnamese each year go abroad to work.
“Việt Nam is completing and issuing many policies and laws to create favourable conditions for legal and safe migration to ensure the rights of migrants,” Dũng said.
The Vietnamese government has had policies on illegal migration and human trafficking for a number of years.
Globally, there are 272 million migrants, which account for 3.5 per cent of the world’s total population. This represents an increase of 2.8 per cent over 2000. Of the total figure, 74 per cent are of working age, according to the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which released the new data in September.
As the world has seen a rapid increase in migrants, the GCM will take an important role, according to Dũng.
The GCM was adopted in December last year after more than 18 months of intergovernmental consultations and negotiations. 
“Việt Nam’s approval of the GCM is an important step in international co-operation in migration. It will create a basis for ministries and local authorities to complete policies related to this issue,” Dũng said. “The implementation of the GCM is part of Việt Nam's global commitment and responsibility. It will also create opportunities to strengthen management of migration. It helps create a safe migration environment and ensures the basic rights of migrants."
Mark Alan Brown, of the International Organisation for Migration in Việt Nam, said: “Migrant safety and well-being will not be fully ensured until cooperation toward migration is voluntary, strong and comprehensive, and upheld by all relevant actors.”
“In that way, as the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, covering all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner, the GCM is being rolled out at just the right time,” he added.
Việt Nam has demonstrated its strong commitment to promote common understanding and shared responsibilities as well as a unity of purpose regarding migration by contributing to the development process of the GCM and making it work for all, Brown said. VNS