Nearly 85 per cent of UN member states has agreed on a sweeping yet non-binding accord to ensure safe, orderly and humane migration. A total of 164 countries among the 193 UN members approved the agreement in a two-day migration conference in Marrakech, Morocco. The UN General Assembly will meet on December 19 to endorse it. It defied fierce opposition from the US and a few other nations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the migration conference, unregulated migration bears a terrible human cost. He said more than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since the year 2000. However, opponents often fear that an influx of migrants can dilute their countries’ character, import poverty or crime. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration defines migrants as anyone working or living far from home.