1. Why a multilateral agreement on migration is so important and yet why so difficult to achieve it.- 2. How valid are these constraints.- 3. Attempts at reaching a multilateral agreement on migration: a synoptic history.- 4. The New York Declaration and the 2018 Global Compact on Migration.- 5. What makes the Compact incomplete and lopsided.- 6. Conclusions.

Bimal Ghosh is Senior fellow at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Geneva, Switzerland and Emeritus Professor at Colombia Graduate Institute of Public Administration, Bogota, Colombia. Previously, he  served for many years as a Senior Director /Senior consultant in the United Nations system

This book analyses the 2018 Global Compact on Migration and the need for, and difficulties of adopting a multilateral agreement on migration. Particular attention is given to the challenges and constraints involved, given not only the divergent needs and conditions of different counties but also the varying interests of different groups within countries. A synoptic history of previous attempts at reaching a multilateral migration agreement is provided, from 1927 onwards, to give context to the recent negotiations. The lack of a clear recognition of migration as a global process and the absence of a firm commitment to responsibility- sharing arrangements are highlighted.
The book explains why the 2018 migration is both a breakthrough and at the same time an opportunity lost. In doing so,] it also analyses the limitations of the present deal, including inadequate attention to the root causes of forced and disruptive migration in origin countries, andhighlights how the 2018 agreement can be built upon to create a dynamic harmony in the global migration system. The book will be relevant to researchers and policy makers as well as to professionals and activists concerned with migration, labour economics and international development.