The UN pact, which is not legally binding, was adopted at a meeting in Marrakesh in Morocco, but it has been shunned by some countries including the US, Australia and at least six EU nations. Its objectives include the integrated management of borders and giving migrants access to basic services.
Critics fear it will increase migration but the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the pact was based on co-operation and regulating migration.
He called it a source of “collective shame” that 60,000 migrants had died on perilous journeys since the year 2000.
All 193 UN members, except the United States, finalized the pact in July.
