International migration brings both opportunities and challenges to countries of origin, transit and destination. According to the latest estimates by UN DESA, the number of international migrants worldwide reached 258 million persons in 2017, an increase of almost 50 per cent since 2000.“Migration is an expanding global reality”, said Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres. “Managing it is one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation of our time.”With the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants on 19 September 2016, the UN General Assembly agreed to develop a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Preparations for the compact included regional and thematic meetings and consultations with stakeholders between April and November 2017.Following a stocktaking meeting held in Mexico in December 2017, the General Assembly embarked in early 2018 on a six-month process of intergovernmental negotiations, led by the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Switzerland. On 13 July 2018, the General Assembly reached consensus on a final draft of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which is set to be formally adopted at an intergovernmental conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 10 and 11 December 2018.The compact is a framework for international cooperation to address migration in all its dimensions. By facilitating safe, orderly and regular migration, it seeks to curb the incidence and impact of irregular migration. The compact also aims to protect the safety, dignity and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants.In addition, the landmark document seeks to minimize adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to emigrate. It also aims to leverage the potential contribution of migration to sustainable development in countries of origin and destination.The final draft of the Global Compact provides a shared vision and guiding principles, sets out 23 actionable commitments, spells out means of implementation and provides a framework for follow-up and review.As one of its key objectives, the Global Compact seeks to strengthen migration data and improve the evidence base to better inform policymaking and discourse. To this end, it commits to develop a global programme to enhance national capacities in data collection, analysis and dissemination and requests the United Nations Statistical Commission to develop a strategy for improving migration data at local, national, regional and global levels.The Global Compact establishes a capacity building mechanism to support implementation. Key elements of the mechanism are a connection hub to follow up on requests for support, a start-up fund to finance project-oriented solutions, and a knowledge platform to facilitate access to evidence and good practices.For follow-up and review, the Global Compact calls for the establishment of the International Migration Review Forum. Every four years starting in 2022, the Forum will provide a global platform for Member States to discuss and share progress on the implementation of all aspects of the Global Compact.