UPSC CSE Prelims
Migration and Refugees Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Statement 1 — Incorrect. The Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process comprising 12 Asian member states (primarily labour-origin countries). It operates as a voluntary forum where decisions are made by consensus — but they are strictly non-binding, not binding as claimed.

Statement 2 — Correct. The Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) is a voluntary, non-binding inter-governmental consultative process (est. 2008) bringing together Asian labour origin and destination countries to facilitate regional cooperation on temporary contractual labour mobility for safe and orderly migration.

Statement 3 — Correct. The Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) was established following a proposal by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 2006 UN General Assembly High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development. It is:

• State-led, voluntary, informal
• Non-binding in nature
• Operates outside the formal UN system

Key Trick: Statement 1 replaces "non-binding" with "binding" — a single-word trap that completely reverses the nature of the Colombo Process.

Detailed Explanation:

Model Answer: Option 4 (3, 4 and 5)

(Note: Option D is correct by elimination as it is the only option containing both conventions 3 & 5 which are factually unratified)

Convention-wise Analysis:

Important Note on Statement 4: The question likely confused Geneva Convention IV (ratified by India) with the 1951 Refugee Convention (adopted in Geneva) — which India has NOT ratified. This is a classic question-setter error.

India's Key Non-Ratifications to Remember:

• 1951 Refugee Convention & its 1967 Protocol
• 1954 Convention on Statelessness
• 1961 Convention on Reduction of Statelessness
• 1990 Migrant Workers Convention

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — None

All three statements about the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) are incorrect. The GCM was not adopted by all UN countries, is not legally binding, and does not address internal displacement.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Not all UN countries adopted the GCM; 163 countries adopted it in 2018, while countries like the USA, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic, and Poland voted against or abstained from the compact.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The GCM is a non-legally binding framework for cooperation on international migration; it does not impose legal obligations on UN member countries.

❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: The GCM focuses exclusively on international migration and does not address internal migration or internally displaced persons (IDPs), which fall under separate frameworks like the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

📝 Short Notes: Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)

• Adoption: Adopted at the Intergovernmental Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, in December 2018.
• Nature: Non-legally binding, cooperative framework covering all dimensions of international migration.
• Signatories: 163 countries adopted it; notable non-signatories include the USA, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic, and Poland.
• Objectives: 23 objectives covering aspects like facilitating safe migration, combating human trafficking, reducing vulnerabilities, and improving border management.
• Scope: Applies only to international migration; does not cover internal displacement or refugees (covered separately by the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Global Compact on Refugees).
• Principles: Based on state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights.