Who Is a "Vulnerable Migrant"?

Prof.ssa Delphine Nakache
Università di Ottawa Visiting Professor nell'ambito del progetto Dipartimento di eccellenza “Innovazione e vulnerabilità: problemi giuridici e tutele”

Introduce
Prof. Fabrizio Marongiu Buonaiuti Università di Macerata

Abstract

Seminar 1 – Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (2-5 pm)
Who Is a "Vulnerable Migrant"? Interrogating the Scope and Limits of Objective 7 of the Global Compact for Migration

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018) places significant emphasis

on addressing migrant vulnerabilities, with Objective 7 specifically committing states to

respond to the needs of migrants in vulnerable situations. Yet there remains no agreed-upon

legal definition of who constitutes a "vulnerable migrant" or how such vulnerability should be

assessed and addressed.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018) places significant emphasis

on addressing migrant vulnerabilities, with Objective 7 specifically committing states to

respond to the needs of migrants in vulnerable situations. Yet there remains no agreed-upon

legal definition of who constitutes a "vulnerable migrant" or how such vulnerability should be

assessed and adressed. This seminar critically examines Objective 7, tracing its drafting history

and highlighting both its strengths—such as its recognition that vulnerability can arise from

structural factors and its focus on regularization pathways—and its weaknesses, including its

vague language and the wide margin of discretion left to states. The seminar will engage

participants in a discussion on how Objective 7 can be operationalized in domestic legal frameworks.