More than 150 countries around the world formally adopted on Monday the Global Compact for Migration despite a few withdrawals and hesitations.

Dubbed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), the document, was adopted at a UN intergovernmental conference in Marrakech.

The compact, which was agreed upon by the UN member states in July, is the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

While the majority of the world countries are strongly committed to the agreement, more than a dozen others either chose not to sign the accord or are still undecided.

Following in the footsteps of the United States, several countries refused to attend the summit and adopt the compact, including Austria, Hungary, Chile, Dominican Republic, Poland and Slovakia.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Israel, Slovenia and Switzerland are undecided on whether to agree to the Global Compact.

Addressing those countries' concerns, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the Global Compact on Migration fully respects sovereignty of states.

The GCM establishes a "framework of international cooperation that is absolutely essential when we face the enormous challenges of migration in today's world," he said.

It combines the two goals of respecting the interests of the state and guaranteeing the human rights of migrants, the UN chief noted.

The GCM provides more opportunities for legal migration, taking into account the needs of markets, the demography and the situation of different countries in the world, Guterres explained.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the "go-it-alone approach will not solve the issue," as the adoption of the Global Compact for Migration sends a "clear commitment to multilateralism."

"This compact is about the foundations of international cooperation, and this is why it is well worth our while to fight for the survival of this compact once," she stressed.

In a message to the conference, Moroccan King Mohammed VI described the global compact as "a promise which history will judge."

"The time for celebrating its success has not come as yet," he said.

The UN-backed compact aims to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration, while reducing the incidence and negative impact of irregular migration through international cooperation.

It lays out a cooperative framework comprised of 23 objectives with each one containing a commitment and a range of actions considered as relevant policy instruments and best practices.

According to the United Nations, there are currently some 258 million migrants worldwide, up from 173 million in 2000.

UN data show more than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since 2000.

So far in 2018, 3,323 people have died or gone missing on migratory routes, with the majority in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration.

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