PressRelease
NewYorkDeclarationforRefugeesandMigrantsadoptedbyallMember
StatesathistoricUNSummit
UNITEDNATIONS,NewYork–Monday,19September2016–Worldleaders
cametogetherattheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblytodaytoadopttheNew
YorkDeclarationforRefugeesandMigrantswhichexpressesthepoliticalwillof
worldleaderstoprotecttherightsofrefugeesandmigrants,tosavelivesand
shareresponsibilityforlargemovementsonaglobalscale.
UnitedNationsSecretary-GeneralBanKi-mooncongratulatedMemberStates
saying:“Today’sSummitrepresentsabreakthroughinourcollectiveeffortsto
addressthechallengesofhumanmobility.”HesaidtheadoptionoftheNewYork
Declarationwillmeanthat“morechildrencanattendschool;moreworkerscan
securelyseekjobsabroad,insteadofbeingatthemercyofcriminalsmugglers,
andmorepeoplewillhaverealchoicesaboutwhethertomoveonceweend
conflict,sustainpeaceandincreaseopportunitiesathome.”
“Iwilltakeforwardthecommitmentofthemembershiptobeginaprocess
leadingtoaglobalcompactonmigration,aswellastosupportaglobalcompact
onrefugees,”saidH.E.PeterThomson,PresidentoftheUNGeneralAssembly.“I
willbeurgingMemberStatestomaintaintheirhighlevelsofambition
throughouttheseprocesses,andtoalwaysreachforthehigherground.
Thefateofmillionsofrefugeesandmigrantsrestswithus.”
ByadoptingtheNewYorkDeclaration,MemberStatesaremakingbold
commitmentsincluding:tostartnegotiationsleadingtoaninternational
conferenceandtheadoptionofaglobalcompactforsafe,orderlyandregular
migrationin2018;todevelopguidelinesonthetreatmentofmigrantsin
vulnerablesituations;toachieveamoreequitablesharingoftheburdenand
responsibilityforhostingandsupportingtheworld’srefugeesbyadoptinga
globalcompactonrefugeesin2018.
AscalledforintheDeclaration,theSecretary-Generalalsolaunchedanew
campaigncalled“Together–Respect,SafetyandDignityforAll”to“respondto
risingxenophobiaandturnfearintohope”.Heurged“worldleaderstojointhis
campaignandcommittogethertoupholdingtherightsanddignityofeveryone
forcedbycircumstancetofleetheirhomesinsearchofabetterlife.”
Alsotoday,theSecretary-GeneralandtheDirector-GeneraloftheInternational
OrganizationforMigrationsignedthenewagreementbywhichIOMbecomesa
relatedorganisationoftheUnitedNations,thusstrengtheningthe
comprehensiveglobalapproachtomigration.
Forfurtherinformation,contact:
SunilNarula,UnitedNationsDepartmentofPublicInformation,NewYork
e-mail:narulas@un.orgPhone:+12129631262
PressRelease
DanielThomas,OfficeofthePresidentoftheUnitedNationsGeneralAssembly,NewYork,
e-mail:daniel.thomas@un.org”+19172251913
ForthelateststatementsandmoreinformationontheUNSummitforRefugeesand
Migrants:https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/summit
ToviewtheNewYorkDeclaration:https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/declaration
TheUNSummitforRefugeesandMigrantswillbebroadcastonUNWebTV
http://webtv.un.org
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HighlightsoftheNewYorkDeclaration
AttheUNSummitforRefugeesandMigrantson19September,theMember
StatesadoptedtheNewYorkDeclarationforRefugeesandMigrants.
TheNewYorkDeclarationexpressesthepoliticalwillofworldleaderstosave
lives,protectrightsandshareresponsibilityonaglobalscale.MemberStates
havemadeboldcommitmentsbothtoaddresstheissueswefacenowandto
preparetheworldforfuturechallenges.
ViewthefulltextoftheNewYorkDeclaration:
http://www.un.org/pga/70/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/HLMon-addressing-large-movements-of-refugees-and-migrants-DraftDeclaration-5-August-2016.pdf.
Whatarethecommitments?
Theseinclude,to:
• Protectthehumanrightsofallrefugeesandmigrants,regardlessof
status.Thisincludestherightsofwomenandgirlsandpromotingtheir
full,equalandmeaningfulparticipationinfindingsolutions.
• Ensurethatallrefugeeandmigrantchildrenarereceivingeducation
withinafewmonthsofarrival.
• Preventandrespondtosexualandgender-basedviolence.
• Supportthosecountriesrescuing,receivingandhostinglargenumbersof
refugeesandmigrants.
• Worktowardsendingthepracticeofdetainingchildrenforthepurposes
ofdeterminingtheirmigrationstatus.
• Stronglycondemnxenophobiaagainstrefugeesandmigrantsandsupport
aglobalcampaigntocounterit.
• Strengthenthepositivecontributionsmadebymigrantstoeconomicand
socialdevelopmentintheirhostcountries.
• Improvethedeliveryofhumanitariananddevelopmentassistanceto
thosecountriesmostaffected,includingthroughinnovativemultilateral
financialsolutions,withthegoalofclosingallfundinggaps.
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PressRelease
Implementacomprehensiverefugeeresponse,basedonanew
frameworkthatsetsouttheresponsibilityofMemberStates,civilsociety
partnersandtheUNsystem,wheneverthereisalargemovementof
refugeesoraprotractedrefugeesituation.
FindnewhomesforallrefugeesidentifiedbyUNHCRasneeding
resettlement;andexpandtheopportunitiesforrefugeestorelocateto
othercountriesthrough,forexample,labourmobilityoreducation
schemes.
Strengthentheglobalgovernanceofmigrationbybringingthe
InternationalOrganizationforMigrationintotheUNsystem.
Whatwillhappennext?
TheNewYorkDeclarationalsocontainsconcreteplansforhowtobuildonthese
commitments:
• Startnegotiationsleadingtoaninternationalconferenceandtheadoption
ofaglobalcompactforsafe,orderlyandregularmigrationin2018.The
agreementtomovetowardthiscomprehensiveframeworkisa
momentousone.Itmeansthatmigration,likeotherareasofinternational
relations,willbeguidedbyasetofcommonprinciplesandapproaches.
• Developguidelinesonthetreatmentofmigrantsinvulnerablesituations.
Theseguidelineswillbeparticularlyimportantfortheincreasingnumber
ofunaccompaniedchildrenonthemove.
• Achieveamoreequitablesharingoftheburdenandresponsibilityfor
hostingandsupportingtheworld’srefugeesbyadoptingaglobalcompact
onrefugeesin2018.