The 22-page “New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants”, is not legally binding and lacks concrete commitments but calls on countries to protect refugees’ human rights, boost humanitarian aid and increase resettlement of refugees. He categorized as top priority “mobilizing funds and humanitarian aid to ensure the basic needs of refugees” and urged combat trafficking and terrorism.
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But the co-hosts of the Leaders’ Summit said in a statement they were pleased with “new and significant humanitarian contributions” from world leaders.
As the document notes, even though humanity has been on the move since earliest times, in today’s world we bear witness to an unprecedented level of human mobility. “Refugees, majority women and children, are often fleeing war and terrorism”. Some have agreed to accept twice the number of refugees they did a year ago. The White House recently announced plans to increase the number of refugees admitted into the U.S.to 100,000.
However, exploiting the potential of the private sector is vital.
Voices from the Global South pointed out that countries in Africa and elsewhere have been hosting the majority of the world’s refugees for decades with little fanfare or interest from the developed world. The declaration aims to bring about a standardised response to refugee situations, improve working opportunities for refugees, provide better education prospects for children – who constitute more than half the refugee population – and also campaign against xenophobia. Noting the importance of fostering an environment of inclusion, as applicable, we are pleased that so many countries have made commitments to help facilitate these goals and recognize that, for purposes of implementation, refugee host countries will continue to require sustainable donor support.
A human rights advocate says the arrest of an Afghan-born man in connection with bombings in Manhattan and a New Jersey shore town shouldn’t fuel the misconception that accepting more refugees will lead to more terrorist acts. “Japan will continue to play a leading role to bring solutions to the refugee and migrant issues by collaborating closely with the worldwide community”, he said.
A recent study by from the UN’s refugee agency estimated 65.3 million people were displaced from their homes by conflict or persecution in 2015, up by over five million from the prior year. She told her family’s story, saying they were refugees on a boat, and that when the engine failed, she and others had to get out and pull the boat by swimming. This includes a US$500 million donation by investor and philanthropist George Soros.
Those new pledges that did emerge from the leaders’ summit will have to be followed up by the administration that succeeds Obama and for which refugees may be viewed as more of a security threat than a priority.
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Yet the challenge of addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, however great, is not insurmountable if the global community shares responsibility.
