The U.N. says this is a “watershed moment” – it’s the first time that the global body has called a high-level summit focused on an worldwide response to the migrant and refugee issue.
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World leaders at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in NY approved a declaration to provide a more coordinated and humane response to the global migration crisis.
Representatives of 193 governments agreed to adopt the New York Declaration today, which the UN’s Refugee Agency says is a “political commitment of unprecedented force and resonance”.
“Refugees and migrants are not to be seen a burden; they offer great potential, if only we unlock it”, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the assembly.
Keep refugee and migrant children learning and giving them access to health and other quality services.
World leaders are grappling with the largest crisis of displaced persons since World War II, more than 65 million people who have fled their homes because of armed conflict or persecution, or because they are seeking asylum or a better way of life.
Amnesty International has labeled the summit a “missed opportunity” to come up with a global plan while Human Rights Watch has called out countries like Brazil, Japan and South Korea that have taken in a only handful of refugees, or no refugees at all, in the case of Russian Federation.
“Is the outcome document up to the challenge? No, because it’s precisely at moments like this that you need to regroup”, Bolopion added. He said the adoption of the New York Declaration will mean that “more children can attend school; more workers can securely seek jobs overseas, instead of being at the mercy of criminal smugglers, and more people will have real choices about whether to move once we end conflict, sustain peace and increase opportunities at home”.
The worst refugee crisis in 70 years is also among the challenges that the session hopes to tackle.
Lestari also pointed out what she regards as paradoxes in the treatment of migrant workers by the host society, which involve the widespread suspicion of them and a general lack of respect from the country’s nationals.
This was the first time the UN General Assembly has called for a summit at the Heads of State and Government level to discuss large movements of refugees and migrants. However we know that no one state can deal with these transnational issues by acting alone.
Ban and United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein urged states to implement commitments in the declaration, which Ban said could allow more children to go to school and more workers to seek jobs overseas.
Hamad Elgizouli, Sudan’s commissioner of refugees, speaks during the Summit for Refugees and Migrants at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016.
Several countries shot down an earlier draft of the declaration that called on nations to resettle 10 percent of the refugee population each year.
It was originally hoped that wealthy nations would use Monday’s summit – the first ever hosted by the U.N. focused exclusively on the refugee crisis – to make bold and coordinated refugee resettlement pledges, but hopes for that have instead shifted to a separate meeting to be convened Tuesday by the U.S.in which pledges by individual countries will be announced.
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At least 45 countries are expected to make pledges toward the US goals of increasing humanitarian aid by $3 billion, doubling resettlement, and increasing access to education for 1 million youngsters and access to employment for 1 million adults.
