Credit: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
The United Nations General Assembly will host its first UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants (the Summit) on Monday September 19, 2016 at the UN Headquarters in New York to address one of the greatest current global challenges: the millions of refugees and migrants on the move. [UN News Centre] The Summit will bring together heads of state and government officials, UN agency leaders, members of the private sector, civil society organizations, and others with the goal of adopting a final outcome document aimed at strengthening international governance of international migration and at providing long-term and sustainable solutions to the increasing numbers of refugees and migrants on the move. The draft outcome document has drawn criticism from civil society, including regarding revisions won by States who objected to a prohibition on detaining child migrants and did not want to commit to resettling 10 percent of refugees annually. [New York Times: Summit] The Summit will be available via webcast at webtv.un.org.
Later this week, IJRC will host The Human Rights of Migrants, a seminar for advocates on the international protections and advocacy opportunities available to those working to protect the fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers in the United States. The training will take place on September 23 at UC Hastings in San Francisco and is co-sponsored by the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. The training will be webcast live.
Outcome Document
The 22-page draft outcome document, which will be adopted as the “New York Declaration,” includes two annexes, one outlining the comprehensive refugee response framework and the other a global compact for safe, orderly, and regular migration. The frameworks detail commitments to combatting human rights abuses and issues common to refugee and migrant populations, such as ensuring funding; combating racism and xenophobia; saving lives en route; ensuring due process during border procedures; combating exploitation; and paying particular attention to the needs of women, children, and those with health care needs. Among other noteworthy principles set out in the draft outcome document is an urgent call on Member States to allow refugees to work and to let children go to school.
Process of Drafting the Outcome Document
The draft outcome document is the result of months of negotiations and consultations between Member States and Dina Kawar, Permanent Representative of Jordan, and David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland. Both representatives were appointed by the President of the General Assembly as co-facilitators to lead the consultations with Member States and to finalize the arrangements, including agreeing on a possible outcome, for the Summit. The UN Secretary General’s May 2016 report, In Safety and Dignity: Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, also served as a basis for the draft outcome document. See Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, Summit for Refugees and Migrants: Background.
Criticisms of the Outcome Document
Many have voiced concerns that the negotiations leading to the draft outcome document diluted the substance of UN proposals and consequently eliminated any obligations on Member States to take in specific numbers of people. [Amnesty International; HRW: Refuge]. Some have described the draft outcome document as one with “virtually no concrete commitments” or “force of law”. [New York Times: Plan] Others have expressed concern that the document simply “reaffirms the status quo” and “falls short of creating a new framework.” [Center for Migration Studies] Despite these reservations, there is an understanding that it is a valuable first step and an unprecedented opportunity to do more than repeat existing commitments and to develop a global system that ensures governments share responsibility for welcoming, protecting, and assisting refugees and migrants. [HRW: Statement]
Background on UN Summit
Global Trends in Migration
The Summit is taking place at a time of unprecedented human mobility around the globe. Record breaking numbers of refugees and migrants are crossing international borders. [HRW: Statement] While the international community has provided humanitarian assistance, a long-term, sustainable response has not yet been coordinated. There is a growing concern that countries hosting large refugee and migrant populations are often States with less resources but bear a disproportionate burden. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there are 21 million refugees in the world today, but only 14 percent of them are in the richest part of the world. See UNHCR, Figures at a Glance. [Amnesty International] Ethiopia, Kenya, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Turkey are home to a third of the world’s refugees, although collectively they only make up 1.6 percent of the world’s economy. [Amnesty International] Such a burden is unsustainable and raises a need for more equitable burden and responsibility sharing among Member States. See United Nations, General Assembly High-level Meeting on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.
Calls to Action Ahead of the Summit
UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mutuma Ruteere, recently commented that the Summit provides an opportunity to address a trend in electoral campaigns around the world in which candidates garner support through the exploitation of the movement of refugees and migrants on the basis of fear grounded in xenophobia and racism. [OHCHR: Migrants] Recently, Ruteere stated that “xenophobic and racist utterances and discourses by political leaders is establishing a dangerous standard,” which encourages discrimination and racism towards individuals based on their national origin or migratory status. [OHCHR: Migrants] Ruteere has urged world leaders participating in the Summit to denounce political leaders and candidates that fuel racism, discrimination, and xenophobia against refugees and migrants, but also send a strong message against impunity in order to discourage this discourse. [OHCHR: Migrants]
In addition, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, has called the attention of Summit attendees to those fleeing conflict and humanitarian crises who have not crossed an international border. [OHCHR: IDPs] Beyani warned that “today’s internally displaced persons will be tomorrow’s refugees and trafficked or smuggled migrants” if measures are not taken to enhance protection mechanisms and to address root causes of displacement in their countries. Specifically, Beyani calls on leaders to take steps towards creating conditions of stability by merging humanitarian assistance with development approaches, such as skills training and cash-for-work programs. [OHCHR: IDPs]
In light of these statements and the concerns stated above over the limitations of the draft outcome document, human rights organizations have called on leaders to use the Summit as an opportunity to commit to boosting aid to countries of first arrival; increasing numbers of resettlement places; ensuring that the resettlement process is effective and efficient; and ending policies that place asylum seekers in situations where they are subject to abuse and inhumane treatment. [HRW: Refuge] Although serious doubts have been expressed over the Summit’s ability to establish concrete goals, human rights organizations are calling on leaders—specifically those from wealthier countries—to make tangible commitments to resettle more refugees, including by providing humanitarian, work, or student visas. [Amnesty International; HRW: Statement]
Past and Future Global Events on Migration
The Summit follows a series of events that seek to develop a global approach to mass population flows, beginning with a meeting entitled ‘Strengthening cooperation on migration and refugee movements in the perspective of the new development agenda’ and held by the Secretary General during the high-level segment of the General Assembly on September 30, 2015. Following this meeting, an informal meeting of the General Assembly in November 2015 considered a comprehensive response to the refugee crisis, and on December 2015 it was agreed that a high-level plenary meeting addressing large movements of refugees and migrants will be held on September 19, 2016. See Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, Summit for Refugees and Migrants: Background.
In addition to the Summit, United States President Obama will lead the Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis on September 20, 2016 along with Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico, and Sweden. The focus will be specifically on refugees, but the goal is that it will complement the Summit. See Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, Summit for Refugees and Migrants- September 19, 2016.
Additional Information
For more information on the human rights of migrants, please join IJRC on September 23, 2016 at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco for a training on The Human Rights of Migrants: Challenges and Opportunities in California. The training will focus on strategies for using regional and international human rights protections to address abuses and challenges facing migrants and asylum seekers. Discussion will also cover current, pressing concerns related to the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, including legal representation, detention, access to asylum and workers’ rights. The program will be webcast live.
For more information on refugee law or the UN System, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub. For information on the joint agreement between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration, see IJRC’s past news room article.