On 19 September 2016, at the UN Summit on Addressing Large Scale Movements of Refugees and Migrants, 193 Member States unanimously adopted the New York Declaration, a common plan for addressing large scale movements of refugees and migrants. The Declaration highlights the elements of a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and requests UNHCR to engage with States and other stakeholders in its implementation with a view to inform the development of a Global Compact on Refugees to be adopted in 2018.
As NGOs are key partners and crucial to the execution of UNHCR’s mandate, in the post-19 September era ICVA has taken a lead role in advocating for more strategic and sustained NGO engagement. Meaningful consultation and coordination – globally and at the field level – with NGOs is fundamental for a successful application of the CRRF and to develop a Global Compact on Refugee that brings concrete improvements in the daily experience of refugees.
The Global Compact on Refugees Explained: an ICVA Briefing Paper
Global Refugee Compact Formal Consultations
First formal consultations towards the Global Compact on Refugees, held in Geneva from 13-14 February 2018 - NGO Statements
Second formal consultations towards the Global Compact on Refugees, held in Geneva from 20-21 March 2018 - NGO Statements
Third formal consultations towards the Global Compact on Refugess, held in Geneva from 10-11 April 2018 - NGO Statements
Fourth formal consultations towards the Global Compact on Refugees, held in Geneva from 9-11 May 2018 - NGO Statements
ICVA updates:
Timelines for main opportunities for NGO engagements towards the Refugee Compact
NGO statements at the formal consultations "Towards a global compact on refugees"
- First formal consultations (February)
- Second formal consultations (March)
ICVA remarks on the CRRF at the ECOSOC HAS side event on the "CRRF- potentially a game changer in large scale and protracted refugee situations" on 22 June 2017.
Intervention by ICVA at the First Thematic Discussion on the Global Compact on Refugees (Past and Current Burden- and Responsibility-Sharing Arrangements, 10 July 2017)
Background documents:
- CRRF-GCR NGOs Strategic Meeting 7 November 2017: ICVA's Notes
- UNHCR Briefing on Global Compact on Refugees June 2017: ICVA's Notes
- UNHCR Briefing on Global Compact on Refugees April 2017
- CRRF/GCR NGOs strategic meeting 4 April 2017
- NGO Statement on CRRF at the 68th UNHCR Standing Committee meeting March 2017
- Visualization of the NY Declaration and FAQs are available here: http://www.unhcr.org/new-york-declaration-for-refugees-and-migrants.html
- Article by Volker Türk on “Prospects for Responsibility Sharing in the Refugee Context” published in September 2016 in the Journal on Migration and Human Security: http://jmhs.cmsny.org/index.php/jmhs/article/view/61
- Article by Volker Türk and Madeline Garlick on “From Burdens and Responsibilities to Opportunities: The Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and a Global Compact on Refugees” published in December 2016 in the International Journal of Refugee Law: http://m.ijrl.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/4/656
- Video of the 18 November 2016 inaugural address on ‘The New Global Compact on Refugees’ by Volker Türk at the Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law (UNSW): http://www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/news/inaugural-address-international-protection-refugees-presented-unhcrs-assistant-high