States reach historic deal for refugees and commit to more effective, fairer response

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States reach historic deal for refugees and commit to more effective, fairer response

Author: Marta Martinez | unhcr.org | 17 December 2018

NEW YORK, 17 December 2018 – In a historic decision, the member states of the UN General Assembly today agreed on a new international framework – known as the Global Compact on Refugees – that will transform the way the world responds to mass displacement and refugee crises, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them.

“No country should be left alone to respond to a huge influx of refugees,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “Refugee crises call for a global sharing of responsibility, and the compact is a powerful expression of how we work together in today’s fragmented world.”

The Global Compact on Refugees was agreed as part of this year’s annual resolution on UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.  It builds on the existing international legal system for refugees, notably the 1951 Refugee Convention, and on human rights and humanitarian law. It is a non-binding operational tool to bolster cooperation.   Read more>>>