New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants -2016

It has given the UNHCR the mandate to develop a ‘Global Compact on Refugees’.

One of the most significant affirmations of this commitment was demonstrated by India becoming a signatory to the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which was adopted by 193 countries (all member states of the UN) in September 2016. In doing so, India has expressed its solidarity with those forced to flee and agreed that protecting refugees and supporting the countries that shelter them are shared international responsibilities that must be borne more equitably.

While it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no domestic asylum law, it has reiterated its commitment towards the protection of refugees at various international fora, including the UN General Assembly.

The Declaration gave UNHCR the task of building upon the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), contained in Annex I of the New York Declaration, to develop a ‘global compact on refugees (GCR)’.

 

Objectives of the GCR :

• Ease the pressures on host countries;
• Enhance refugee self-reliance;
• Expand access to third-country solutions;
• Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

 

Source:UNHCR: GCR;  TH;

 

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