Civil society response to New York Declaration

On September 19, 2016, the UN General Assembly held the first ever UN High Level Meeting to Address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants. Civil society organizations wrote a response and scorecard for the Summit’s outcome document called the “New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.” This response is entitled 7 actions world leaders urgently need to take to make a new deal for refugees, migrants and societies a reality, and was co-signed by the Society of the Sacred Heart. The following is an excerpt from the civil society response:


Overall, the real and immediate test is whether the Summit will be able to make a difference on the ground for the millions of refugees, migrants and internally displaced people (IDPs) in need of protection, safe passage, solidarity, inclusion, decent work and livelihoods, and for the societies that host them. We urge states, working in partnership with the UN and civil society, to take seven immediate actions to make that difference on the ground:

  1. Make an implementation plan by the end of the year and act now …
  2. Deliver equitable and predictable responsibility-sharing and refugee protection mechanism …
  3. Review national border policies to uphold the human rights of all people at international borders, and commit to developing and implementing gender- and age-sensitive guidelines to protect migrants in vulnerable situations …
  4. Fulfill the commitment to work to end the practice of child immigration detention in accordance with the best interests of the child …
  5. Commit to the development of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration …
  6. Implement policies and vigorous campaigns at national and local levels to counter xenophobia, discrimination and racism …
  7. Agree on concrete measures to improve the protection and assistance for internally displaced people …

NGO Office
November 2016