Addressing Displacement in the Context of Disasters and the Adverse Effects of Climate Change: Elements and Opportunities in the Global Compact on Refugees

Extract

The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR)¹ aims fundamentally to strengthen the way in which the international community responds to large-scale and protracted displacement worldwide. Based on the New York Declaration of September 2016,² and affirmed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 17 December 2018,³ it acknowledges the challenges associated with refugee movements in many regions worldwide, providing a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility sharing to reinforce support for refugees and the communities that host them.

The Compact builds on the existing international legal framework for refugees, notably the 1951 Refugee Convention⁴ and regional refugee instruments, as well as fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian law within the wider international refugee protection regime.⁵ From this foundation, it seeks to provide a basis for more effective operational responses that are consistent with binding legal standards in key areas where gaps in practice persist.

The GCR calls for responsibility sharing among States, notably in large-scale and protracted refugee situations, including through measures to support communities hosting refugee populations. It aims to strengthen solutions to displacement, including in third countries, through resettlement and complementary pathways comprising, inter alia, labour migration, student visa schemes, family reunification, and humanitarian visas. It also seeks to foster improved conditions for sustainable return, as well as local solutions including, where appropriate, integration, in host countries. The Compact aims to mobilize a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, to transform the way these respond to displacement and international protection challenges. As a non-binding tool, it complements the legal refugee protection regime by seeking to bolster cooperation among States and solidarity with refugees, as well as with host communities.