Every day, for the past three years, just over a dozen migrants have died on average, or one person every two hours, according to William Lacy Swing, Director-General of the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a message to mark the International Migrants Day, 18 December.
Concluding his first official visit to Australia, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants said the country’s human rights standing has been tarnished by its “regressive” migration policies that fall “way behind” international standards.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Izumi Nakamitsu of Japan as Special Adviser on Follow-up to the UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, which was held on 19 September 2016.
The adoption of what has been dubbed the “New York Declaration” should make a difference in the lives of refugees and migrants, an outgoing UN Special Adviser has underscored.
With more people forced to flee their homes than at any time since World War II, world leaders came together at the United Nations today to adopt the New York Declaration, which expresses their political will to protect the rights of refugees and migrants, to save lives and share responsibility for large movements on a global scale.
Following five months of negotiations, United Nations Member States agreed on 2 August by consensus upon a political declaration that will serve as the basis for discussions and the outcome of the first-ever UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants which will be held, on 19 September, at UN Headquarters in New York.
Renowned photographer Giles Duley, who barely survived a 2011 explosion in Afghanistan in which he lost both legs and part of his left arm, now reports for the United Nations refugee agency, and feels that his lasting wounds have allowed him to better connect with people and capture their stories.
Karen AbuZayd wants you to think of refugees and migrants in a positive way. The United Nations Special Adviser has been working behind the scenes since January to raise support for global compacts to support large movements of refugees and migrants. These will be up for discussion on 19 September 2016, when the UN will host a high-level meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing Member States together behind a more humane and coordinated approach.
People who are starving are not thinking about other anti-poverty goals, Princess Haya Al Hussein said at the United Nations, calling for cooperation and coordination among the humanitarian community to meet the world’s basic needs, starting with zero hunger.
Multiple conflicts have resulted in the massive displacement of men, women and children around the world in record numbers. Last year alone, more than one million refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean to Europe. And yet, the arrivals in Europe represent only a fraction of the world’s current 60 million refugees and displaced people – the highest level since the end of the Second World War.
