New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants

On September 19, 2016 the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) adopted a set of commitments to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants. These commitments are known as the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (NY Declaration). The NY Declaration reaffirms the importance of the international protection regime and represents a commitment by Member States to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move. It paves the way for the adoption of two new global compacts in 2018: the global compact on refugees and the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.

Core elements

In adopting the NY Declaration, Member States:

  • expressed profound solidarity with those who are forced to flee;
  • reaffirmed their obligations to fully respect the human rights of refugees and migrants;
  • pledged robust support to those countries affected by large movements of refugees and migrants; and,
  • agreed to work towards the adoption of a global compact on refugees and a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.

Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework

Frequently asked questions

Additional resources