After two days of summits on migrants and refugees around the U.N. General Assembly, advocacy groups see some positive signs that political momentum is moving to better assist the world’s 65 million displaced. Unfortunately, for now, signs are all they see; concrete actions and real policy shifts are still promises, and some are already being broken.
The United Nations Summit on Migrants and Refugees’ “New York Declaration,” adopted by the General Assembly on Monday, contains mostly pre-agreed language. Many countries are already failing to uphold many of the principles it lists, such as respect for international humanitarian law.
“Unfortunately a lot of what’s in there was already agreed upon, and it’s just not happening in practice,” said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, director of policy and advocacy for the International Rescue Committee.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
