As reported by the UN News Centre, a draft set of principles was unveiled by the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights that urge the international community to build on the momentum created by the adoption by UN Member States, of a landmark declaration on protecting the rights of refugees and migrants by including the critical issue of human rights in all discussions focusing on large-scale, perilous and irregular migration movements. Specifically, the 20 draft principles focus on human rights; non-discrimination; rescue and assistance; access to justice; border governance; returns; violence; detention; family unity; child migrants; women migrants; right to health; adequate standard of living; decent work; right to education; right to information; monitoring and accountability; migrants’ human rights defenders; data; and international cooperation. The guide, entitled “Principles and practical guidance on the human rights protection of migrants in vulnerable situations and within large movements,” is being developed by the Global Migration Group’s Working Group on Human Rights and Gender, which is co-chaired by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women.
At the opening of the UN General Assembly’s first-ever Summit on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, delegations adopted the New York Declaration, which contains bold commitments both to address current issues and to prepare the world for future challenges, including, among other things, to start negotiations leading to an international conference and the adoption of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018.
Credit: United Nations News Centre
