“The Summit represents a breakthrough in our collective efforts to address the challenges of human mobility”, said the Secretary-General during the opening segment.  He urged Member States to take concrete steps to implement the New York Declaration and launched a global campaign called “Together — Respect, Safety and Dignity for All” as a response to the rising xenophobia and intolerance being directed toward refugees and migrants in many countries.

Migrants and refugees themselves had an opportunity to address the international community and share their stories with the world.  “After years of being voiceless and invisible, we the migrants are finally welcome here to speak,” said Eni Lestari, chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance, in addressing world leaders during the Summit’s opening.  “We are the people who have been denied the future, the rights and the dream we used to imagine.”

Mohammed Badran, representing Syrian Volunteers in the Netherlands (SYVNL), touched upon the tensions that exist between refugees and host communities.  “There is intense public fear about refugees,” he said.  “As young refugees, we face this anger and fear every day.”

As part of the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General and the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed an agreement establishing the IOM as a related organisation of the United Nations.  Closer collaboration between the IOM and the rest of the UN system is expected to strengthen significantly the UN’s capacity to respond in times of crisis and its ability to contribute to improvements in the global governance of migration.

In the various plenary and round table meetings, speakers noted that large movements of refugees and migrants present some of the most challenging issues of our time and that no State is prepared to deal with such issues on its own.  Moreover, it was deemed critical to prevent or resolve armed conflicts, as these are often the driver of mass displacements.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were frequently mentioned as a tool for promoting safe, orderly and regular migration and for making migration a matter of choice not necessity.  Pointing to the many positive impacts of migration, Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo said that migrants “contribute to cultural diversity in host countries” and “spur economic development both in their adopted lands and back home”.  Participants pledged increased resettlement slots for refugees, expanded humanitarian assistance, additional funding for development and support for conflict prevention.

In his closing remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General commended Member States for uniting around core commitments to refugees and migrants despite differing perspectives.  He suggested that Member States may wish to take stock of the commitments made during the Summit one year later.  The political commitments of the Summit on 19 September were complemented by pledges made on 20 September during the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees hosted by US President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, not far from the Summit, the SDG Media Zone highlighted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its links to migration, featuring Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, Thomas Gass of UN DESA, and Kyla Reid, Head of Digital Identity and Disaster Response of GSMA.

Missed it?  The UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, including its opening and closing segments, plenary meetings and round tables, and the SDG Media Zone dialogues are available on UN Web TV.

For more information: UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants