This Political Declaration is the outcome document from the United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants held on the 19th September 2016. Through the Declaration Member States endorse a set of commitments which apply to both refugees and migrants and also sets of commitments for refugees and migrants respectively. Within this declaration, the member states recognize and agree to address the human rights and special needs of all vulnerable migrants and refugees, including children, with special attention to those traveling unaccompanied or separated from their families. The member states agree to take steps to address potential exposure to exploitation and all forms of abuse, including trafficking.
The member states further agree to protect the fundamental human rights of all migrant and refugee children, with particular attention to the care of unaccompanied and separated children.
"We will protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all refugee and migrant children, regardless of their status, and giving primary consideration at all times to the best interests of the child. This will apply particularly to unaccompanied children and those separated from their families; we will refer their care to the relevant national child protection authorities and other relevant authorities. We will comply with our obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We will work to provide for basic health, education, and psychosocial development and for the registration of all births on our territories. We are determined to ensure that all children are in education within a few months of arrival, and we will prioritize budgetary provision to facilitate this, including support for host countries as required. We will strive to provide refugee and migrant children with a nurturing environment for the full realization oftheir rights and capabilities." (S.2.11)
Members States also agree to “consider developing non-binding guiding principles and voluntary guidelines, consistent with international law.” The NY Declaration also addresses the issue of detention of migrants and refugees children, "recognizing that detention for the purposes of determining migration status is seldom, if ever, in the best interest of the child, we will use it only as a measure of last resort, in the least restrictive setting, for the shortest possible period of time, under conditions that respect their human rights and in a manner that takes into account, as a primary consideration, the best interest of the child, and we will work towards the ending of this practice." (S.2.12) It also states that children should not be criminalized or subject to punitive standards because of their parents’ migration status.
Member states also agree to work with UN entities when appropriate to encourage and empower vulnerable migrants and refugees, including children.
The Declaration contains two key documents, Annex I contains a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and outlines steps toward the achievement of a Global Compact on refugees in 2018, while Annex II sets out steps towards the achievement of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in 2018.
