Global: JRS reacts to the first draft of the Global Compact on Refugees

Rome, 20 March 2018 – The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and 15 other NGOs have jointly released a reaction statement welcoming the general direction of the negotiations that have led to the first draft of a Global Compact on Refugees, issued by the UNHCR on 9 March 2018.

This revised version has made significant changes to the initial zero-draft, including explicit references to the foundational documents and principles of the international refugee protection regime, stronger language on the accountability of member states, and more explicit mechanisms for responsibility-sharing.

The NGOs believe that the first draft is a step in the right direction, and are committed to support the UNHCR and member states to build on this progress, so that the Global Compact many be a robust tool to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate refugees.

Read the full reaction here.

List of signatories:

Action Against Hunger

ADRA

Asylum Access

Care International

Caritas Internationalis

Danish Refugee Council

InterAction

International Catholic Migration Commission

International Rescue Committee

Jesuit Refugee Service

Lutheran World Federation

Mercy Corps

Norwegian Refugee Council

Oxfam International

Plan International

Save the Children International