InterAction Statement On U.S. Vote Against UN Resolution For Global Compact On Refugees
The endorsement of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) by nearly all member states yesterday in the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly marks a historic demonstration of political will toward a more effective and comprehensive response to the global refugee crisis. As a coalition of American nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting the lives and rights of displaced people around the world, we fully support the compact and urge all countries, including the United States, to support its implementation.
International partnership and solidarity with refugees are needed now more than ever. Today we are witnessing the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. There are over 25.4 million refugees – including 13.2 million children – who have fled violence and war. The compact presents a landmark opportunity to generate international support and responsibility-sharing to improve the lives of millions of refugees.
The GCR’s overarching objective to better support refugees by promoting more equitable responsibility-sharing aligns with the United States’ sovereign interests. This includes alignment with the National Security Strategy, which aims to assist refugees as close to their homes as possible to meet their needs until they can return home safely, voluntarily and with dignity. Similarly, the compact focuses on supporting low- and middle-income countries that host 85% of the world’s refugees, with several of these countries repeatedly hosting multiple refugee influxes over several decades. These refugee-hosting countries do not have the resources and capacity to face such large refugee influxes alone.
As the largest financial contributor to humanitarian assistance globally, the United States’ continued support for the compact sends a strong message to refugee-hosting countries at a time when the gap between humanitarian need and funding has widened. The compact also advances responsibility-sharing by seeking to broaden the base of humanitarian funders and partners in pursuing the most effective and comprehensive response possible. The U.S. government’s continued leadership will be critical for translating the compact’s global commitments to concrete action.
In partnership and solidarity, we – as civil society representatives – commit to sharing the responsibility and supporting the United States to translate these global commitments into real change for refugees around the world.