Draft outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General
Assembly on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants
A/RES/70/302
and leadership of women in refugee and migrant communities, we will work to
ensure their full, equal and meaningful participation in the development of local
solutions and opportunities. We will take into consideration the different needs,
vulnerabilities and capacities of women, girls, boys and men.
32. 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. 7 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 receiving 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 of their rights and
capabilities.
33. Reaffirming that all individuals who have crossed or are seeking to cross
international borders are entitled to due process in the assessment of their legal
status, entry and stay, we will consider reviewing policies that criminalize crossborder movements. We will also pursue alternatives to detention while these
assessments are under way. Furthermore, 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.
34. Reaffirming the importance of the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and the two relevant Protocols thereto, 8 we
encourage the ratification of, accession to and implementation of relevant
international instruments on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and the
smuggling of migrants.
35. We recognize that refugees and migrants in large movements are at greater risk
of being trafficked and of being subjected to forced labour. We will, with full
respect for our obligations under international law, vigorously combat human
trafficking and migrant smuggling with a view to their elimination, includin g
through targeted measures to identify victims of human trafficking or those at risk
of trafficking. We will provide support for the victims of human trafficking. We will
work to prevent human trafficking among those affected by displacement.
36. With a view to disrupting and eliminating the criminal networks involved, we
will review our national legislation to ensure conformity with our obligations under
international law on migrant smuggling, human trafficking and maritime safety. We
will implement the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in
Persons. 9 We will establish or upgrade, as appropriate, national and regional
anti-human trafficking policies. We note regional initiatives such as the African
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7
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
Ibid., vols. 2225, 2237 and 2241, No. 39574.
9
Resolution 64/293.
8
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