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
Palestine Refugees in the Near East, where appropriate, and other United Nations
entities, financial institutions and other relevant partners, would:
(a) Provide legal stay to those seeking and in need of international protection
as refugees, recognizing that any decision regarding permanent settlement in any
form, including possible naturalization, rests with the host country;
(b) Take measures to foster self-reliance by pledging to expand opportunities
for refugees to access, as appropriate, education, health care and services, livelihood
opportunities and labour markets, without discriminating among refugees and in a
manner which also supports host communities;
(c) Take measures to enable refugees, including in particular women and
youth, to make the best use of their skills and capacities, recognizing that
empowered refugees are better able to contribute to their own and their
communities’ well-being;
(d) Invest in building human capital, self-reliance and transferable skills as
an essential step towards enabling long-term solutions.
14.
Third countries would:
(a) Consider making available or expanding, including by encouraging
private sector engagement and action as a supplementary measure, resettlement
opportunities and complementary pathways for admission of refugees through such
means as medical evacuation and humanitarian admission programmes, family
reunification and opportunities for skilled migration, la bour mobility and education;
(b) Commit to sharing best practices, providing refugees with sufficient
information to make informed decisions and safeguarding protection standards;
(c) Consider broadening the criteria for resettlement and humanitarian
admission programmes in mass displacement and protracted situations, coupled
with, as appropriate, temporary humanitarian evacuation programmes and other
forms of admission.
15. States that have not yet established resettlement programmes are encouraged
to do so at the earliest opportunity. Those that have already done so are encouraged
to consider increasing the size of their programmes. Such programmes should
incorporate a non-discriminatory approach and a gender perspective throughout.
16. States aim to provide resettlement places and other legal pathways on a scale
that would enable the annual resettlement needs identified by the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to be met.
The way forward
17.
We commit to implementing this comprehensive refugee response framework.
18. We invite the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to
engage with States and consult with all relevant stakeholders over the coming two
years, with a view to evaluating the detailed practica l application of the
comprehensive refugee response framework and assessing the scope for refinement
and further development. This process should be informed by practical experience
with the implementation of the framework in a range of specific situations . The
objective would be to ease pressures on the host countries involved, to enhance
refugee self-reliance, to expand access to third-country solutions and to support
conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.
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