Statement, 6 October 2020

At these exceptional times marked by a global pandemic, the Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts (the Initiative) of which Destination Unknown is a member, has put together a collection of practices from its members to support governments to better protect and support refugee children by putting the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) into practice with children at its heart. 

The Global Compact on Refugees outlines a practical way forward to respond to refugee situations through cooperation and responsibility-sharing and includes specific provisions for children who represent more than half of all refugees worldwide. 

The examples in this latest collection of practices show how laws, policies and practices can protect children and ensure they have access to services that respond to their specific needs, and how children and youth can participate in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programmes and policies. 

The Initiative believes that the GCR is an important framework for States to considerably improve cooperation and partnerships and provide a continuum of protection, care and access to services for refugee children, especially in these exceptional times marked by a global pandemic. The Initiative and its members are committed to support States to make the refugee compact work for children. 

Caroline Horne and Daniela Reale, co-chairs of the Initiative said: 

‘The current pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of refugee children and their families. It has demonstrated even further the importance of cooperation and global and regional partnerships to respond to refugee situations. It has shown the GCR’s importance and timeliness even further and the possibility for governments to make rapid change to increase protection of people in vulnerable situations. 

If we succeed in being sensitive to children’s needs and ensuring their rights in implementing the GCR, and if it can be done hand-in-hand with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, millions of children on the move,  their families and refugee and host communities will benefit dramatically.’

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Notes to editors 

The publication “Implementing the Global Compact on Refugees for Children: Examples of child-focused work” is accessible at https://www.childrenonthemove.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Initiative-_Child-Focused-Work_1pg.pdf. 

For further information: Please contact co-chairs of the Initiative, Caroline Horne (caroline.horne@terredeshommes.org), Terre des Hommes and Daniela Reale, Save the Children (D.Reale@savethechildren.org.uk). 

About the Initiative: The Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts is a multi-stakeholder partnership bringing together 30 civil society, trade union, UN and philanthropic organisations around a shared agenda - to ensure that children’s rights are at the heart of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration, and to create a continuum of care, protection and support for refugee and migrant children.

The Global Compact on Refugees was ‘affirmed’ by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018 after two years of intensive consultations led by UNHCR with Member States, international organizations, refugees, civil society, the private sector, and experts. The Compact is a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing to respond to refugee situations and recognizes that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation. It provides a framework for governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can be protected, supported and lead productive lives. 

In December 2019, the first Global Refugee Forum was held in Geneva, Switzerland. States and other stakeholders announced pledges to improve the lives of refugees and their host communities and shared good practices that illustrate how cooperation can make a difference in the lives of refugees and host communities around the world.