Key Articles By Leading Thinkers
Written by Dr. Robyn Sampson
Senior Advisor, International Detention Coalition (IDC)
There were major milestones in 2018 towards the protection of the rights of refugees and migrants, with the adoption of both the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Migrants in December. We are now facing the challenges of negotiating implementation mechanisms, and ensuring the momentum and political will for a more holistic and integrated international approach to human movement is sustained.
To mark the moment, the International Journal of Refugee Law published a special issue on The 2018 Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration in December.
All articles are now free since late May.
The special issue is an important compendium of commentary on these significant developments from some of the key actors and leading thinkers on these issues.
Some highlights include:
- Jane McAdam provides a useful overview of the state of play in her introduction: The Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration: A New Era for International Protection?
- Volker Türk provides opening remarks, highlighting the GCR’s focus on expanding the capacity of the international protection regime to respond to the large number of forcibly displaced people: The Promise and Potential of the Global Compact on Refugees
- Alexander Betts argues the impact of the GCR will depend on a clear vision for galvanising States into action, a task that will require strategic thinking and political entrepreneurship by UNHCR and other key actors in: The Global Compact on Refugees: Towards a Theory of Change?
- François Crépeau explores why States are recognising the value of making migration easier in Towards a Mobile and Diverse World: ‘Facilitating Mobility’ as a Central Objective of the Global Compact on Migration
- Vitit Muntarbhorn reviews the commitment to work to end child detention outlined in Objective 13h) of GCM in: The Global Compacts and the Dilemma of Children in Immigration Detention
For the full Table of Contents and access to all articles, see Volume 30, Issue 4, December 2018 of the International Journal of Refugee Law available here.