1st LD Writethru: UN summit adopts declaration on refugee response framework

A summit of the United Nations on Monday adopted a declaration on refugees and migrants, pledging to build a comprehensive refugee response framework.

The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants outlines recommendations with regard to reception of refugees and migrants as well as supporting them with ongoing assistance under the proposed response framework and a global compact for safe and regular migration.

In face of the challenge that more people than ever have been displaced by conflicts and wars, the U.N. General Assembly held the first-ever summit on addressing large movements on refugees and migrants.

While addressing the summit, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for more collective efforts to address the challenge of human mobility, saying that "acting together, we can respond to rising xenophobia and turn fear into hope."

U.N. statistics show that in today's world, there are roughly 65 million forcibly displaced persons, including over 21 million refugees, 3 million asylum seekers and over 40 million internally displaced persons.

At the summit, Ban and William Lacy Swing, director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed an agreement to complete the process of IOM joining the U.N. system.

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the new agreement between the two organizations will benefit both and benefit migrants and member states. Endi