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| Refugee Compact | |
|---|---|
| Name | Refugee Compact |
| Type | International agreement |
| Location | Global |
| Established | 2018 |
| Parties | States, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations, European Union |
| Purpose | Shared response to large-scale refugee movements |
Refugee Compact The Refugee Compact is an international framework for burden- and responsibility-sharing among states, multilateral institutions, and humanitarian actors addressing large-scale refugee situations. It builds on precedents in 1951 Refugee Convention, 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and instruments developed by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and regional bodies such as the European Union and African Union. The Compact seeks to coordinate humanitarian assistance, development finance, and protection safeguards across participating countries, agencies, and private actors.
The Compact draws on terminology codified by 1951 Refugee Convention, 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and guidelines from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization for Migration. It situates fleeing populations alongside governance frameworks from UN General Assembly resolutions, World Bank policy instruments, and instruments from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Labour Organization. Definitions of key groups reference classifications used by UNHCR, UNRWA, and regional instruments such as the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees and the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. Protection terms are informed by jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Criminal Court.
Negotiations were influenced by precedents including Responsibility to Protect, Global Compact for Migration, and outcomes from the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants and the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. Key diplomatic processes involved delegations from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Kenya, and regional organizations such as the African Union and European Commission. Multilateral inputs came from United Nations Development Programme, World Food Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, International Committee of the Red Cross, and civil society networks like Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International. Financial architecture discussions referenced the World Bank Global Concessional Financing Facility, United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, and bilateral instruments used by United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development.
The Compact articulates commitments in protection, education, health, livelihoods, and resettlement, referencing programs like UNHCR-led resettlement, UNICEF education in emergencies, and World Food Programme food assistance. It promotes financing leveraging mechanisms such as Global Concessional Financing Facility, Green Climate Fund, and investment frameworks championed by International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Labor-market access and documentation provisions draw on standards from International Labour Organization conventions and regional statutes like the European Social Charter. Durable solutions invoke settlement options recognized by UNHCR and resettlement processes coordinated with International Organization for Migration and states including United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany.
Governance structures proposed mirror arrangements in Global Fund, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and governance modalities used by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Implementation relies on partnerships with development agencies UNDP, financing institutions World Bank, and philanthropic actors such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Monitoring frameworks reference indicators from Sustainable Development Goals, reporting lines to UN General Assembly, and evaluation approaches used by Independent Evaluation Group. Coordination platforms emulate mechanisms in Cluster approach (humanitarian), Syria Regional Refugee Response, and regional compacts negotiated by African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Reported impacts draw on case evidence from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, with socioeconomic analyses referencing studies by World Bank, Oxford Refugee Studies Centre, Khaled Hosseini Foundation affiliates, and academic centers such as Harvard Kennedy School and London School of Economics. Effects on access to services cite collaborations with World Health Organization, UNICEF, and United Nations Population Fund. Employment and local integration outcomes reference labor studies from International Labour Organization and national ministries in Jordan Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs.
Critiques draw parallels with debates over Global Compact for Migration and contested sovereignty issues raised in forums like UN Human Rights Council and national parliaments including UK Parliament and Knesset. Civil society organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and academic critics from Refugee Studies Centre and Brookings Institution have raised concerns about accountability, conditionality tied to World Bank lending, and risks of externalization similar to policies by European Union and Australia. Legal scholars cite tensions with jurisprudence from European Court of Human Rights and obligations under 1951 Refugee Convention and regional human-rights bodies.
National applications include frameworks in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Uganda, and Kenya that built on bilateral agreements with European Commission and funding from World Bank and United States Agency for International Development. The Jordan Compact and Lebanon Crisis Response Plan are often studied alongside regional responses coordinated by UNHCR and UNDP. Comparative analyses reference program evaluations by OECD, policy papers from Chatham House, International Rescue Committee, and donor strategies by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and United States Department of State.
Category:International agreements