The United Nations General Assembly. Photo: Wiki Commons.

JNS.org – The United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted a declaration aimed at saving lives and protecting the rights of 21.3 million refugees and migrants globally.

The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants was adopted by all 193 members of the UN General Assembly at the first-ever Summit for Refugees and Migrants.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the declaration means that “more children can attend school, more workers can securely seek jobs abroad, instead of being at the mercy of criminal smugglers, and more people will have real choices about whether to move once we end conflict, sustain peace and increase opportunities at home.”

Through this declaration, world leaders committed to implementing a number of plans such as beginning negotiations for an international conference, adopting a global initiative for safe migration in 2018 and ensuring members states share the burden and responsibility for supporting refugees.

“I will be urging member states to maintain their high levels of ambition throughout these processes, and to always reach for the higher ground,” H.E. Peter Thomson, president of the UN General Assembly, said. “The fate of millions of refugees and migrants rests with us.”