For the first time, the world is working together to address the refugee crisis.

(Baonghean) - At the United Nations General Assembly's High-Level Meeting on Migrants, leaders of 193 UN member states adopted the New York Declaration to address the global migration crisis. This was the first time the General Assembly convened a meeting of heads of state to discuss the situation of migrants, demonstrating the UN's determination to play a leading role and call on the world to work together to resolve this issue.

From determination to policy decision

The determination of world leaders was demonstrated immediately after the opening ceremony with the adoption of the New York Declaration, which included commitments to implement a coordinated plan to address migration more effectively.

For the first time, the United Nations General Assembly convened a high-level conference on migration. Photo: AP

The conference unanimously set three specific goals: First, to persuade the international community to increase funding for humanitarian activities worldwide by 30%, from $10 billion in 2015 to $13 billion this year.

Secondly, it aims to double the number of resettlement cases and explore new legal avenues for refugee admission; simultaneously, it seeks to increase the number of countries accepting significant numbers of refugees. Thirdly, it aims to increase the number of refugees attending school globally by 1 million and the number of refugees permitted to work by 1 million.

Large corporations such as Facebook, Twitter, MasterCard, Johnson & Johnson, etc., will also participate in achieving these goals by facilitating access to education, employment, and finance for approximately 6.3 million refugees in more than 20 countries.

The New York Declaration, recently reached by various countries, represents a political commitment and an unprecedented effort by the international community to address the ongoing and severe migration crisis. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized that this declaration demonstrates the UN's determination to work together with all partners to fulfill shared commitments.

While Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, stated that the declaration filled a long-standing gap in the international protection system, representing "a genuine sharing of responsibility for migrants in the spirit of the UN Charter," the UN has officially launched a new campaign, "Respect, Safety and Dignity for All," to translate the commitments in the New York Declaration into practical action.

Commitment from the "big players"

Following the adoption of the New York Declaration, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on countries to seriously implement the declaration, thereby creating a stable mechanism for addressing migration and preventing the current migration flow from pushing the world to the brink of new political, economic, and social crises. The fact that 50 countries have pledged to accept 360,000 refugees this year – double the number from last year – is considered the first positive sign after the UN Secretary-General's call.

Despite numerous challenges in implementing Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May has made several commitments to help resolve the migration crisis. Photo: Getty

The United States, hoping to alleviate some of the burden of migrants flooding into Europe, has set a target of accepting 110,000 refugees in the next fiscal year, a 30% increase from 85,000 in fiscal year 2016. Meanwhile, Japan has pledged an additional $2.8 billion over the next three years for humanitarian aid to assist migrants. China will also contribute an additional $100 million, on top of its previous $1 billion commitment, to multilateral humanitarian agencies and related UN initiatives on migration. Despite facing numerous complex issues related to Britain's exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May reaffirmed Britain's commitments to international aid and pledged to spend £80 million – a tenfold increase – to manage the flow of migrants from France to Britain via the Eurotunnel…

These commitments demonstrate that the leading forces in implementing this year's New York Declaration are all major powers with significant influence in international affairs. This is very encouraging because everyone understands that any program or action plan, especially multinational ones, always needs "leaders" to take the lead in order to achieve success.

The gap between commitment and action

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of the end of 2015, the world had 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million migrants. This massive wave of migration has had and continues to have significant economic and social consequences for frontline countries such as Greece, Austria, and Hungary. Refugees themselves also face numerous dangers on their journey to reach the "promised land."

With the New York Declaration, refugee children will have the opportunity to go to school. Photo: Reuters

Analysts believe that for the New York Declaration to be a turning point in resolving the current migration crisis, the most important thing is that the signatory countries implement it seriously and in good faith, as they have demonstrated so far. However, many doubts remain about the effectiveness of this declaration, as it is merely a political commitment lacking legally binding mechanisms for fulfilling the obligations of the signatory nations.

Furthermore, the deepest root causes of migration always stem from war, oppression, and violent extremism. To address the root of the problem, international efforts need to focus on resolving the political crisis at the source of migration.

So, will nations, including the superpowers that made commitments at the New York summit, abandon their national interests in these hotspots? This remains a big question. Therefore, tens of millions of migrants are waiting to see whether President Barack Obama's call at the Migration Summit – that "We cannot turn a blind eye, slam doors, and abandon these families because that would be a betrayal of our deepest values" – was merely empty rhetoric, or whether it could truly help them find a stable place to live and work in their own countries instead of having to seek a future elsewhere.

Thuy Ngoc