Building on the commitments of the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants

16/11/2016

On 19 September, FAO has taken part in the high-level UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, hosted by the UN General Assembly. In its statement in Round Table 2: Addressing drivers of migration, particularly large movements, and highlighting the positive contributions of migrants, the FAO Director-General highlighted the key role that agriculture and rural development plays in addressing the root causes of rural migration.

As a result of the Summit, all 193 Member States adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which defines a set of commitments to save lives, protect rights and share responsibility on a global state. By endorsing the declaration, Member States also agreed to translate those commitments into action, through the adoption of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, and a global compact on refugees, by 2018.

FAO has been actively involved, directly and through the Global Migration Group (GMG), in supporting the preparation of the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants. Together with its partners, FAO will continue to generate evidence and advice to follow-up on the commitments of the New York Declaration and support of the processes leading to the adoption of the global compact on safe, regular and orderly migration.

"Investing in sustainable rural development, climate change adaptation and resilient livelihoods is an important part of the solution, including in conflict-affected and protracted crisis situations" said José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.

On 8 November 2016, during the Principals' Meeting of the GMG held in New York, Graziano da Silva emphasized the importance of partnerships within and outside the UN system and the need to transform words into concrete actions. The aim of the Meeting was to discuss the potential role of the GMG in supporting the implementation of the New York Declaration and the development of the global compact on migration. Participants stressed the importance of coherence between the global compact on refugees and the global compact on migration. FAO also reaffirmed the necessity to address the root causes behind migration and forced displacement, including by meeting the commitments made in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Agriculture and rural development can address such root causes, which include rural poverty, food insecurity, inequality, unemployment, lack of social protection as well as natural resource depletion due to environmental degradation and climate change. FAO stands ready to lend its technical expertise and share best practices, to ensure that the need to address the root causes of migration, including from rural areas, is taken into account in major global fora.

• Read the FAO DG’s OP-ED article Beyond Calais: A Perspective on Migration, Agriculture and Rural Development

• See the detailed programme and outcomes of the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrations here.

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