Newsroom

Newsroom

International Migration Review Forum: Consensus Adoption of Progress Declaration a Significant Step Forward

10th June 2022

Laurel and Marisa at IMRF

The first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) took place in New York from May 16th to the 20th, gathering Member States, civil society representatives, migrants, and United Nations agencies. The IMRF was the first global opportunity to review the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) and discuss challenges since its adoption in 2018.  Following a multistakeholder hearing, the four-day Forum concluded with the adoption by consensus of the Progress Declaration. The endorsement by the General Assembly of the Progress Declaration on June 7th also by consensus indicates a welcome step in the maturing of migration multilateralism in the UN and grounded in human rights.

The IMRF has been a significant focus for the Human Rights and Refugees (HRR) Programme as we have sought to support progress on dismantling systemic racism in migration governance, advance meaningful migrant participation, prevent deaths and loss of life, and ensure human rights-based post-COVID migration governance, including in relation to border management in health crises.

In addition to a series of briefing papers on both process and positions, QUNO engaged with the development of the Progress Declaration, speaking at all four townhalls with the co-facilitators and engaging with diplomats in New York.

At the IMRF, Laurel Townhead Representative for the HRR programme, moderated the first thematic session of the multistakeholder hearing in which she remarked, “stakeholders are not just partners in implementation, crucially we are also critics, advocates, eyes, and ears open to the lived realities of the success and failures of migration governance for people and communities. If everything you hear today suggests unbounded progress or if everything you hear today is comfortable, then we are not having the right conversation. Because for too many people migration is not comfortable, it is not safe. And to ignore this would add to the dehumanization of migrants and would be a disservice to what we can do collectively if we ground our aims in the recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family”.The recording of the multistakeholder session is available here and the link to summary report here.

QUNO co-sponsored two side events:

  • By Migrants, For Migrants: Advancing for Migrant’s Meaningful Participation in IMRF and the GCM Processes, where Marisa Leon Gomez Sonet spoke:  Meaningful participation is not a simple tick-box exercise, nor is it inherently neutral. It is often said that migrants do not have a voice and that others can provide that voice. Migrants do have a voice, they have agency and resiliency, but are often excluded and marginalized. See the recording of the migrant participation side event.
  • Preparedness for the Next Pandemic: Towards a Resilient Global Architecture on Borders and Health, Laurel spoke: I hope this collective endeavor will succeed for governments and for migrants in all their diversity because a global border and health architecture that meets these [human rights based]criteria is not just the smart thing to do from governance, economic, predictability, perspective. It is also the right thing to do from a human perspective. See the recording of the side event here.

We were grateful for the opportunity to be in person again amongst so many people bringing their expertise and experience to bear on improving migration governance, not because of the economic benefits of migration for States but because of the inherent humanity of all migrants. We also want to acknowledge those who could not join us at the IMRF – for a multiplicity of reasons: because they could not access vaccines and documentation that would enable travel; because they do not think UN rooms are places where they are welcome or will be heard; because they are in a place of struggle and survival; because it would not be safe for them to engage; because, as the Secretary-General highlighted in his report, deterrence based migration policies lead to irreparable harm.

The IMRF was a steppingstone in delivering on the promise of the GCM, not an endpoint, and as we reflect and debrief we see clear next steps in our work towards migration justice.

 

 

Areas of work: Human Rights & Refugees

Explore more

QUNO attends COP30 in Brazil: Report 1 of 2

QUNO attends COP30 in Brazil: Report 1 of 2

QUNOโ€™s Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) staff, Lindsey Fielder Cook and Daniela Campos, were present at the Conference of Parties (COP30) from 9โ€“23 November in Belรฉm, Brazil. This first report focuses on QUNOโ€™s activities and will be followed by a second report offering an analysis of both concerns and positive outcomes.ย  While knowing that more than 56,000 people from all over the world came together to share and negotiate global climate action, some might still wonder what happens inside COPs. To offer a clearer glimpse of this experience, we are sharing a narrated report of the major events, negotiations, and interactions where QUNO brought a Quaker voiceโ€”advocating peaceful, just, and equitable transformations of activities driving existential levels of climate change and related planetary crises.ย  Amplifying our Voice and Values at COP30 – Interfaith events : With our Interfaith Liaison Committee colleagues, we helped host an interfaith Talanoa Dialogue at the Lutheran Church Igreja Evangelica de Confissรฃo Luterana, bringing together over 120 people in person from all over the world, with translation between English and Portuguese, and more than 30 participants online.  During the COP, we supported faith-based colleagues in their efforts, including newcomers navigating the space, and engaged with […]

QUNO at the IPCCโ€™s session in Lima

QUNO at the IPCCโ€™s session in Lima

From 27โ€“30 October, QUNO participated in the 63rd Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Lima, Peru. The IPCC collates the best available climate science worldwide, and its reports help advise governments and policymakers on what is happening, why, and the available options for climate policy and action. During this meeting, country delegates, scientists, and observers prioritized three difficult key issues: the timeline for the publication of the 7th Assessment Report (AR7); the inclusion of high-risk marine geo-engineering in a Methodology Report; and gaps in the IPCC budget. On the first issue, and for the fourth consecutive attempt, country delegates were unable to agree on a timeline for delivery. On the second issue, QUNO worked effectively with a range of concerned countries and observers to prevent the inclusion of marine geo-engineering as a carbon dioxide removal technology. On the third issue, the budget was passed for 2026 but remains significantly underfunded for the assessment cycle. For more information about QUNOโ€™s work at the IPCC and our Plenary interventions, as well as the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, which references our (FWCC) interventions, please download the reports below.

QUNO Representative brings Quaker Perspective to Disaster Resiliency

QUNO Representative brings Quaker Perspective to Disaster Resiliency

QUNO NY Representative Kavita Desai had the rare opportunity to moderate a panel at the United Nations entitled โ€œInvesting in Resilience to Safeguard the Sustainable Development Goalsโ€ during a special event held on October 16, 2025, hosted by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the UN Economic and Financial Committee.  The UNDRR event, โ€œTowards a Risk-informed approach to Development: Financing Resilient Development Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow,โ€ highlighted the need to increase investment in disaster protection measures such as early warning systems, community protection plans, and resilient infrastructure to safeguard progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a series of 17 globally agreed-upon goals that form a blueprint for sustainable peace and prosperity. As Desai noted in her opening remarks, โ€œIt is well known that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…investing in DRR saves resources in the long-term and futureproofs development gains.โ€   Desaiโ€™s panel provided valuable insight on the necessity of financing resilient development, warning that progress towards the SDGs has been limited and that current investments in disaster risk and resilience account for only about 25% of actual needs in many countries. The panel noted that this funding gap emerges […]

Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Law

Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Law

To discuss the costs and risks of exponentially rising military spending, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) Geneva, together with the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights (ABA CHR) and the Womenโ€™s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), co-hosted a public webinar involving a panel of 5 experts from diverse fields. The event, โ€œThe Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond: Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Lawโ€ explored how the rapid increase in global defence budgets affects social investment, democratic governance, and climate resilience. It was attended by a broad community, with participants from the fields of disarmament, arms control, peace-building, human rights, humanitarian law, climate change, gender equality, representing governments, international organizations, academia, civil society, and members of the general public. Setting the Scene Dr. Yvette Issar (QUNO) underscored that global military spending has reached an all-time high of 2.7 trillion USD, a figure projected to rise sharply in the coming decade. These rising figures โ€œare not yielding greater peace, but are instead undermining our shared vision for a sustainable future.โ€ The following guiding questions were posed at the outset of the discussion: Dr. Nan Tian (SIPRI) outlined current trends in military expenditure, describing an โ€œexceptionally […]

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

HICC at the Human Rights Council QUNO participated in the climate and environmental discussions held in the 60th session Human Rights Council in Geneva. Through its Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) programme, QUNO delivered an oral statement on the critical role of human rights in climate action. Additionally, HICC contributed to a discussion on how military activities undermine the right to a healthy environment through their toxic and hazardous impacts.  Lindsey Fielder Cook, HICCโ€™s Representative, served as a panelist in the side event The Toxic Impact of Military Activities alongside the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, and representatives from Earthjustice, the Center for Global Nonkilling, and Dejusticia. The event discussed the findings and implications of the Special Rapporteurโ€™s recent report on the human rights impacts of hazardous substances and waste resulting from military operations. Building on the Quakers Peace Testimony, QUNO emphasized that war is an abomination of human rights and highlighted how this report proves that military activities harm human beings and earth far beyond wartimes. Lindsey also underscored that military activities are responsible for nearly 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, countries are not required to report these emissions into their National Determined […]

โ€˜Deadlock of Imaginationโ€™: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

โ€˜Deadlock of Imaginationโ€™: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

Lindsey Fielder Cook, QUNOโ€™s Representative on the Human Impacts of Climate Change, pointed out clear pathways and criteria to achieve sustainable and equitable energy access at the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. In its 5th session, the Forum addressed the theme: โ€œDemocracy and Climate Change: Focusing on Solutionsโ€, held in Geneva on the 13th and 14th of October.ย  Her contribution can be watched here. Joining the panel on โ€œInterconnected Solutions to Interconnected Problemsโ€, Lindsey emphasized that democracies prioritizing the question, โ€œIs this best for society?โ€ rather than โ€œIs this best for the economy?โ€, are more likely to deliver a sustainable energy transition experienced as fair and effective.  In addition, energy transitions that integrate human rights-based approaches are less likely to face societal backlash. Lindsey advised asking the following questions when evaluating sustainable energy policies: Lindsey invoked the words of recently released from prison Egyptian/British human rights voice,  Alaa Abd el-Fattah, to highlight a divide in global energy transition dynamics, suggesting that we are facing a โ€œdeadlock of imaginationโ€ in the Global North and a โ€œdeadlock of possibilityโ€ in the Global South.Other panelists provided clear examples and best practices on rights-based solutions in the sectors of […]