Child Rights in the Global Compacts: Working Document

One of the outcomes of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants was the decision of the development of two Global Compacts: one for refugees and one for migrants. These Global Compacts will be agreed upon in the United Nations in 2018. This working document by the multilateral Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts focuses specifically on the promises made in the Declaration towards children on the move.

In relation to children on the move, there are some specific protection and inclusion measures that need consideration in the Global Compacts. This working document outlines the six priority issues as being:

1. Non-discrimination - governments need to create a more open society by encouraging diversity and social inclusion.
2. Best interests of the child – the best interests of the child should always be taken into consideration. Governments should provide free of charge legal representation to children on the move, and should appoint guardians/advisors to unaccompanied  children as soon as possible.
3. Child protection – family reunification should be supported, cooperation between countries needs to be improved and child protection services and systems need to be available for all migrant children.
4. Child immigration protection – immigration detention of children should not occur, and alternatives that respect human rights and children’s needs should be implemented.
5. Access to services for refugee and migrant children – children on the move need to have access to health and psychological care, education and social protection.
6. Sustainable solutions in children’s best interests – all cases should be reviewed individually in a non-discriminatory manner to ensure the safety and security of each child. The procedures to obtaining refugee and permanent residence status should be clear and returns should only be assisted and voluntary in nature.

This working document by the multilateral Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts was constructed with input from numerous experts and organisations. The input was obtained through different means such as webinars, consultations, virtual meetings and a conference. The working document uses the same framework of goals and targets as is used by the Sustainable Development Goals.

The working document examines each of the six issues in detail in a separate section. Each section provides some background about the issue, outlines relevant provisions in international law, provides pertinent examples, and finally, specifies the proposed goals, targets and indicators.