Protection of refugees and migrants in the era of the global compacts

Abstract

This essay examines the decision of States to affirm the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) in 2018, in light of the normative and institutional frameworks for refugees and migrants which underpin them, and the challenges that each compact respectively seeks to address. It details how the GCR seeks to reinforce international protection for refugees and the GCM aims for strengthened protection for the rights of migrants, as well as the scope for their application together to obviate protection gaps, including in the context of mixed movements. To illustrate this, the essay explores the potential application of the GCR and GCM to a specific mixed movement situation in the Mediterranean region. It outlines the potential of the compacts to provide a firmer basis for States and other actors to address challenges around large-scale arrivals and identification of those in need of international protection, while promoting respect in practice for the rights of all persons on the move in accordance with international law.