On Monday, the 12th of February, 2018, at the UNHCR HQ in Geneva, Dr. Volker Türk, assistant High Commissioner for Protection, presented the HCR Zero Draft GLOBAL COMPACT ON REFUGEES.
He stressed that:
- The Draft GCR does not aim to be an all-encompassing text nor a standard-setting. It aims to respond pragmatically, concretely, to mass flows of refugees, to propose a Programme of Action to facilitate the application of the CRFF, through concrete measures, with a focus on partnerships, rather than standards;
- He concluded in underlining that the GCR is not meant to be a new legal instrument but an operational tool.
- He added that two documents were key for implementation measures and best practices :
- Human trafficking was also mentioned in the 2016 Update of « 10-Point Plan of Action on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration » (http://www.unhcr.org/the-10-point-plan-in-action.html)
- and in the 2010 IOM – UNHCR Framework for the Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to Facilitate the Protection and Assistance of Refugees and Other Persons on the Move (see the example of « Protecting Refugees and Other Persons on the Move in the ECOWAS Space » ( http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4e54961d2.pdf) where human trafficking is extensively dealt with in Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10. This important and key publication was the product of collaborative efforts. It was produced by the IOM andUNHCR, with contributions from ECOWAS, OHCHR, ILO and UNICEF.