As debates about migrants and refugees reverberate around the world, this book offers an important first-hand account of how migration is being approached at the highest levels of international governance.

Whereas refugees have long been protected by international law, migrants have been treated differently, with no international consensus definition and no one international migration system. This all changed in September 2016, when the 193 members of the United Nations unanimously adopted the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, laying the groundwork for the creation of governance frameworks for migrants and refugees worldwide. This book provides a fly on the wall analysis of the opportunities and challenges of the two new Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration as governments, international NGOs, multilateral institutions and other actors develop and negotiate them.

Looking beyond the compacts, the book considers migration governance over time, and asks the bigger questions of what the international community can do on the one hand to affirm and strengthen safe, orderly and regular migration to help drive economic growth and prosperity, whilst on the other hand responding to the problems caused by increasing numbers of refugees and irregular migrants. This highly engaging and informative account will be of interest to policy-makers, academics and students concerned with global migration and refugee governance.

About the Author

Elizabeth G. Ferris is a Research Professor at the Institute for the Study of International Migration, Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, USA, and formerly served as Senior Adviser at the Office of the Global Summit on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants, United Nations Office of the Secretary-General.

Katharine M. Donato is the Donald G. Herzberg Professor of International Migration, and Director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration, Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, USA.

Reviews

"This thoughtful and carefully-researched book analyzes the international negotiations that led to the adoption in 2018 of new global compacts on refugees and migration. At a time of anti-immigrant sentiment and restrictionist policies, it also provides an encouraging demonstration of how the international community was able to agree on the importance of working together to address these challenges." -- Karen AbuZayd, Former Special Advisor for the UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants and former Commissioner-General of UNRWA, USA

"Throughout the world, the transnational mobility of people is associated with anxieties, human rights abuses and heightened political debates. The global governance of migration and refugees is key to understand and perhaps remedy these challenges. But this is a complex and fast-changing field, which is why both researchers and policymakers will benefit enormously from reading this well-written, up-to-date and comprehensive book about how the international community addresses international migration." -- Antoine Pecoud, Professor of Sociology, the University of Paris, France

"This is a comprehensive, useful and well-informed book addressing the recent history and significance of the Global Compacts for Refugees and Migration negotiated among states and international organizations over the past several years. The book offers a pathway to understanding the significance of these events for the international order now and for the future. It should be read by researchers, students and policymakers." -- Gil Loescher, Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, USA, and currently Visiting Professor, University of Oxford, UK

"Katharine Donato and Elizabeth Ferris provide a valuable record of the context and the events leading up to the most significant additions to the refugee and migration regime in decades: the UN global compacts for refugees and migrants. Drawing on their deep knowledge and experience in these fields, they help us to make sense of the achievements and gaps in the compact negotiations, and offer practical guidance on implementation." -- Kathleen Newland, co-founder, Migration Policy Institute, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9780815388012
Author Elizabeth G. Ferris
Format Paperback
Page Count 220
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 374g