Explore, Engage, Act! Children and young people and the Global Compact on Refugees and Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Today, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homes to escape conflict, violence, poverty or environmental degradation, many of them crossing international borders. Along the way, they are at risk of abuse, exploitation, and violence. Many travel with family members but an increasing number are exposed to such dangers while traveling alone, which can put them at greater risk of harm. The impact of these experiences can be devastating and long-lasting.

To respond to these problems, in 2016, the countries of the world met at the United Nations in New York to decide how to better manage large movements of refugees and migrants. They adopted a document called the ‘New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants’, which included commitments to improve the protection of refugees and migrants. 

This publication is aimed at children and young people (and adults too!) so that they know what the governments of the world have said they will do. As the Global Compacts can be difficult to read, we have prepared a ‘child and youth friendly’ briefing to summarize what these documents say about migrant and refugee children and young people.

The aim of this publication is to enable children and young people to:

• Know what the Global Compacts for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees say about migrant and refugee children and adolescents

• Play a part in making sure that the promises made in New York and in the Compacts are kept

• Check that everyone is doing what they have promised to do

• Find ways to contribute and have their say