New York, NY—Today, more than 180 countries endorsed the Global Compact on Refugees, an international agreement calling for a stronger, fairer response to large refugee movements and protracted situations. It is the result of two years of negotiations following the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016 and its comprehensive refugee response framework.

In response to the endorsement, Sarah Costa, executive director of the Women's Refugee Commission, issued the following statement:

“We welcome today’s overwhelming endorsement of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact on Refugees by more than 180 Member States and express our gratitude to UNHCR and Sweden for their constructive efforts in the process. We also welcome the Compact’s consistent mainstreaming of gender, age, and disability considerations and stand ready to assist with its swift and inclusive implementation.

“At a time when the number of refugees is at historic levels, the Compact represents a collective effort by UN Member States to better protect refugees and improve support for the countries that shelter them. Hungary and the United States, the only countries voting against the UN General Assembly resolution endorsing the Compact, stood on the wrong side of history today.

“The Compact’s objectives, including fairer responsibility sharing and increasing self-reliance opportunities for refugees, will require strong international cooperation and political will. We take this opportunity to call on all governments to work together to implement the Compact and to strengthen protection for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, half of whom are women and girls.”