A senior UN official on Tuesday unveiled a draft set of principles aimed at continuing momentum toward the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants [UN News Centre report]. The momentum began with UN member states’ adoption of the New York Declaration [text, PDF; UN summary] earlier this week. Kate Gilmore [official profile], the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, talked about the necessity of making human rights, and how they are implemented, a consistent focus in discussions about migration movements:

Specifically, the 20 draft principles focus on human rights; non-discrimination; rescue and assistance; access to justice; border governance; returns; violence; detention; family unity; child migrants; women migrants; right to health; adequate standard of living; decent work; right to education; right to information; monitoring and accountability; migrants’ human rights defenders; data; and international cooperation.

Between these guiding principles and the New York Declaration, one goal is to eventually establish a plan for safe migration in 2018.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issues around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. Ahead of the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants this week, UN experts urged [JURIST report] states to protect women and girls in the movement of refugees and migrants by adhering to international human rights conventions and standards. Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy websites] said that the draft of the final outcome document for the UN summit on refugees fell short of dealing with the issue effectively [JURIST report]. According to the rights groups, the UN is missing an opportunity by not proposing anything of substance. Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said [JURIST report] earlier this month that Austria will take Hungary to the International Court of Justice if Hungary does not begin accepting returning migrants that crossed into Austria from Hungary. Last month the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein [official profile] expressed concern [JURIST report] over Bulgaria’s criminalization of migrants leaving and entering the country.