Refugees International Statement on the International Migration Review Forum 2026

Refugees International will be attending the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) from May 5–8, 2026, in New York City. This second IMRF, held every four years, is intended to assess progress at the local, national, regional, and global levels in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). 

As pathways for safe migration are increasingly constrained around the world, Refugees International will be spotlighting the need for inclusion of all of those on the move in the decisions made at this critical juncture. These decisions affect migrants’ livelihoods, safety, and access to the opportunities necessary to live a full and healthy life. 

As part of the Civil Society Action Committee, Refugees International is dedicated to the robust participation of migrants, refugees, and all affected communities in these conversations, as experts of their own needs and concerns.

To better support all those on the move, Refugees International urges State Parties to:

• Enhance and diversify the availability of pathways for safe, orderly and regular migration, with particular attention to migrants in vulnerable situations, including those affected by slow-onset and sudden-onset disasters, climate change, and environmental degradation. This aligns squarely with the GCM’s Objective 2 on minimizing adverse drivers of migration, including natural disasters, the adverse effects of climate change, and environmental degradation.
• Commit to policy reforms that allow migrants and refugees to fully integrate into host countries, including improving regularization pathways and formalizing access to work. Host countries must harmonize and adequately resource migration governance across ministries to overcome the institutional silos that routinely prevent migrants and refugees from accessing national services and economic opportunity. In an era of diminishing humanitarian aid, nations must place development solutions at the center of their response to forced displacement and recognize it as an opportunity for shared growth.
• Resource and implement policies that protect migrant women and girls from violence and exploitation, ensure non-discriminatory access to services and decent work, and institutionalize the meaningful inclusion of women-led organizations in migration responses and decision-making. This is consistent with GCM Objectives 7, 15, and 23, as well as the IMRF Progress Declaration, and recognizes that women and girls in migration face disproportionate risks and distinct, often compounding challenges.
• Recommit to respect the right to non-refoulement and to bilateral arrangements that uphold, rather than undermine, human rights treaties such as the Refugee Convention and the Convention Against Torture, family unity, and security and firm resettlement for displaced people. This aligns with point 21 in the IMRF Progress Declaration, but adds an emphasis on preventing refoulement, which is occurring with increasing frequency as a result of bilateral deportation arrangements. 

Refugees International’s Martha Guerrero-Ble, Jeremy Konyndyk, Sarah Miller, Jocelyn Perry, Yael Schacher, and Hourie Tafech will be in New York as part of Refugees International’s IMRF delegation. Learn more and join us for our side events. 

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Etant Dupain edupain@refugeesinternational.org.