UN DESA Voice September 2016: UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, UNGA, Indigenous peoples

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	Volume 20, No.9 - September 2016	Print version
	For a world on the move: The UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants The world is on the move, and the number of international migrants today is higher than ever before. In 2015, 244 million people lived in a country other than where they were born, including more than 20 million refugees and asylum-seekers escaping violence or persecution in their home countries. People have always moved in search of sustenance, safety and opportunity. By crossing borders and residing in other lands, they have contributed to cultural diversity, economic and social development, and mutual understanding amongst people and nations.
	HIGHLIGHTS UN General Assembly kicks off 71st session As the global community is witnessing an unprecedented level of human mobility, the issue of safety and dignity for refugees and migrants will take center stage at the UN General Assembly, as it kicks off its 71st Session. Gathering leaders from around the world, the upcoming session commencing on 13 September, will also feature events to mark the one year anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, meetings of the High-level Panel on Water, the SDG Advocates and more.
	Film night to celebrate indigenous peoples’ cultures and identities in cities On 13 September, the United Nations will open the doors to an indigenous film night, paying tribute to the many indigenous peoples, living and sustaining their cultures in the world’s biggest cities far from their ancestral homes. Through Reaghan Tarbell’s documentary “To Brooklyn and Back: A Mohawk Journey” (2009), we will meet the courageous Mohawk women who sustained a vibrant community in Brooklyn, while Mohawk workers were helping build Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers in the 1920s to 1960s.
	GET INVOLVED EXPERT VOICES IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Recognizing the status of refugees and migrants with disabilities Around the world today, the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, violence and political oppression is higher than at any time since the Second World War. Although there is a current lack of comprehensive data, the Women’s Refugee Commission estimates that among them, roughly 6.7 million are persons with disabilities. Role of young people to achieve the SDGs Following this year’s International Youth Day celebration, we asked Nicola Shepherd, who heads the UN Focal Point on Youth/UN programme on Youth in the Social Integration Branch of UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, why responsible consumption and production matter to young people and how they play a leading role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reducing poverty and fostering sustainable growth. 2016 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) wraps up The world gathered for the 2016 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in July. Participants at the two-day forum focused on the immense potential of development cooperation as a lever for achieving the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
	MORE FROM UNDESA More governments are embracing e-government to deliver services and to engage people in decision-making processes in all regions of the world, according to the 2016 UN E-Government Survey launched by UN DESA. It provides new evidence that e-government has the potential to help advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
	UPCOMING EVENTS    7-9 September Global Preparatory Seminar for the UN World Data Forum, Guilin, China 13 September 9th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, New York 13 Sep - Dec General Assembly, Seventy-first session, New York 19 September UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, New York 1 October International Day of Older Persons
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