There is also Pax Christi International among the 268 faith-based, non-governmental and civil society organizations which, ahead of last week’s high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, during which the possibility that UN Member States might dismantle international legal protections for refugees was discussed, submitted an open letter to Member States.

The document, which brings together movements and organizations from around the world, calls on representatives to uphold, preserve and strengthen international refugee treaties and to reject any attempt to overturn these norms. In particular, it highlights the lives saved and the dignity ensured by these treaties for millions of people, who would otherwise have suffered serious violations of their rights.

The letter, organized and promoted by Human Rights First and ICVA, calls on States to:

🔹 Sign or ratify treaties on human rights, refugees, and humanitarian law, encouraging others to do the same;
🔹 Celebrate and reaffirm support for these instruments, explaining the benefits they bring to both people and States;
🔹 Share the actions taken to implement them and strengthen asylum systems;
🔹 Firmly oppose any attempt to denounce, withdraw from, or replace these treaties with frameworks that reduce protection for people.

Human Rights First have also prepared an overview of current U.S. plans relating to treaties, including the Refugee Convention, the Threats to Refugee and Human Rights Treaties and the Rules-Based Order.

Pax Christi International stands as a voice calling on Member States for active cooperation, together with civil society, to maintain and preserve rights, with particular attention to those most at risk of persecution and violations of their humanity.

Read here the Open Letter