The UN General Assembly in New York has adopted a new declaration for global refugees and migrants’ crisis, including those from South Sudan.
The ‘Declaration for Refugees and Migrants’ notes that in 2015 alone, the number of migrants had surpassed 244 million.
This includes more than 21 million refugees, 3 million asylum seekers and over 40 million internally displaced persons.
According a UNHCR report, more than one million South Sudanese have fled the country as refugees due to violence between the forces of the SPLA and the opposition since December 2013.
During the endorsement, UN Member States agreed to a set of commitments, including acknowledging a shared responsibility to manage large movements of refugees and migrants.
They agreed that this would be done in a humane, sensitive, compassionate and people-centered manner.
The members agreed to do so through international cooperation, while recognizing the varying national capacities and resources in responding to those movements.
Meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told the UN General Assembly that his country was experiencing an influx of South Sudanese refugees since July this year.
According to the UNHCR, Uganda is hosting more than 300,000 South Sudanese refugees, most of whom are new arrivals fleeing the recent violence in Juba.
Mr Museveni said his Government had developed and implemented various national plans to protect the refugees and meet their needs.