During a High-level Meeting of the Plenary of the UN General Assembly on the rehabilitation of refugees and migrants at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim informed bdnews24.com that she emphasized the importance of securing the rights of refugees and migrants regardless of their status. She stressed that protecting and promoting their rights were crucial for achieving harmony in diverse societies worldwide. The Prime Minister also praised UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for organizing the first-ever Summit on Refugees and Migrants. She highlighted the significance of mutual trust, respect, shared responsibility, and inclusiveness in addressing the refugee crisis and called on countries to reach a consensus on these universal principles. Additionally, delegations from around the world adopted the landmark New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants at the summit's opening. It includes strong commitments to address current issues and prepare for future challenges, such as starting negotiations for an international conference and the adoption of a global compact for safe migration in 2018. The commitments also include protecting the human rights of all refugees and migrants, ensuring education for refugee and migrant children, preventing gender-based violence, supporting countries hosting refugees, ending the detention of children for migration status, finding new homes for refugees needing resettlement, and strengthening global migration governance by incorporating the International Organization for Migration into the UN system. Sheikh Hasina emphasized the importance of seizing this historic opportunity to create a robust and ambitious blueprint for managing large refugee movements within a broader development context. She proposed a Global Compact on Migration to address gaps in migration governance and align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She stated that the proposed migration compact would include ambitious and enforceable elements and modalities, while also being balanced and flexible. Hasina emphasized the importance of promoting tolerance and understanding to accommodate migrants and refugees. She also noted that the compact should address the protection needs of those displaced by climate change. As the current Chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, Bangladesh is willing to contribute to the development of the agreement. Prior to speaking at the plenary session, the prime minister met with Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi. Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Janet Scotland also visited her at the UN headquarters.