Not bound but Committed: operationalising the Global Compact on Refugees

The Global Compact on Refugees is not legally binding, but it gives rise to commitments by the international community as a whole. It is also rooted in international refugee law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law. This article addresses how the GCR can not give rise to binding obligations in international law, yet provide for enhanced protection and assistance to refugees and hosting communities, and establish commitments for fairer and more predictable burden- and responsibility-sharing. It does this by reference to other non-legally binding international documents and rule of law. Additionally, the use of indicators to measure states' and other international actors' performance in operationalising the GCR necessarily provides a framework to measure commitments; coupled with greater humanitarian and development co-operation, commitments can be better facilitated even if the GCR is not legally binding. Burden- and responsibility-sharing is fulfilled through the emphasis on solutions, too.