The United Nations advisory body on issues related to population and development today kicked off its annual session, with a focus on changing population age structures and sustainable development.

Today, there are around 244 million people who have crossed international borders in search of a better life.

Around the world today, there are some 244 million international migrants - people living outside their country of birth. That means more than 3 per cent of the global population left their homes, most of whom in search of a better life abroad.

The UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, convened by the General Assembly this September, reaffirmed the migration-related commitments made by Member States in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and resulted in the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

With more people forced to flee their homes than at any time since World War II, world leaders came together at the United Nations today to adopt the New York Declaration, which expresses their political will to protect the rights of refugees and migrants, to save lives and share responsibility for large movements on a global scale.

At the opening of the UN General Assembly's first-ever Summit for Refugees and Migrants, delegations adopted the landmark

Speaking at the opening of the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants, a number of senior UN officials stressed on the importance of the Summit and called on world leaders for collective action to address the global crisis.

In his address at the opening session, William Lacy Swing, the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the newest related organization of the United Nations system, said three elements had made the landmark agreement possible: global trends, trust and timing.

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.

Leaders and communities must focus on and stand up for the rights of teenage girls, particularly those who are poor, out of school, exploited, or subjected to harmful traditional practices, the United Nations has said, marking World Population Day with a call to bolster the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by investing in better opportunities for teen girls.

Despite significant gains made in reducing poverty and improving opportunity and well-being for many people around

Tracking the movements of refugees and migrants across the globe has been at the heart of Bela Hovy’s work for the past 20 years.

Despite bold efforts, responses to the large movements of refugees and migrants – which will continue or possibly increase due to such issues as conflict, poverty and disasters – have been largely inadequate, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today in a new report, calling for the adoption of a global compact on responsibility-sharing that collectively ensures the human rights, safety and dignity of all refugees and migrants.

“Away from the daily headlines and stark images, strains are quietly accumulating on refugees and