Participants were invited to make individual or joint commitments to help achieve the Agenda for Humanity. In addition, they were invited to align themselves to 32 core commitments developed for the 7 High-level Leaders’ Roundtables of the World Humanitarian Summit. Each stakeholders commitments are organized by commitment type in the table below.
1B
Act early
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece fully supports the utilization of relevant best practices and lessons learnt as a crucial element for successful conflict prevention.
- Policy
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
Greece will continue investing in early warning and early action through mediation, good offices and groups of contacts.
- Financial
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to act early upon potential conflict situations based on early warning findings and shared conflict analysis, in accordance with international law.
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
- Commit to make successful conflict prevention visible by capturing, consolidating and sharing good practices and lessons learnt.
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
1C
Remain engaged and invest in stability
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece commits to further promoting trilateral cooperation schemes already established with Cyprus and with countries in the Middle East. In the light of common challenges, regional cooperation and joint projects in various fields such as energy, shipping, environment and tourism are of major importance for peace in the Mediterranean region.
- Advocacy
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
Greece commits to further support relevant diplomatic efforts with a view to achieving viable political solutions to existing or nascent conflicts. Tackling the problem at its source means effectively addressing the root causes of conflicts. This will contribute to successfully dealing with subsequent multifaceted crises like the migrant and refugee crisis, while promoting international stability, sustainable growth and development.
- Policy
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to improve prevention and peaceful resolution capacities at the national, regional and international level improving the ability to work on multiple crises simultaneously.
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
- Commit to address root causes of conflict and work to reduce fragility by investing in the development of inclusive, peaceful societies.
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
1D
Develop solutions with and for people
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece supports religious and cultural pluralism in the Middle East, necessary to achieve peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding. It will step up its initiatives in promoting inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, in view of promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms of religious and cultural communities in the region.
- Advocacy
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
2A
Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece will closely cooperate both with UNESCO and civil society organizations in order to implement the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, trace all existing trends on the topic and adjust its strategic approach towards greater efficiency and accountability.
- Partnership
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- Greece will continue to actively promote measures to prevent civilians, women and especially children and detainees, as well as humanitarian and healthcare personnel, journalists, patients and medical facilities from being targeted in conflicts. An educational program for journalists reporting from conflict areas, to be implemented by the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the UN, is expected to commence, most probably, by the end of 2016.
- Operational
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Greece will continue to promote international co-operation for safeguarding cultural heritage in times of war and humanitarian emergencies, as well as to promote synergies between monitoring committees, both currently under Greek Chairmanship, of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the fighting against illicit trafficking of cultural property and the 2nd Protocol to the 1954 Convention on the protection of cultural property in event of armed conflict. Attaching particular importance to the issue of vulnerability of cultural property in times of crises and taking into consideration the rights of the countries of origin, Greece commits to step up our efforts in supporting all actions in order to combat trafficking of cultural property and promote return of illegally removed property.
- Advocacy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- In the context of the national initiative regarding the safety of journalists, crystallized in a series of respective pioneering resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly (GA Res.68/163, 69/185 and 70/162) and the Human Rights Council (HRC Res.27/5), Greece will continue to effectively promote and protect the human rights of journalists and media workers as wells as raise awareness on crimes perpetrated against them.
- Advocacy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
2B
Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece commits to actively promote the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence in humanitarian action.
- Advocacy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- Greece will continue to promote respect when it comes to the protection of civilians and non- military targets, with special emphasis on the protection of medical and relief personnel, that remain at risk in the field.
- Policy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to ensure all populations in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- Commit to promote and enhance efforts to respect and protect medical personnel, transports and facilities, as well as humanitarian relief personnel and assets against attacks, threats or other violent acts.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
2C
Speak out on violations
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece commits to raise awareness of the potential of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) and of its working methods (not only fact-finding, but also good offices, confidence-building, etc.), by contributing to the discussion on the role that the IHFFC might play in the future, and by encouraging the resort to this Commission as well as the recognition of its competence.
- Advocacy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece (law 3948/2011) aligned its national legislation with the international protective framework on women in armed conflict. Therefore, Greece recognizes sexual violence as an international crime, that is to say,a crime against humanity or war crime, depending on the circumstances.
- Policy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
The Greek General Secretariat for Gender Equality - in order to contribute to the response to the refugee crisis - will provide refugee women (victims, or at risk, of gender based violence or/and single mothers) and their children, safe accommodation in its 21 shelters, psychosocial support and, if needed, legal counseling.
- Operational
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
- Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
2E
Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity
Joint Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece has actively supported and will continue to support the joint Swiss-ICRC initiative for strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law and will, therefore, participate in good faith in the next phase of the process aimed at the creation of a regular forum of dialogue among States on issues of international humanitarian law.
- Partnership
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
- Greece commits to continue promoting universal adherence to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
- Policy
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
3A
Reduce and address displacement
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece has adopted the necessary legal framework for the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement of 18 March 2016, while fully abiding by its obligations regarding the respect of human rights and relevant international and EU law.
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
Greece will continue at a national level and in collaboration with international bodies such as the UNHCR, UNICEF, and UNESCO to ensure the integration of refugee children and young people in the Greek educational system and society.
- Partnership
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece also commits to a fair and efficient asylum procedure, ensuring access to the status of refugee or to subsidiary or other forms of protection (humanitarian reasons) for those in need.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece attaches particular importance to the integration of refugees and migrants. The Greek strategy on integration of migrants and refugees has been mainstreamed in all policy sectors of the country. Greece commits to continue working towards the access for the migrants and refugees to the labor market, social security services and the health system, as well as access of migrant children to the national education system, language courses for all migrants and the promotion of intercultural/interreligious dialogue, despite the high unemployment rate, which plagues the country and hinders even more the access of these people to the labor market.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece commits that asylum seekers in Greece will continue to have their application treated on a case by case basis in line with the principles of EU and international law including the principle of non-refoulement, with individual interviews, individual assessments and guaranteed right of appeal. There is no blanket and no automatic returns of asylum seekers. In this respect, Greece attaches particular importance to its cooperation with UNHCR and EASO.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece commits to a new approach to address forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Greece commits to implement this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece commits to conclude as soon as possible the drafting process of a National Action Plan on the Rights of the Child, which is expected to focus, inter alia, on the protection of children in the context of refugee crisis. In this framework, the protection of unaccompanied children is considered of utmost importance.
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece commits to continue to fulfill its duties in upholding fundamental rights and principles and addressing humanitarian obligations. All countries should contribute more actively in the resettlement of refugees.
- Advocacy
- Leave No One Behind
Greece commits to further support relevant diplomatic efforts with a view to achieving viable political solutions to existing or nascent conflicts. Tackling the problem at its source means effectively addressing the root causes of conflicts. This will contribute to successfully dealing with subsequent multifaceted crises like the migrant and refugee crisis, while promoting international stability, sustainable growth and development.
- Policy
- Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind
Greece commits to implement a new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement, while acknowledging that enabling the return of IDPs to their homes and communities in conditions of safety and normality remains the ultimate priority.
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
Greece is working with the EU to ensure a more fair distribution of responsibilities in the area of refugee protection among the EU countries, including through the strengthening of EASO, the reform of the Dublin Regulation and the success of the relocation programme. Greece also advocates for responsibility-sharing with other countries, in particular through robust resettlement programmes.
- Partnership
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece supports a broad strengthening of EU and worldwide resettlement program, in close cooperation with the UNHCR, which will also deal a critical blow to human smuggling/trafficking networks.
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece will continue to ensure refugee legal rights to a secure stay, including through adequate, safe and dignified reception conditions.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece will work both at the regional and international level in order to achieve a concrete outcome at the upcoming High Level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants (New York, 19 September 2016).
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
- Greece, having fulfilled its obligations regarding hotspots and reception capacity, while continuing to implement the agreement with UNHCR for rent subsidies and family programs for 20,000 people, commits that it will continue in this direction with international assistance.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
The Greek General Secretariat for Gender Equality - in order to contribute to the response to the refugee crisis - will provide refugee women (victims, or at risk, of gender based violence or/and single mothers) and their children, safe accommodation in its 21 shelters, psychosocial support and, if needed, legal counseling.
- Operational
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
- Leave No One Behind
- Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programs and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
- Leave No One Behind
- Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving large numbers of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial, support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
- Leave No One Behind
- Commit to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
- Leave No One Behind
- Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.
- Leave No One Behind
3B
Address the vulnerabilities of migrants and provide more regular and lawful opportunities for migration
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece has adopted the necessary legal framework for the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement of 18 March 2016, while fully abiding by its obligations regarding the respect of human rights and relevant international and EU law.
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
Greece attaches particular importance to the integration of refugees and migrants. The Greek strategy on integration of migrants and refugees has been mainstreamed in all policy sectors of the country. Greece commits to continue working towards the access for the migrants and refugees to the labor market, social security services and the health system, as well as access of migrant children to the national education system, language courses for all migrants and the promotion of intercultural/interreligious dialogue, despite the high unemployment rate, which plagues the country and hinders even more the access of these people to the labor market.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece has endeavored actively in the education of migrant children and young people since the 1990s, through the operation of intercultural schools. Greece commits to continue with further plans for addressing the particularities in offering education opportunities to children of migrant backgrounds and the implementation of selected measures and politics throughout the territory.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece will work both at the regional and international level in order to achieve a concrete outcome at the upcoming High Level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants (New York, 19 September 2016).
- Policy
- Leave No One Behind
- In line with an already adopted policy, Greece will continue providing support to local communities within the country who are dealing with the migration crisis, especially in the field of infrastructure and coordination with civil society's actions.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
3D
Empower and protect women and girls
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
The Greek General Secretariat for Gender Equality - in order to contribute to the response to the refugee crisis - will provide refugee women (victims, or at risk, of gender based violence or/and single mothers) and their children, safe accommodation in its 21 shelters, psychosocial support and, if needed, legal counseling.
- Operational
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
- Leave No One Behind
- Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
- Leave No One Behind
- Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
- Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
3E
Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece will continue at a national level and in collaboration with international bodies such as the UNHCR, UNICEF, and UNESCO to ensure the integration of refugee children and young people in the Greek educational system and society.
- Partnership
- Leave No One Behind
Greece has endeavored actively in the education of migrant children and young people since the 1990s, through the operation of intercultural schools. Greece commits to continue with further plans for addressing the particularities in offering education opportunities to children of migrant backgrounds and the implementation of selected measures and politics throughout the territory.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
Greece will continue to work towards providing access to quality education, at all levels, to all refugee children and youth following their registration. It has to be noted that, in Greece all minors, third-country nationals have the right of access to education, irrespective of their legal residence status or the status of their parent.
- Operational
- Leave No One Behind
4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece commits to support and invest in national and local leadership whenever possible responding "sur mesure" to the real local needs avoiding duplicative international mechanisms.
- Operational
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
The EU Aid Volunteer Initiative, an idea initiated by Greece, provides standards on the management of a variety of volunteers' profiles, as well as opportunities for local organizations and communities aiming at strengthening their capacity in order to deal with disasters. Greece commits to continue supporting this initiative.
- Operational
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
- Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
4B
Anticipate, do not wait, for crises
Individual Commitment
- Commitment
- Commitment Type
- Core Responsibility
Greece commits to take a more systematic and integrated approach to risk management through measures that better integrate planning in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, response and recovery and through closer collaboration between different sectors and partners, so that investments in each area are complementary and based on a common analysis of risks and costs.
- Operational
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
- Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
- Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
4C
Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
5B
Invest according to risk
Core Commitment
- Commitment
- Core Responsibility
- Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
- Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity