Twenty-two refugees left Nauru for resettlement in the United States, under a bilateral agreement between the US and Australia. The group, who were almost all single men from Afghanistan, Iran and Myanmar, are the fourth transfer from Australian-led offshore centres under the deal. Around 110 refugees have been transferred under the agreement, with around 2000 asylum seekers and refugees still in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
In 2016-17, 24,162 refugees and humanitarian entrants arrived in Australia, the biggest year on record. This number includes Australia’s annual humanitarian program, and a special intake of refugees from Iraq and Syria.
UNHCR released the ‘zero draft’ of the global compact on refugees, a non-binding agreement to better deal with refugee crises. Formal talks on the compact begin this month in Geneva.