At the U.N. General Assembly in New York taking place later this month, several heads of state and representatives of civil society will come together to commit to a comprehensive refugee strategy, representing a shift toward multilateral, systematic, and sustainable solutions. Some say the U.N. plan, now being called the New York Declaration, represents a significant milestone in the global response to the refugee crisis.

The U.N. meeting comes on the heels of the first comprehensive report on how the global refugee crisis has affected children. In “Uprooted,” UNICEF finds that the number of child refugees has doubled in the last two years, with the majority coming from conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan.

The day after the General Assembly convenes President Obama will hold a separate Leaders Summit on Refugees. For those who remain skeptical about the U.N. General Assembly’s ability to rally political will, the president’s summit may offer more cause to be hopeful. At the summit, President Obama is not only expected to extract formal commitments from world leaders on how many refugees their nations will resettle next year, he will also call for innovative public-private partnership solutions.

News Deeply reports that the president’s private sector initiative, the “Partnership for Refugees,” will bring together over 20 global corporations like Google, IBM, Airbnb, and Goldman Sachs to employ refugees across the globe. As Deeply points out, involvement of the private sector may open the door for the wide expansion of private-sponsorship resettlement models, such as Canada’s much-lauded system.

While the president and the United Nations prepare to broker much-needed partnerships around the globe, we’ve seen a surge of domestic support for refugees from one of America’s largest demographics: people of faith. The New York Times reports that many American Evangelicals are practicing what they preach, serving newly resettled refugees in their communities. Influential Christian assemblies like the Southern Baptist Convention, who recently resolved to welcome refugees into their homes and churches, have been pushing back against voices calling to halt the refugee resettlement program.

The recent rise in Islamophobic rhetoric has also catalyzed a new wave of leadership willing to stand against xenophobia and uphold American ideals. Dr. Bob Roberts, Senior Pastor at the Northwood Church in Texas, teamed up former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak and penned this powerful missive making the case against Islamophobia as an assault on American ideals and security.

“We’ve spent our lives working in different spheres — one of us is an evangelical Christian pastor, the other a retired Marine general — but we’ve both seen firsthand how Islamophobia diminishes us all and weakens our country,” writes the pair. “Islamophobia isn’t a ‘Muslim issue.’ It is an issue for anyone who cares about the United States and the values that undergird it.”

Finally, for those of us finding ourselves already missing the camaraderie and international unity that this year’s Olympic Games brought, remember that the action is far from over. The Paralympic Games convened this week in Rio. One of many notable athletes: Ibrahim al Hussein, the Syrian refugee Paralympian who lost his leg saving his best friend from an airstrike. “My friends helped me across the border. I used sticks to walk,” said the Olympic swimmer. “Now I dream of being the first Paralympic refugee to win a gold medal.” 

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