The Global Refugee Forum

47 “multi-stakeholder pledges” were announced, promoting better burden- and responsibility-sharing between countries, fostering refugee inclusion, and facilitating solutions in third countries and in countries of origin. These multi-stakeholder pledges, led by 29 States and 88 non-State actors, encompassed almost 80% of the pledges made at the Forum.  

Concrete examples included:  

• 52 States and 135 non-State actors pledged to boost self-reliance for more than 1 million refugees and host community members by promoting economic inclusion and social protection. Furthermore, many countries pledged to allocate land for agriculture and food security with generous support from a range of donors under the leadership of Norway, FAO, and WFP.    

• Ambitious pledges for refugees’ inclusion in national primary, secondary, tertiary and connected education and national health systems, and for investment in these services in refugee-hosting areas. 

• 32 States and 118 non-State actors pledged to advance third-country solutions for millions of refugees by resettling 1 million refugees, providing employment or education pathways to 200,000 refugees, and significantly expanding opportunities for family reunification and community-based sponsorship.  

• 9 States committed to start issuing machine-readable travel documents and three more pledged to make improvements to existing systems, helping to remove a major obstacle that refugees encounter when trying to take up opportunities to work or study; 

• 19 States and 75 non-State actors pledged to seek durable solutions to displacement and address the root causes, including a pledge led by Colombia, Egypt, Norway and UN DPPA on peacebuilding and conflict prevention. 

• There were a range of pledges on protection – from pledges protecting refugees and migrants at sea and against trafficking, to child rights and gender equality and protection against gender-based violence. 116 stakeholders from the global legal community committed to provide 1 million hours of pro bono legal advice, superseding and supersizing a pledge at the first GRF, where they pledged 127,000 pro bono hours annually – and went on to consistently exceed that target. 

• There were also pledges to expand partnerships and to advance the engagement of local actors in international processes. For example, 50 UN country teams and 19 UN agencies engaged in the UN Common Pledge 2.0 to advance refugee inclusion, provide support for host communities, and promote meaningful participation of refugees in UN planning and decision-making processes. Similarly, demonstrating the power of local action, more than 100 cities and local governments pledged to support refugee integration in urban areas.  

UNHCR helped to make the case for the power of pledges – and for more action – by publishing the second edition of the “GCR indicator report” ahead of GRF 2023. The report highlighted examples of sustained progress across the four GCR objectives, including supporting refugee-hosting countries with lower incomes and increasing refugees' access to education, economic inclusion, resettlement, and complementary pathways. However, while burden- and responsibility-sharing for hosting refugees has slightly improved since 2016, it remains highly inequitable. The report highlighted that accelerated action and scaled-up efforts were needed, with a broader support base.  

While more still needs to be done to achieve the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees, GRF 2023 provided a concrete pathway and fresh momentum towards additional self-reliance, inclusion, and solutions in support of the forcibly displaced and those generously hosting them.