UNHCR convenes dialogue on global compact on refugees

The High Commissioner’s 10th Dialogue on Protection Challenges will take place in Geneva next week on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 December at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

This year’s forum will ‘take stock’ of progress to date in the development of a global compact on refugees, which UNHCR was asked to develop by the UN General Assembly in last year’s New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants.

The Dialogue will focus on the outcomes of the five thematic discussions held between July and November 2017, key lessons learned and good practices in the application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), together with experiences from other large-scale situations.

Some 500 representatives from governments, local authorities, civil society, private sector, academics, international organizations and financial institutions, and refugee youth delegates from around the world are expected to attend next week’s talks.

The global compact on refugees will build on the existing international framework for refugee protection, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, and aims to more equitably share responsibility for hosting the world’s refugees and help them rebuild their lives.

It will set out concrete steps to be taken by governments and others to ensure communities hosting refugees get the timely support they need, that refugees are better included in host communities (with access to health, education, livelihoods), and that solutions to the plight of refugees are sought from the start of a refugee situation.

UNHCR will begin formal consultations on the compact with governments and other stakeholders in February 2018. The High Commissioner will propose a compact to the UN General Assembly towards the end of 2018.

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To Editors and Reporters:

The following sessions of the Dialogue, taking place in Room XXVII, will be open to accredited Geneva Palais media representatives and livestreamed at www.unhcr.org/hc-dialogue2017

12 December 2017

09:30-12:30 Opening plenary session, including introductory remarks by High Commissioner Filippo Grandi and a high-level panel of representatives of refugee hosting states, donors, civil society, the private sector and a refugee youth delegate.

13:00-14:45 Special session on lessons learned and good practices in applying the comprehensive refugee response framework (CRRF), with a presentation by UNHCR.

13 December 2017

15:00-18:00 Closing Plenary, including summary of thematic sessions and closing remarks by High Commissioner Grandi.

Further details and background information about the Dialogue and the global compact on refugees.

Media contact:

• Ariane Rummery, [email protected], +41 79 200 7617