The first Global Refugee Forum took place on 16 (Advance Session), 17 and 18 December 2019 (High-Level Session) in Geneva, Switzerland. The aim of the Global Refugee Forum was to follow up on the practical implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees, affirmed at the UN in New York in December 2018.
The Global Refugee Forum focused on the following areas: arrangements for burden and responsibility-sharing, education, jobs and livelihoods, energy and infrastructure, solutions, and protection capacity.
The Global Refugee Forum is a critical opportunity to build momentum towards achieving the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees and strengthen our collective response to refugee situations.
At the Global Refugee Forum, States, the private sector, international institutions and organisations, the non-governmental sector and civil society had an opportunity to announce concrete pledges and contributions to bring the goals of the Compact to life. Contributions may take the form of financial, material, and technical assistance; resettlement places and complementary pathways for admission to third countries; as well as other actions that States and other stakeholders have elected to take. Contributions can be made either individually or jointly with other actors.
The Global Refugee Forum served as a space to share good practices, experiences, and lessons learned identified with respect to specific country or regional situations, as well as on a global level. The exchange of good practices will support the international community in developing forward-looking and impactful contributions that will transform the lives of refugees and their host communities.