2024 UNHCR Online Consultations with NGOs

NGOs (including organizations led by forcibly displaced and stateless persons, faith-based organizations, and other civil-society organizations) who wish to attend and contribute to the online consultations should meet at least one of the following criteria:

• be a partner of UNHCR in 2023/2024
• be an operational partner of UNHCR
• have experience working on topics discussed in the consultations
• have consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with a demonstrated interest in the solution to the problem of refugees, internally displaced persons and/or statelessness and/or in the themes of the consultations.

Other actors (e.g., academia representatives, sports associations, etc.) may be allowed to join as observers depending on the topic of the consultation.

21 February 2024

The Dialogue with NGOs brought together some 130 participants and focused on the UNHCR Strategic Plan for Climate Action. The session was opened by the Special Advisor on Climate Action, who set the scene for the upcoming launch of the Strategic Plan, noting the disproportionate effect of climate change on forcibly displaced persons and the ongoing global-level discussions on climate action and climate financing. This was followed by a deep dive into the Strategic Plan, highlighting strategic partnerships and collaboration with NGOs and the Protection-Centered Climate Action Principles, including the centrality of protection, climate-smart/risk informed programming, and environmental sustainability.

The session concluded with a Q&A where participants asked for clarification on protection in the context of climate action and measuring the impact of climate-smart and environmentally friendly programming. Participants also brought attention to the value of local knowledge in global-level discussion forums, nexus programming and development partnerships, recommending UNHCR to maintain a key role in support of local preparedness, resilience and adaptation plans, and capacity strengthening.

Speakers

• Mr Andrew Harper, Special Advisor on Climate Action to the High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR
• Ms Francesca Coloni, Chief of Technical Support Section, Division of Resilience and Solutions, UNHCR
• Ms Emmi Antinoja, Senior Strategic Planning Officer, Division of Strategic Planning and Results, UNHCR

22 February 2024

This event was organized in collaboration with the Evaluation Service to introduce to partners the forthcoming evaluation on UNHCR's Regionalization and Decentralization (D&R). The evaluation is designed to independently assess the appropriateness, coherence, and effectiveness of the reforms initiated to establish a more agile and devolved organization, empowering operations to provide more effective protection to forcibly displaced and stateless persons. It will cover the period from 2020 to 2023.

The UNHCR evaluation team and the independent consultant firm provided an overview of the UNHCR's D&R process, emphasizing its purpose, background, and the external factors influencing the reform. They explained the focus on decentralization, accountability, and changes in working systems, procedures, and culture. On the planned evaluation, the team presented the analytical framework focusing on the array of stakeholders that will be engaged during the evaluation. The team configuration was also discussed, highlighting geographical diversity and subject matter expertise.

The evaluation team addressed questions and comments on the process and the reform. Partnerships were a crucial aspect of the discussion and gathered interest from participants, with questions and comments raised with regards to their importance, impact on UNHCR's local and regional engagement. Transparency, inclusion of refugee-led organizations, and online data collection were suggested as additional means for evaluation. Evaluating long-serving staff and refugees' involvement in the process were recommended. It was also recommended to organize a follow-up briefing at the end of the evaluation to present its findings.

27 February 2024

This session, co-organized with ICVA, InterAction, and IOM, focused on the content and development of the Mixed Movements Toolkit. The toolkit aims to address challenges in mixed movement flows through practical guidance and the presentation of promising practices. The design process involved consultation, data collection, and the establishment of a technical working group, with a target completion date in September 2024.

The second part of the online consultation gave space to NGO to give their perspectives on mixed movements, focusing on risks of people on the move, challenges to partners, and promising practices. NGO speakers highlighted various serious protection risks for people, including, extortion, sexual violence, trafficking, and abuse, and challenges faced including lack of access to information, psychological challenges, discrimination, and fear of arrest. NGOs working in this field have challenges with accessing the population, data and information management, and cross-border case management. Of particular note, NGOs highlighted policy gaps, such as rapidly changing migration policies, inconsistent legal frameworks, and legal barriers to accessing territories, as well as the lack of humanitarian leadership and coordination, with mandate overlaps and varying perceptions, as barriers to operational delivery. Recommendations emerging from the session indicated the need for inclusive area-based and route-based approaches, the design of agile responses and the use of data and information for evidence-based programming and monitoring mechanisms to track and document cases.

Speakers

• Ms Sashini Gomez, IOM
• Ms Erin Weir, InterAction
• Mr Jamie Munn, ICVA
• Ms Cristina Garcia, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
• Ms Aurélia Donnard, Mixed Migration Centre
• Mr Jacopo Giorgi, UNHCR
• Mr Samuel Boutruche, UNHCR
• Ms Jane Mogeni, International Rescue Committee
• Ms Claudette Walls, Consultant UNHCR-IOM Toolkit
• Ms Maria Dapena, Consultant UNHCR-IOM Toolkit