The Global Refugee Forum takes place in Geneva from 13 to 15 December 2023
The Global Refugee Forum, the world’s largest gathering on refugees, opened yesterday in Geneva. It is a moment of unity and action. A moment to demonstrate our collective will to find solutions to the challenges posed by record levels of forced displacement.
According to UNHCR’s latest estimates, there are 36 million refugees worldwide – 50% of whom are children. And every refugee is a symptom of our collective failure to ensure peace and security.
Rising to the many challenges of forced displacement requires a recognition of the mutual benefits of collective action and sharing responsibility. Countries that are hosting large numbers of refugees, often for protracted periods, are providing a global public service. They deserve international solidarity to maintain this action.
At the Global Refugee Forum, from December 13-15, states, businesses, charities, NGOs, grassroots organisations, universities, faith groups and students – in alliance with, and guided by, refugees themselves – are all invited to make transformational pledges and contributions to help refugees and the countries hosting them.
These could be in the form of financial, material, or technical assistance; places for resettlement and other forms of admission to third countries; measures to address the causes of and prevent conflict, and build peace in countries of origin and, increasingly, of asylum; and other actions such as policies and practices to promote refugee inclusion and protection; investment in and development of new initiatives, or research into refugee-related topics.
Greece can take pride in being among the first countries that committed to protect refugee children. The country has pledged to uphold and strengthen the National Emergency Response Mechanism for the protection of unaccompanied children, a best practice which should be known and adopted by many other countries in Europe and beyond. In addition, four Greek municipalities – Athens, Heraklion, Larissa and Ioannina – have pledged to ramp up their initiatives to facilitate the integration of refugees and increase access to opportunities for self-reliance.
Why do we do this? So that all refugee children can feel safe;; so that refugees can be included in national systems and contribute to host economies, a net gain for all; so that they can move to and contribute to new societies through labour mobility schemes; so that countries that so generously host refugees are supported in their endeavours, and so that refugees, a symptom of conflict, can also be agents of peace and development.
We are also coming together to put our focus on long-standing refugee situations such as those of Afghans, Rohingya, Central Americans, Somalis, South Sudanese and Central Africans, and to offer innovative solutions under often difficult and imperfect circumstances.
Refugees don’t want handouts, and they don’t want to be a “burden”; they want opportunities, the chance to build their own futures. The Global Refugee Forum is a golden opportunity to provide the large-scale support they need to achieve this, and thus become agents of development for the countries that host them.
*This is a translation of an op-ed hosted in Greek at the newspaper TA NEA on 14 December 2023
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