Live blog: Global Refugee Forum 2023 – Day 3

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi celebrated the cooperative spirit on display throughout the Forum to deliver solutions for refugees, despite the “divided and disordered” state of the world.  

“Against this very challenging backdrop, the easy thing would have been for you to retreat and step back from international commitments,” Grandi said. “But you did not. Instead, you came in full force and spent three days here exemplifying determined unity!” 

The High Commissioner said he had been inspired to see so many actors committing action, funding and other forms of assistance as part of more than 1,600 pledges for refugees and their hosts. “Seeing you stand together, pledging together, delivering results together, was not just impressive, but emotional.” 
 
Grandi reserved special thanks for the more than 300 refugee delegates who attended and participated in the Forum throughout the three days.  

“Your articulate interventions reminded us what you’ve experienced and gone through, forced us to confront what refugees need, but also – and most importantly – allowed us to be inspired by what you bring,” he said. “And what I heard was that, yes, humanitarian assistance is imperative if we are to help, but what you really crave is opportunity. To be included."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates that the Global Refugee Forum was “helping to stem the tide of misery”, providing “a bright burst of light in what has been a dark and troubling year.” 

The Secretary-General said the responsibility for helping refugees should not fall disproportionately on a few countries – mostly in the global south – based solely on their geographic location, but is an obligation shared by all of humanity. 

“This year’s pledges and commitments breathe life into the great promise of the Global Compact on Refugees not only to support refugees, but to ease pressure on host countries and tackle the systemic issues that cause people to flee in the first place,” Guterres said. 

“Resettlement is not just moving physically from one space to another, but gives people the opportunity for a dignified life, education, labour, equality,” said Shaza Alrihawi, co-founder of the Global Refugee-led Network (GRN) and the Global Independent Refugee Women Leaders (GIRWL), describing what being resettled can mean for refugees. 

Resettlement can be life-changing for individual refugees, but it is also an important way for States to show solidarity with countries hosting large refugee situations.  

“Türkiye has shared a significant burden for a long time. The earthquake further exacerbated this pressure. Expanded resettlement places and diversified pathways are crucial,” said Senol Uzun, Head of Türkiye’s Resettlement and Voluntary Repatriation Department. 

Earlier today, states pledged to resettle 1 million refugees by 2030, while governments and charitable foundations launched a pledge backed by a new global sponsorship fund to help a further 3 million refugees access third countries through community sponsorship schemes. 

Since fighting broke out in Sudan on 15 April, over 7 million people have been displaced inside Sudan and across the region, with huge impacts for neighbouring countries such as Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. This session focused on the vital role that development actors have a to play in ensuring refugees and host communities have access to essential services such as health and education, as well as economic opportunities that can make them less reliant on humanitarian aid. 

“The social and economic consequences of the conflict are catastrophic,” said Dr. Yero Baldeh of the African Development Bank. “Our experience shows us that we can continue to stay engaged when we join forces across humanitarian, development and peacebuilding partners.”  

Both Dr Baldeh and Abdi Abdullahi from the Islamic Development Bank said they would continue investing in the resilience of communities.  

“Our commitment goes beyond financial support and also aims to build lasting hope to ignite a beacon of hope for the future,” said Abdullahi.  

Every speaker at the event stressed that what Sudan needs above all else, is peace. 

While over half the world’s population of forcibly displaced people now live in cities, nearly 20 per cent still live in camps or camp-like environments. But there is an alternative – climate-resilient, sustainable human settlements where refugees and host community members live alongside one another.  

“Today, more and more refugees are in communities,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, as he opened an event aimed at expanding support for this approach. “There are countries which have decided to move from encampment to a settlement approach that is more integrated in the hosting community, which is life-changing for people.” 

He described the traditional camp model as unsustainable over time, he pointed to approaches adopted by Ethiopia and Kenya which earlier this year announced its Shirika Plan. The Plan aims to turn the Kakuma and Dadaab camps into integrated settlements over the next few years, with support from donor countries.  

“The Shirika Plan will harness the potential that refuges come with,” said Ambassador Professor Julius Bitok, Principal Secretary from Kenya’s State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services. “Rather than confining refugees, we create opportunities [for them] to participate in local economies...we empower displaced individuals to build their lives once again.” 

“Cities are dealers of hope!” said Sanya Wilson, Mayor of the northern Ugandan town of Koboko, at a session today where mayors from cities around the world shared their experiences of welcoming and supporting refugees and of how they have gained support by partnering with national authorities, UN agencies and the private sector.  

“Koboko’s ability to receive direct funding from the EU was transformational and allowed my city to accomplish in two years what otherwise would have taken 40 … It is really all about inclusiveness. It is very simple and can be replicated anywhere,” said Wilson. 

Most refugees end up in cities rather than camps, meaning that mayors and local authorities have a critical role to play in refugee responses, and in achieving the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees. From providing emergency housing to connecting refugees to jobs, many cities have risen to the challenge but need more support to cope with the pressures created by a sudden influx of people. 

“San Antonio, like every city at this event, is doing a lot, but we cannot do it alone,” said Ron Nirenberg Mayor of San Antonio in the United States. “To the global group of countries, foundations, and business leaders listening here – join us, support us, and invest in us. When refugee inclusion works in cities, refugee inclusion works nationally.” 

Refugees and migrants living in Geneva teamed up with refugees from around the world attending the GRF, bringing a global dimension to an evening of “Sports Without Borders” at the International School of Geneva’s Nations campus.

Points were scored and friendships formed during matches of basketball, volleyball and futsal, organized by Association Pervenches and Flag21, two Geneva-based associations that train refugee coaches and put on sporting activities for refugees and migrants living in the Swiss city.  

More than 1 million Rohingya refugees are living in the Asia and Pacific region, mostly in densely populated refugee settlements in Bangladesh. But funding to provide them with humanitarian assistance is dwindling amidst competing global priorities, even as they lack possibilities to support themselves or plan for the future. This year, desperate Rohingya children, women and men have also been taking dangerous boat journeys.  

“With newer crises evolving around globe, the Rohingya should not be forgotten” said Masud Bin Momen, the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh at an event on Thursday evening aimed at easing pressure on major host countries like Bangladesh and helping Rohingya refugees become more resilient. “The basic needs of the Rohingya should be met by the international community until they return to a better and safer future in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.” 

Governments, private sector actors and civil society groups pledged to provide ongoing support for the humanitarian response as well as to support skills development and opportunities for third-country solutions. 

During a high-level side event on burden- and responsibility-sharing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on Thursday, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou commended Jordan and Lebanon’s “remarkable hosting of refugee communities” including large numbers of Syrian refugees, who make up the largest share of the 15.6 million refugees hosted across the region.

Government representatives from both countries described their respective efforts to include refugees in their national systems, but also set out the pressing challenges they face.

“In Jordan, we are way above capacity. We have done everything we possibly can to provide refugees with a dignified life,” said H.E. Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan. “But the challenge is mounting and given the economic challenges we’re facing as a country, we don’t want to come to a point where we have to choose whether we give the last remaining seat in a classroom to a Syrian or a Jordanian.”

“We have to all come together to share the burden because we invest in the right for people to live with dignity, with opportunity,” the minister concluded.

Significant financial pledges were announced during the session, including Qatar Charity, which pledged $105 million to support more than 1 million forcibly displaced people around the globe. The Big Heart Foundation, based in the United Arab Emirates, pledged $5 million to support refugees across the MENA region in areas such as health care, shelter and water and sanitation.

Here are the expected highlights for the final day (all times in CET):

• Morning plenary session (10:00-13:00) – discussions on burden- and responsibility-sharing and a final round of multi-stakeholder pledge announcements (follow on the live stream)
• High-level events (11:00-12:30) – topics include resettlement, cities and urban policy, climate action and support for refugees in East Africa.
• High-level events (cont. 13:00-14:30) – topics include sustainable human settlements and statelessness.
• High-level events (cont. 15:00-16:30) – topics include the Sudan crisis, advancing localization and combating misinformation and hate speech.
• Closing plenary session (15:00-18:00) – further discussions on burden- and responsibility-sharing and closing statements from the co-convenors, UN Secretary-General (via video link), and co-hosts (live streamed).

You can view the full programme here.