Online Desk: Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the largest international conference on refugee issues, will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 13-15.

It will seek to focus the international discussion on solutions rather than crises, said the UN refugee agency,  UNHCR.

Co-hosted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Government of Switzerland, the forum has been co-convened by Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan and Uganda.

It aims to focus a range of actors on finding solutions to the plight of refugees, and to support the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees as affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018.

Participants – including states, the private sector, international financial institutions, UN agencies, humanitarian and development organizations, cities and local authorities, NGOs, refugee-led organizations, faith groups and others – will take stock of the progress made since the first GRF in 2019 and make concrete pledges and contributions to improve the lives of 36.4 million refugees around the world.

Contributions to the GRF can take many forms: financial, material or technical assistance, including places for resettlement and other paths to admission to third countries, enabling better resourced countries to share the responsibility for refugees; as well as measures to support host communities, prevent conflict and build peace. Organizations can pledge alone or combine efforts in groups.

Some of the world’s leading companies, foundations and philanthropists will be represented at the GRF, emphasizing the important and multifaceted role of the private sector in supporting refugees.

These actors are already making a key contribution to life-saving assistance and sustainable solutions. Private sector contributions include direct support to refugee and host community entrepreneurs as well as refugee-led organizations; the provision of jobs and skilling opportunities; pro bono legal and consulting services, such as financial services, clean energy and digital learning solutions.

During the GRF, 32 UN organizations and 49 UN Country Teams will sign up to a “UN Common Pledge 2.0”, committing to support refugee-hosting countries with the inclusion of refugees in national plans, budgets and service delivery systems – such as education, health, water and sanitation, housing and social protection; as well as access to decent work.

Including refugees on the same basis as nationals is essential – at least until they can return safely home.

It is also a cost-effective solution to transition away from humanitarian assistance, particularly in protracted situations, while enhancing refugee self-reliance and resilience.

US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Julieta Valls Noyes will travel to Geneva, Switzerland December 12-15, 2023.

In Geneva, Assistant Secretary Noyes will join the U.S. delegation at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the largest international gathering on refugees, held every four years.

At the GRF, the Assistant Secretary will participate in high-level meetings with senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organization partners, on topics including refugee employment and entrepreneurship, private sector engagement, and solutions for Rohingya refugees.

She will chair a high-level event on the MIRPS Support Platform, a donor coordination and awareness-raising forum to foster regional solutions to forced displacement, bolstering efforts by governments in Central America and Mexico.

The Assistant Secretary will chair a Senior Officials’ meeting of the Resettlement Diplomacy Network, a multilateral initiative launched by the United States in 2022 to drive strategic diplomatic engagement on global refugee resettlement and protection.

US Assistant Secretary Noyes will participate in a U.S.-hosted dinner with the World Economic Forum calling on humanitarian and development organizations, donors, development finance institutions, foundations, investors, and others to mobilize $10 billion in capital to establish or grow 1,000 businesses in fragile or frontier markets by 2030.