RefugePoint Joins the Leadership of a Global Partnership to Advance Meaningful Refugee Participation

The people most affected by decisions should have a meaningful role in making them. This simple principle has increasingly shaped the way we at RefugePoint think about our work. For refugees, this principle is often expressed as, “Nothing about us without us.” It is a reminder that refugees are not only recipients of humanitarian assistance. They are leaders, experts, partners, and decision-makers whose perspectives strengthen programs, policies, and institutions.

We are honored that RefugePoint has been selected to join the co-leadership of the Multi-Stakeholder Pledge on Meaningful Refugee Participation (MRP). This global partnership includes more than 100 signatories, including governments, refugee-led organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other partners working to advance meaningful refugee participation (MRP) across refugee response. 

As one of five co-leads, RefugePoint will work alongside the other pledge leaders to help guide the pledge’s collective efforts in the lead-up to the 2027 Global Refugee Forum and beyond. This will include working with the other co-leads and pledge signatories to create spaces for shared learning, strengthen accountability around pledge commitments, and identify opportunities to advance meaningful refugee participation across Global Refugee Forum processes and the wider refugee response. It will also mean helping to bring together the experiences and learning of different stakeholders as the partnership considers both the progress made and where further action is needed.

The MRP Pledge reflects a broader effort to move refugee participation beyond consultation or representation alone and toward sustained and meaningful influence in the decisions that affect refugees’ lives. The Pledge calls for refugees to participate meaningfully at local, national, and international levels, including in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs. It also recognizes that meaningful participation requires the conditions and resources that enable refugees and refugee-led organizations to engage equitably and sustainably. Equally important is accountability for how these commitments are implemented, including whether refugee participation genuinely influences decisions and how that influence is communicated and demonstrated. Accordingly, progress under the Pledge is assessed across three interconnected areas: 

1. Inclusive decision-making
2. Sustainable funding and resources
3. Accountability

As we look  toward the 2027 Global Refugee Forum, the Pledge provides an important platform to take stock of progress (Progress Report December 2025), learn from different approaches, and encourage more consistent action across the sector. 

For RefugePoint, our newly formalized co-leadership role is an opportunity to accelerate progress on the work we have been doing over years to center and elevate refugee voices and perspectives in the humanitarian sector. Across the organization, teams have been reflecting on how refugee perspectives are incorporated into program design, implementation, monitoring, learning, and organizational decision-making. We have worked with colleagues across different technical areas to map where meaningful refugee participation is already happening, identify opportunities to strengthen refugee-centered programming, and support more intentional approaches to accountability and partnership. This work has not been about creating a single model or checklist, but about fostering a culture of continual learning and asking how we can support the move from participation toward genuine influence. Joining the MRP co-leadership feels like a natural extension of that journey and an opportunity to continue learning alongside others.

As RefugePoint joins this collective leadership, we do so with humility and a commitment to learning alongside others. Advancing this agenda requires organizations to share what works, openly discuss challenges, and continue improving. We hope to contribute practical lessons from our own work in refugee-centered programming while also learning from the experiences of refugee leaders, governments, UN agencies, and other partners around the world. 

Supporting RefugePoint’s work on refugee leadership and refugee-centered programming has been especially meaningful to me. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work alongside different colleagues across the humanitarian sector who are deeply committed to making participation more than a principle on paper. Time and again, I have seen how programs become stronger when refugees are trusted as partners in shaping them. Being part of RefugePoint’s journey toward this co-leadership role has reinforced my belief that meaningful refugee participation is an ongoing practice of listening, sharing power, learning, and continually asking how decisions can be made with refugees rather than for refugees.

I am excited for what lies ahead. Not only for RefugePoint, but for the wider partnership of organizations working together to ensure that refugee leadership continues to shape the future of the global refugee response.

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