RefugePoint’s Leadership Role at the Global Refugee Forum

By Ali Pappavaselio, RefugePoint

For media inquiries, please contact Alexis Felder at felder@refugepoint.org. 

The Global Refugee Forum (GRF), a quadrennial event taking place from December 13-15 of this year, is the main venue to drive and review progress towards the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees, which include: 

• Easing pressures on host countries
• Strengthening refugee self-reliance*
• Increasing access to third-country solutions such as resettlement, family reunification, labor, mobility, and other pathways*
• Supporting conditions in countries of origin that allow refugees to return home safely 

RefugePoint is playing a leadership role in four multistakeholder pledges relating to two of these objectives: refugee self-reliance and third-country solutions (starred above). Additionally, RefugePoint leadership will be speaking in several official events at the GRF as well as formally announcing the multistakeholder pledges on family reunification and on economic inclusion and social protection, an honor reserved for the leaders in each of these areas.

Why is RefugePoint So Heavily Involved in the Global Refugee Forum? 

The goals of the Global Refugee Forum align with RefugePoint’s strong agency-wide commitment to systems change. RefugePoint is leading the development of several multistakeholder pledges that are aligned with our programmatic priorities. Our engagement and investment in global initiatives such as the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative and the Global Family Reunification Network position us well  to provide leadership and convene others to take collective action on these themes. 

RefugePoint’s commitment to refugee-centeredness has informed much of our involvement in the 2023 GRF. RefugePoint and the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative are proud to  have refugees and former refugees join our delegations to the GRF, and we are also supporting these colleagues as they have assumed prominent roles at the GRF. 

See below for a comprehensive list of RefugePoint’s involvement in the events of the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.

Refugee Self-Reliance

Multistakeholder Pledge Leadership: The Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, hosted by RefugePoint, is the lead coordinator in the Multistakeholder pledge on economic inclusion and social protection, in collaboration with the governments of Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, and United States of America, as well as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa. 

In Plenary: Kari Diener, Executive Director of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, will be announcing the pledge in the plenary session. 

Parallel High-Level Events: The Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, and through it RefugePoint, is also helping to plan two high-level side events relating to refugee self-reliance: one on employment and entrepreneurship  for refugees and another on social protection for refugees.  The event on economic inclusion will be moderated by RefugePoint Board Member and U.S. Enterprise Executive Director of Alight, Nasra Ismail.

Third-Country Solutions

Resettlement

• Multistakeholder Pledge Leadership: RefugePoint co-chairs the Friends of Resettlement Initiative (along with the Government of Australia and UNHCR), which has been responsible for developing the Multistakeholder pledge on resettlement. 

• Parallel High-Level Event: RefugePoint CEO Sasha Chanoff will be speaking at the Parallel High-Level Event on Resettlement, an event RefugePoint has helped to plan.

Family Reunification

• Multistakeholder Pledge Leadership: RefugePoint is a member and advisor to the Global Family Reunification Network (FRUN), which leads the Multistakeholder pledge supporting refugee family reunification. 

• In Plenary: RefugePoint CEO Sasha Chanoff will be formally announcing the Multistakeholder Pledge on Family Reunification in the plenary session. 

• Speakers Corner: RefugePoint delegate Geeta Rahimi will be delivering remarks in a Speakers Corner focusing on Family Reunification. Geeta is a resettlement professional in the U.S. and the Refugee Congress Delegate for the state of Texas. She will be speaking about her experience of family separation and reunification and noting best practices and recommendations.

• Linked Event: In coordination with the FRUN, RefugePoint will be co-hosting an evening reception on family reunification at the Red Cross Museum. The program will feature refugee leaders and senior representatives from UNHCR and the Red Cross and will be an opportunity to highlight some of the contributors to the multistakeholder pledge on family reunification.

Labor Mobility

• Multistakeholder Pledge Leadership: RefugePoint is a member of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labor Mobility, which co-leads the Multistakeholder pledge on skills-based complementary pathways.
• Parallel High-Level Event: RefugePoint CEO Sasha Chanoff and RefugePoint Board Member Nasra Ismail will speak at a High Level Side Event on Refugee Labor Mobility. 
• Linked Event: Both Sasha and Nasra will reprise their roles at a high-level evening reception featuring speakers from the whole society, including UN organizations and corporate leaders. Both events work toward RefugePoint’s goal of demonstrating a refugee-centered model for labor mobility for the world and for our partners.