Galina Martinenko (L), a refugee cook from Ukraine, and Isidora Antoniou (R), manager of Myrtillo café in Athens, Greece, are preparing for the Cooking With Refugees event that will be hosted at Myrtillo on World Refugee Day. During the event, Galina's famous pirozhki filled with minced meat and potato, which bring love to those who try them, as she says, will meet Isidora's handmade Greek pastries. © UNHCR/Socrates Baltagiannis |
|
Dear colleagues and partners,
Next month will mark the 74th anniversary of the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a monumental act of international solidarity initiated by 145 States, which established the rights of refugees and the responsibility of countries to protect them.
World Refugee Day is the annual commemoration of this fundamental moment, an occasion for people around the world to honour refugees, to celebrate their strength and to recognize the remarkable contributions they make to the communities that welcome them, when their rights are upheld, and their voices are heard.
We have seen over the decades that the responsibilities set out in the Refugee Convention cannot be met by any one actor alone. The only way we can ensure the rights of forcibly displaced people and build the sort of world we all want to live in is through whole-of-society responses. This is a core principle of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). A recent global survey from Ipsos has revealed that, overall, two-thirds of the public across 29 countries (67 per cent) continue to support the principle of offering refuge to those in need of protection, with support outweighing opposition across all countries.
Today, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Mayors Migration Council (MMC) are launching the Local Coalition for Migrants and Refugees, demonstrating cities’ solidarity with refugees around the world. This global partnership brings together city networks and UN agencies and will work to build more coordinated, effective responses, providing global support and localized solutions for a shared future.
The news stories below have more highlights from the work of our stakeholders, including updates from stocktaking events.
This World Refugee Day, we encourage all of you to recommit to your extraordinary displays of solidarity, to continue implementing your pledges and sharing stories of your progress.
The Global Compact on Refugees Coordination Team
|
|
Armenia's ambitious pledges — rooted in the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) — are steadily being translated into reality, with tangible support from the European Union (EU) and UNHCR.
Read more →
|
|
Making safe pathways available to refugees saves lives. Opening up safe pathways is not only a win for refugees but also for the countries that welcome them, and all parties involved – employers, communities, academia and others.
Read more →
|
|
The third regional Dialogue on Local Solutions Towards Peaceful Coexistence, focusing on the Americas, was hosted in Costa Rica in April 2025 by the University of Peace and UNHCR, with the support of the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance.
Read more →
|
|
The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) brought together parliamentarians and humanitarian actors from around the world to address pressing global issues, with a focus this year on social development and justice.
Read more →
|
|
Good practices from refugee-led organizations
|
|
Empowering Refugees with skills and abilities as well as providing them with access to resources and services.
Read more →
|
|
Pro bono health education/screening sessions with support of local translators and leaders within the refugee communities.
Find out more →
|
|
Through producing a film, this project aims to reduce trauma, build life skills, and improve talent in others while providing livelihood support to them and their families.
Read more →
|
|
Support for refugees in the process of integration and social inclusion into local society, in collaboration with other local stakeholders involved in this area.
Read more →
|
|
Inspire & contribute: share your Good Practice
We share good practices from GCR stakeholders in each of our newsletters. If you would like to have the chance to see your work featured here, you may be interested in sharing a good practice. |
|
|
|
|
