Dear colleagues and partners,
The news cycle of the last few weeks is a troubling reflection of the tensions and challenges facing the world, with more violence breaking out accompanied by the evermore persistent catastrophic impacts of climate change.
In the midst of so much uncertainty, the Pact for the Future, adopted on 22 September at the Summit of the Future and designed to “adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow”, is all the more noteworthy. The ambitious Pact seeks to better enable the international community to meet their existing obligations in an ever-changing world, and places a particular emphasis on human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development.
Ahead of the Pact’s adoption, the Governments of Canada and Colombia co-sponsored a side-event, organised by UNHCR. The event was designed to demonstrate the mutual reinforcement of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Pact for the Future and highlighted some of the key multi-stakeholder pledges launched at the Global Refugee Forum 2023, which are working to advance specific actions in the Pact.
Monicah Malith, a DAFI Scholar, President of the University of Nairobi Students Association, and youth representative who also spoke at the Summit of the Future opening ceremony, addressed the side-event. She emphasised how education “provides more than just knowledge. It is the pathway to self-reliance, stability, and hope for the future, where we contribute to both our host communities and our countries of origin.”
Ms. Malith's calls echoed those made earlier this month by Nour Mussa, a refugee and teacher, who spoke at the Tenth Inter-Parliamentary Union Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. Mr. Mussa said, “We must build educational frameworks that are inclusive and nurturing, offering a path out of displacement and toward a future filled with promise,” sentiments reflected in both the GCR and Pact for the Future. There is still so much to be done in this area, but a recent UNHCR report highlights the achievements that have been made through the Global Refugee Forum, and the challenges still to be faced in education.
The Pact seeks to address these issues, including by Action 15 – on humanitarian action - and Action 6 – on ending poverty – which commits States to “Promote universal health coverage, increase access to quality, inclusive education and lifelong learning, including in emergencies, and improve opportunities for decent work for all, universal access to social protection to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities”.
Working to find innovative solutions to help refugees integrate through employment is a major undertaking by IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, the Inter IKEA Group and the Ingka Group, all contributors to the economic inclusion pledge. They recently celebrated their renewed commitment to working with refugees with a video about the benefits these programmes bring to their businesses and calling on other companies to join them.
In her address, Ms. Malith reminded us of the importance of inclusive approaches, ensuring refugees, and in particular refugee youth, can participate at all levels of decision-making processes and contribute to society. “This is not just about education or employment. It is about recognising the leadership and potential of young refugees as agents of change in their own right.”
While we are looking ahead, recognizing the need to include youth when making plans for the future, it is worth remembering that we have a responsibility to draw from the past. Not only to learn the lessons of history, but to remember the guiding principles, beliefs and commitments we have made. Seventy three years ago, the 1951 Refugee Convention formed the cornerstone of refugee protection. For the last six years, it has been complemented by the Global Compact on Refugees, as recently highlighted by UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. Now, the Pact for the Future brings further global affirmation of these principles, while tackling the wider range of challenges we face.
By advancing our shared commitment to these frameworks, we can ensure that forcibly displaced people are a global priority, while adapting to the evolving challenges of today and tomorrow.
The Global Compact on Refugees Coordination Team
PS: in case you missed it, the third quarterly informal briefing on the GCR was held at the beginning of September. The theme was inclusion and self-reliance, and included powerful speeches from, among others, the French Ambassador and multi-stakeholder pledge leads. Watch the recording. |
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Almost 75 years since the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention laid the legal foundations for refugee protection, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection reflects on how the Global Compact on Refugees is breathing new life into vital, but too often ignored, legislation.
Find out more →
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Nour Mussa, a Sudanese refugee turned educator, delivered an account of his journey from displacement to empowerment through education at the Tenth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.
Read the article →
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As one of the co-convenors of the Global Refugee Forum 2023, Uganda played a pivotal role in making the Forum a success. Here, we take a look at some of the work the Government of Uganda did in preparation.
Find out more →
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Building on the momentum of the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) held in 2023, UNHCR organized a virtual side event at the Summit of the Future, co-sponsored by the Governments of Canada and Colombia to demonstrate the mutual reinforcement of the Pact for the Future and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).
Watch the recording →
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IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, the Inter IKEA Group and the Ingka Group have been working with refugees to help those forced to flee integrate into their new communities via employment. As the companies renew their commitments, their leaders call on other private sector businesses to join them.
Watch the video →
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Equipping participants and health professionals on how to be aware of refugee and migrant's situations when visiting health care services during health education sessions
Read more →
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Promoting equal access to public services through useful information about qualified interpreters available in different languages.
Find out more →
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Focus on refugee targeting and advocating with the Government of Mauritania for refugee inclusion in national social protection programmes.
Read more →
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A multi-annual humanitarian-development partnership to help transform how host governments and other stakeholders respond to situations of forced displacement.
Read more →
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From our stakeholders...
Here are just a few of the great resources we have seen recently:
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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 on the theme of solutions for our December newsletter. |
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