Frequently asked questions

The four Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) objectives are: (i) ease the pressures on host countries; (ii) enhance refugee self-reliance; (iii) expand access to third-country solutions; and (iv) support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

The Global Refugee Forum (GRF) is an opportunity, held once every four years, to facilitate the announcement of concrete pledges and contributions, take stock of progress, and consider learnings and opportunities, challenges, and ways in which burden and responsibility sharing in support of the four objectives of the GCR can be enhanced.

Pledging refers to the commitments made by different entities, such as governments, organizations, or private donors, to support and address the challenges related to refugees. These commitments can include financial, material, and technical assistance, resettlement places, complementary pathways for admission to third countries, and other actions aligned with the GCR objectives. The pledging process aims to secure concrete commitments from stakeholders to fulfill the objectives of the GCR and support refugees. A number of multi-stakeholder pledges are currently under development. Learn more about multistakeholder pledges on the GCR digital platform.

Stocktaking involves assessing and evaluating the progress made towards the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). It provides an opportunity for stakeholders to review the implementation of pledges and initiatives made since the previous GRF in 2019. During stocktaking, stakeholders identify gaps, challenges, and areas where further action is needed to address the refugee crisis effectively. A key element of stocktaking is the biennial GCR indicator report providing the evidence base needed to assess progress. The 2023 GCR indicator report will be launched on 17 November.

Learning is done through sharing and disseminating good practices and experiences that have effectively contributed to the objectives of the GCR. Through learning and sharing good practices, stakeholders can identify effective strategies, innovative solutions, and successful programmes that can be replicated and scaled up to further support refugees and host communities. Learning from each other's experiences allows stakeholders to enhance their approaches and responses to refugee situations.

More information on the Global Refugee Forum 2023 can be found in the roadmap and concept note.

The GRF 2023 will be convened for invited participants at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland from 13 to 15 December 2023, with linked events held in other locations from 11 December 2023 onwards. 

The Forum is an in-person ministerial event convened for all United Nations Member States together with relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, humanitarian and development actors; international and regional financial institutions; regional organizations; local authorities; civil society, including faith-based organizations; academics and other experts; the private sector; media; host community members, and refugees themselves. Attendance is by invitation only, but the plenary sessions will be livestreamed for those who wish to follow the event online.

Attendance is by invitation only. A livestream of the plenaries will be available for those who wish to follow the event online.

For information related to who requires a visa to enter Switzerland, the application process, and pre-departure formalities, participants are encouraged to consult the State Secretariat for Migration website for all short-term visa matters.

GCR-related initiatives, listed on the Global Compact digital platform, are the main vehicles for getting involved, as they focus on mobilising support and developing pledges linked to the themes set out in the GCR and specific situations.

Additionally, stakeholder mays wish to:

1. Submit a good practice
2. Submit a pledge
3. Subscribe to the GCR Newsletter

Building on recommendations from the first Forum, UNHCR is working with partners to engage refugees in preparations, the event, and follow-up for the GRF 2023. These efforts include supporting refugee-led groups and networks to participate in preparatory meetings and briefings, ensuring that refugees and stateless persons are central to the discussions as experts and advisers on pledges and GCR initiatives, and including refugees as speakers, moderators, and participants at the GRF. All stakeholders attending the GRF are also encouraged to include refugees as a part of their delegations.

An independent delegation of refugee thematic experts and leaders will also be invited to the Global Refugee Forum. This delegate was selected through a call for expressions of interest launched in November 2022 and in line with principles of transparency and diversity of participation.

Displaced and stateless people are encouraged to reach out to UNHCR in the country where they are living to find out more information about how the office is including persons under UNHCR’s mandate in the preparation of GRF pledges, as well as in other national and local preparations for the GRF in 2023. You can find contact information for your country online.

For more ways to get involved, please refer to the guide on 8 ways displaced and stateless people can actively engage in the next Global Refugee Forum, hosted on the GCR digital platform.

UNHCR is committed to making the Global Refugee Forum a sustainable event. All efforts must be made to fight climate change, and we at UNHCR witness first-hand how climate change is further aggravating displacement and impacting refugees. Outside of the Forum from 13-15 Dec, preparations for the event and convening meetings for stakeholders have taken place online or in a hybrid format. We have encouraged reduced delegation sizes and worked to minimize the use of energy, paper and plastic and recycle as much as possible. We are also promoting increased use of public transport to access the venue. 

UNHCR is convening a series of formal preparatory meetings and informal quarterly briefings to consult and update on the GRF preparations and GCR implementation. More information on past meetings, summary of discussions, and dates of upcoming events is available online.

A draft programme and key considerations were developed in consultation with Governments and other stakeholders, including the Advisory Board of Organizations Led by Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons and the NGO Reference Group, and presented at the 17 May Formal Preparatory Meeting. The latest version of the programme of the GRF is available online and will be updated regularly. Please visit this page regularly to learn more.

As indicated in the draft programme, in addition to the plenary sessions, UNHCR is ensuring further space for multi-stakeholder interventions and dialogue, showcasing high quality pledges, including matched pledges, and good practices through high-level events, linked events, and other modalities which speak to the key outcomes. The background note shares basic information for stakeholders wishing to be involved in organizing events, inviting them to inviting them to explore joining a GCR initiative.

A draft programme and key considerations were developed in consultation with Governments and other stakeholders, including the Advisory Board of Organizations Led by Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons and the NGO Reference Group, and presented at the 17 May Formal Preparatory Meeting. These are available in the meeting background note.

As indicated in the draft programme, in addition to the plenary sessions, UNHCR is ensuring further space for multi-stakeholder interventions and dialogue, showcasing high quality pledges, including matched pledges, and good practices through side events, linked events, spotlight sessions, exhibits, and other modalities which speak to the key outcomes. The note also shares basic information for stakeholders wishing to be involved in organizing events, inviting them to explore joining a GCR initiative.

The latest version of the programme of the GRF is available online and will be updated regularly. Please visit the Global Refugee Forum 2023 page regularly to learn more.

The GCR Indicator report is part of the follow-up and review of the GCR. Its overall objective is to measure and sustain progress towards achieving the four interrelated and interdependent goals of the GCR, applying a data-driven and evidence-based approach that builds on the agreed GCR Indicator Framework, which was developed after extensive consultations with States and other GCR stakeholders in 2019 and refined in 2022.

The report aims to measure and show how the international community implemented the core principle of predictable and equitable burden- and responsibility-sharing to improve the lives of refugees and host communities. The GCR indicator report is published every two years and is designed to contribute to the evidence base needed to guide the discussions and development of pledges and contributions at the Global Refugee Forums and High-Level Officials Meetings. It charts how far the international community has come since the development and affirmation of the Compact and how far we need to go in realizing its vision.

The first indicator report was published in November 2021. The next edition of the GCR Indicator Report is due to be published on 17 November 2023.

The indicator report provides valuable data, key findings, and recommendations needed to develop high-impact pledges which address current gaps in responses. It is also designed to help guide discussions at forums and meetings, ensuring effective, evidence-based approaches to the achievement of the GCR objectives.