RCUSA and Member Organizations Participate in the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland – RCUSA and more than a dozen of its member organizations are in Geneva, Switzerland this week for the second Global Refugee Forum (GRF) hosted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The GRF is the largest international convening on refugee issues. Every four years, it brings together government representatives, refugee-serving nonprofits, and refugee leaders to review progress toward implementation of the objectives set forth in the Global Compact on Refugees, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018.
The aims of the Compact are to ease pressures on refugee hosting countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, increase access to third-country solutions, and improve conditions in countries of origin. At the GRF, participants review progress toward these goals, discuss current challenges and opportunities, and announce concrete pledges of financial support and practical actions to improve the global response to refugee issues.
RCUSA members are extremely active in this year’s GRF, sending more than forty staff members to the event and playing active roles in pledges and side events on such topics as family unification, climate displacement, community sponsorship, statelessness, and refugee engagement.
“The GRF provides a significant opportunity for key global stakeholders to share their expertise and vision for building a safer and more welcoming world,” said RCUSA Executive Director John Slocum. “Today, RCUSA is proud to announce its contribution to the GRF’s multistakeholder pledge on refugee resettlement. We pledge to redouble our advocacy efforts, provide refugee leadership training opportunities, and promote international networking. Through the GRF, we’re learning from colleagues around the world how we can work together to provide safety, protection, and dignity to refugees and forcibly displaced people.”
Media Contact: Sarah Seniuk, sseniuk@rcusa.org
RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically
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