The Global Refugee Forum 2023
The Global Refugee Forum 2023
The Global Refugee Forum (GRF) is the engine of the Global Compact on Refugees, and in 2023, aimed to mobilise new actions and commitments that will shape responses to refugees into the mid-2020s and beyond.
The 2023 Forum was co-convened by six States – Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan, Niger and Uganda, and co-hosted by the Government of Switzerland and UNHCR.
Explore the information and links below to learn about the pledges and contributions from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific that were committed in 2023, watch recordings of events and access further resources.
Regional pledges from GRF 2023
Australia
Heading 97
Government of Australia
The Australian Government made 23 pledges at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum. These relate to matters concerning resettlement, community sponsorship, refugee labour mobility, education, mental health, immigration detention, refugee participation, gender, refugee travel documents, statelessness, international cooperation, peacebuilding, the needs of Rohingya refugees and displacement in and from Afghanistan and Sudan.
The Australian Government pledges, including through Australia’s role as Chair of the 2024 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP) and Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility (2024-26), to:
- support, including in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, other States to establish and grow their own refugee resettlement programs and complementary pathways, with a view to expanding access to third country solutions; ensuring refugees can successfully integrate into their new society; and promoting refugee-centred resettlement procedures and outcomes;
- engage with refugee hosting states as partners in the exercise of growing resettlement and complementary pathways; and
- bring in the private sector as a partner in resettlement and complementary pathways.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Refugee Travel Documents
Resettlement
Skills-based complementary pathways
The Australian Government commits to gradually increase Australia’s Humanitarian Program commencing from 2023-24, allowing us to highlight the ways in which humanitarian entrants enrich Australian society and boost the economy with their skills, talent and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledge on:
Resettlement
Australia pledges to include diverse refugee perspectives in national systems through work currently underway to reform the approach to settlement program and delivery, using the Refugee and Humanitarian Entrant Settlement and Integration Outcomes Framework that articulates Australia’s vision of successful settlement and integration. This includes developing indicators that can measure the settlement progress of humanitarian entrants, enhance positive settlement outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants, and guide government agencies delivering settlement services from planning through to programs and evaluation
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Resettlement
The Australian Government supports the multi-stakeholder pledge on Community Sponsorship and pledges to work with civil society, community, non-government, and refugee-led organisations, to harness the power of all segments of Australian society to gradually increase community sponsored and other complementary places to 10,000 per year over time, additional to the core humanitarian intake.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Community Sponsorship
The Australian Government pledges to fully implement the recently extended and expanded Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot:
- delivering 500 primary visas by 30 June 2025 together with Talent Beyond Boundaries and a wide range of Australian employers;
- keep pilot program settings under review to ensure we realise the full potential of refugee labour mobility; and
- consider transitioning the pilot to a permanent element of the skilled migration program.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Skills-based complementary pathways
Recognising the importance of investing in human capital of refugees and the potential of skills-based complementary pathways to provide durable solutions for refugees, the Australian Government commits to work with relevant partners and refugee hosting countries to investigate opportunities for a ‘train to hire’ model that supports refugees in Indo-Pacific host countries to gain skills sought after in resettlement countries, improving access to employment matching and broader complementary pathways opportunities.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Skills-based complementary pathways
The Australian Federal Government, in partnership with the Northern Territory Government, Talent Beyond Boundaries and Fragomen, pledge to facilitate 100 job matches by June 2024 under Australia’s Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot, providing a pathway for skilled refugees and displaced persons to live and work in the Northern Territory, Australia. The partnership is a practical example of how businesses and business leaders can harness the talent of refugees to address skills shortages, creating a win-win for displaced people, employers and the wider community.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government commits to scope the potential development of a refugee student settlement pathway, through a co-design process with the higher education and refugee and humanitarian settlement sectors. This pathway would engage new communities in refugee settlement, such as universities, staff, and students, while providing young refugees the opportunity to undertake a university degree in safety, and equip themselves to build their own futures, in Australia or beyond.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government pledges to improve accessibility of free English language training through developing an application for AMEPOnline. AMEPOnline is a free, publicly available English language learning website, providing a comprehensive suite of language materials across five levels, suitable from beginner level. The application will help overcome accessibility issues of online-only resources and better suit the needs of refugees and displaced people, empowering self-reliance and enhancing access to livelihoods and durable solutions, including skills-based complementary pathways such as education and labour mobility.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Australia is a longstanding donor to the Global Partnership for Education, pledging $180 million for 2021- 25. Including a commitment of $87.7 million from 2023-25 to hardwire gender and build strong and resilient climate-smart education systems in partner countries. Australia’s pledge supports partner governments to make systemic change and align resources to deliver inclusive education for the most marginalised including girls, children with disabilities, refugee and displaced children.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government pledges its continued support to fostering mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of refugees through:
- A partnership with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to undertake analysis of data on health outcomes and health care service use of refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia to:
- better understand their health status;
- inform design and delivery of health care and settlement services; and
- address their unique health needs and challenges.
- Settlement support to refugee and humanitarian entrants, including registration with Australia’s universal healthcare insurance scheme (Medicare), a post-arrival health assessment, and access to physical and mental health services; and
- Increased investment in Australia’s Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT), taking total program funding to $233.8 million over four years from 2023-24 to 2026-27. This will provide internationally renowned specialised trauma support and psychosocial services to humanitarian entrants who have experienced torture or trauma prior to their arrival in Australia.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Fostering Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing
National Health System Inclusion
Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in National Statistical Systems and Surveys
The Australian Government pledges to provide over $48 million to legal service providers from early 2024 to boost legal assistance for onshore Protection visa applicants. This will help vulnerable visa applicants to be supported throughout the Protection visa process, mitigating the exploitation of vulnerable migrants, and assisting Australia to meet its international obligations.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government pledges to continue to share practice and policy lessons from Australia’s journey away from held detention of children, especially within the Asia-Pacific.
The Australian Government also reaffirms its continued commitment to ensuring that held detention is only used for the shortest practical time and where necessary, reasonable and proportionate under the Migration Act 1958; and further pledges to progress initiatives under the Alternatives to Held Detention Program, in support of expanding alternatives to immigration detention that are community-based and non-custodial.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Australia reaffirms its 2019 commitment to support the meaningful participation of refugees and host communities in decisions that affect their lives and pledges to further the 2019 commitment through the establishment of an Australian Refugee Advisory Panel. The Panel will provide a formal mechanism for meaningful refugee participation recognising the importance of lived experience, diversity and inclusion in shaping Australia’s policy development and engagement with the international refugee protection system and humanitarian assistance.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government commits to partner with refugee-led organisations supporting prevention of gender-based violence and response service provision, including those led by displaced and stateless women. We will provide flexible, long-term funding, as directly as possible, to strengthen women’s leadership, participation and influence in process and initiatives related to displacement.
The Australian Government, in concert with academia and non-government organisations, will support a series of good practice dialogues from 2024-25, to exchange perspectives on evidence to eliminate gender-based violence for refugee populations, and good practice in accessible and survivor-centred service provision across Asia. Australia commits to highlight refugee-led efforts to develop, sustain and contribute to national gender-based violence services.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian and New Zealand Governments pledge to champion the enhanced global issuance and acceptance of machine-readable refugee travel documents; to share expertise and technical advice with interested States; and to partner with ICAO and UNHCR to build the technical capability of States to issue and accept machine-readable convention travel documents.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government pledges to become members of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness (once established) to actively and collaboratively support the vision of a world free from statelessness so that everyone enjoys the right to nationality without discrimination.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian and New Zealand Governments commit to supporting comprehensive protection and solutions strategies in the Asia-Pacific, and supporting States, including those who are smaller and emerging, to develop and strengthen their asylum systems and protection capacity.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government commits to strengthening, respecting and recognising the leadership and decision-making of national and local actors in humanitarian action, along with refugee-led organisations, to better address the needs of affected populations. Australia will continue to support innovative localisation practice, including to measure localised humanitarian action in displacement contexts.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Advancing Localisation in Displacement and Statelessness Responses
The Australian Government commits $235 million in humanitarian assistance from 2023 to 2025 to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and their host communities, and for broader humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, including support for Rohingya in Rakhine state. Australia’s funding will deliver essential protection, food, water, shelter, education and health services to those most in need, including women, girls and people with disabilities.
The Australian Government commits to enhancing support for durable solutions, including increasing Rohingya refugee resettlement.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government commits $20 million in humanitarian assistance in 2024, to support the needs of displaced Afghans and their host communities. This includes support to:
- the most vulnerable in Afghanistan, including those internally displaced, to meet food, nutrition and livelihoods needs;
- host countries to respond to priority humanitarian and protection needs and build resilient communities through the Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Afghanistan Situation; and
- Afghan refugees and host communities in Pakistan, to deliver sexual and reproductive health services and services to survivors of gender-based violence.
This takes Australia’s commitments in response to the Afghanistan Situation to $71 million in 2023-24, and $213 million since the onset of the 2021 Afghanistan crisis. Australia’s humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan provides health, shelter, protection, and community-based education, with a focus on women and girls and people with disabilities. Australia will also continue to provide flexible, multi-year funding to address humanitarian need for displaced Afghans and create conditions conducive to voluntary repatriation.
The Australian Government reaffirms our commitment to 16,500 places allocated for Afghan nationals under Australia’s Humanitarian Program delivered over four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26, in addition to the ongoing 10,000 places for Afghan nationals allocated within the Offshore Humanitarian program.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian Government commits $10 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighbouring countries in 2023-24 for lifesaving protection and assistance for displaced people:
- $7 million to support to host countries in the region to lead and coordinate the Sudan refugee response, and
- $3 million to address the most urgent needs and safety concerns arising from the conflict and help to advocate respect for International Humanitarian Law.
This takes Australia’s commitments in response to the Sudan Situation to $20.45 million since May 2023.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
IGAD – Beyond Borders, Beyond Barriers – Delivering Comprehensive Solutions in the IGAD Region
Australia is a top 10 donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, and has committed AUD 12 million from 2023 to 2025, to provide rapid and flexible funding for immediate response and peacebuilding recovery efforts. We have also committed AUD 4.5 million in funding for the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Multi-Year Appeal (2023-2026), to contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
During Australia’s term on the UN Peacebuilding Commission from 2025 to 2026, we intend to support peace efforts in conflict-affected countries, including in the Pacific and South-East Asia, where we have a long history of supporting peacebuilding processes.
We will also encourage the participation of refugees and internally displaced persons in peacebuilding processes.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Refugee Council of Australia
We pledge to advocate for and mobilise community support for the expansion of a principled and cohesive complementary pathways program in Australia in line with the Government’s ambition to increase complementary pathways to 10,000 places per year. We will do this by: Proposing workable solutions to expand access to humanitarian family reunion, including for refugees who have been denied access to family reunification for a decade while on temporary visas; Supporting the expansion of community sponsorship and advocating for the successful introduction of an improved named sponsorship pathway informed by learnings from the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot, the Community Support Program and similar programs in other countries; Supporting and advocating for the Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot to become a permanent and improved pathway for refugees and displaced people informed by learnings from the pilot and as advocated by Talent Beyond Boundaries; and Working cooperatively with key stakeholders to support the design and introduction of a new refugee education pathway in Australia.
We, as Australian civil society organisations, pledge to advocate for and mobilise community support for the Australian Government to achieve its ambition to expand its annual Refugee and Humanitarian Program to 27,000 places per year, to be realised by the third Global Refugee Forum in 2027. We will do this by providing constructive, practical and evidence-based policy advice that is informed by refugee communities and civil society organisations in Australia. Additionally, we pledge to support and advocate for the expansion of a principled and cohesive complementary pathways program in Australia in line with the Government’s ambition to increase complementary pathways to 10,000 places per year.
We will do this by:
1. Proposing workable solutions to expand access to humanitarian family reunion, including for refugees who have been denied access to family reunification for a decade while on temporary visas;
2. Supporting the expansion of community sponsorship and advocating for the successful introduction of an improved named sponsorship pathway informed by learnings from the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot, the Community Support Program and similar programs in other countries;
3. Supporting and advocating for the Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot to become a permanent and improved pathway for refugees and displaced people informed by learnings from the pilot and as advocated by Talent Beyond Boundaries; and
4. Working cooperatively with key stakeholders to support the design and introduction of a new refugee education pathway in Australia.
This pledge is endorsed by: - Refugee Council of Australia - Amnesty International (Australia) - AEU - NSW Teachers Federation - HOST International - Refugee Advice Casework Service - SCALES Community Legal Centre - Community Migrant Resource Centre - Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania - Zomi Innkuan Adelaide - Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia - NSW Refugee Communities Advocacy Network
Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness
The Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness pledges to become a member of the new Global Alliance to End Statelessness (once established) to actively and collaboratively support the vision of a world free from statelessness so that everyone enjoys the right to a nationality without discrimination.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
By the end of 2025, the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness pledges to complete a qualitative study on “Understanding Statelessness in Australian Law and Policy.” This will be the first study to examine how Australia has protected stateless people in the country to date, and identify the protection needs of stateless people in Australia today. The study will include consultation with stateless persons and the development of a legal practice resource to guide lawyers and decision-makers in protecting stateless people within the current system of protection. It will also include the formulation of a blueprint for a statelessness determination procedure in Australia.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Nationality for All
NFA is the only regional organization in the Asia Pacific working to promote nationality rights and to address statelessness. Recognizing the importance of fair and meaningful participation of stateless activists and changemakers in addressing statelessness, NFA pledges to strengthen organizations in the Asia Pacific region that are led by stateless persons or persons affected by statelessness. NFA also pledges to support the newly formed regional network on statelessness titled ‘Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition (SDCC) Asia Pacific’ and to center the interests of affected persons in this new Coalition.
Our pledges are listed below:
• NFA pledges to support four affected or stateless persons-led organizations in the Asia Pacific region to strengthen their institutional capacities including fundraising and project management.
• NFA pledges to create an accessible online knowledge hub on statelessness in the Asia Pacific.
• NFA pledges to become a member of the UNHCR-led Global Alliance to End Statelessness and actively participate in the Working Groups and activities of the Alliance. NFA further pledges to promote the participation of the Global Alliance amongst the Asia Pacific civil society and governmental organizations.
• NFA pledges to play an active role in forming and operationalizing the Global Movement Against Statelessness. Additionally, NFA joins the following multi-stakeholder pledges:
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Advancing Localisation in Displacement and Statelessness Responses
Amnesty International Australia
We are building community power to advocate for an Australia that creates safe pathways to welcome refugees and people seeking asylum, treating them with fairness, dignity and respect and setting the standard for the rest of the world. Our pledge is to mobilise our movement to advocate to the Australian government to increase Australia's annual humanitarian program to 40,000, which includes expanding the community sponsored places to 10,000 per year. We will do this by utilsing Amnesty International’s global research expertise to highlight the specific needs of refugee populations, including those at acute risk within these populations, who require resettlement as a life saving durable solution. By demonstrating the need and urgency for resettlement as a solution, we are committed to building political demand within the Australian government for an increase to the humanitarian program. By further utilising first hand evidence from refugee situations, including the voices of those with lived experience, change the media narrative around refugees and people seeking asylum, highlighting the benefits increased resettlement will bring to our community. Host events and forums to build a more supportive, understanding and welcoming Australia, further engaging communities in existing and alternative resettlement pathways to welcome refugees. By demonstrating the broader strategic benefits an increased humanitarian program can provide, we will advocate to embed Australia into the region's resettlement needs with an increased focus on Rohingya refugees.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Refugee Education Special Interest Group
We welcome the Australian government’s ambition to progressively increase community sponsored and other complementary places to 10,000 places per year. We also recognise the ambition of the UNHCR’s 15/30 campaign, and the role that Australian tertiary education institutions can play in supporting this ambition. In the lead up to the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, we pledge to support the Australian government and the tertiary education sectors in realising this goal in one or more of the following ways:
1) Continuing to advocate for a new educational complementary pathway that is based on these six principles:
• It creates a new durable solution with relevant protection safeguards built in.
• It takes a shared partnership approach.
• It provides flexibility to respond to individual needs, and is underpinned by an ongoing program of testing for viability of the pathway.
• It draws on the experience and expertise of existing models, capabilities and mechanism to adapt for the Australian educational context.
• It actively supports the agency and autonomy of students.
• It offers robust settlement and academic support.
2) Creating and extending connected learning opportunities by leveraging the expertise and capacity of Australian tertiary institutions to support educational opportunities in countries of asylum.
3) Supporting the UNHCR’s ambition for an increase in refugee enrolments by linking higher education and VET opportunities to create sustainable and successful pathways into, through, and out of tertiary education.
4) Collaborating with international organisations and initiatives to facilitate better qualification and skills recognition.
5) Liaising with refugee employment schemes, such as the Skilled Refugee Labour Mobility Pilot, and employment organisations, such as Talent Beyond Boundaries, Deakin CREATE, CareerSeekers, HOST International (and others) to better link education and employment for refugees.
6) Actively supporting refugee self-determination, agency, and leadership in the area of refugee education. How will we realise these ambitions?
• Provide support to the Australian government and tertiary education institutions to develop, test and scale new pathways and connected learning programs required to achieve this goal.
• Mobilise campus sponsor groups to welcome and support the settlement of refugees.
• Create community awareness of relevant programs from grassroots to senior executive levels, with the intention of growing the number of institutions and actors who are able to contribute to these ambitions around complementary pathway places, and increased refugee participation in tertiary education.
• Support the fundraising efforts that underpin educational complementary pathways and connected learning opportunities.
• Support the work of those responsible for welcoming and supporting the settlement of refugee newcomers through such pathways.
Australian Community Refugee Sponsorship
We welcome the Australian government’s ambition to progressively increase community sponsored and other complementary places to 10,000 places per year and to make this additional to Australia’s humanitarian intake. In the context of the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, we pledge to support the realisation of this goal in one or more of the following ways:
1. Continuing to advocate for new programs and approaches that are:
(a) Part of a strong, articulated and coherent national framework for community sponsorship and complementary pathways.
(b) Additional to a reasonable core government-funded refugee and humanitarian intake or which otherwise support the growth of the overall intake.
(c) Providing durable solutions to refugees, rather than temporary or precarious outcomes.
(d) Accessible in practice to those requiring international protection.
(e) Engaging more segments of Australian society, including refugee diaspora communities, in welcoming refugees and supporting refugee resettlement.
(f) Informed by the lived experience of people who have experienced forced migration and resettlement.
2. Providing technical support to the Australian government and other civil society organisations to develop, test and scale community sponsorship programs to achieve this goal.
3. Raising grass-roots community awareness of relevant programs.
4. Mobilising local ‘sponsor groups’ to welcome and support the settlement of refugees.
5. Supporting the fundraising efforts that underpin community sponsorship and other complementary pathways.
6. Supporting the work of those responsible for welcoming and supporting the settlement of refugee newcomers through such pathways.
7. Offering study or employment opportunities to qualifying refugees who wish to settle in Australia.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Resettlement and complementary pathways – Community Sponsorship
Settlement Council of Australia
The Settlement Council of Australia is pledging to optimise settlement services to position Australia well for increased intakes of humanitarian entrants. This will be achieved by implementing the Road to Belonging Strategy. There are currently 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including 35.3 million refugees. While most refugees remain in neighbouring host states primarily located in the Global South, Australia is a leading destination for those who depart for resettlement in a third country.
Australia has a long history of providing resettlement for refugees and others who are displaced as a result of conflict, persecution and human rights abuses. Since the end of World War II, Australia has successfully settled more than 950,000 refugees and others in humanitarian need.
The size and composition of the annual Humanitarian Program are determined by the Australian Government. For 2023-24, the Humanitarian Program has been set at a ceiling of 20,000 places, with the current government committing to further expansion of Australia’s humanitarian intake.
All those who choose to make Australia home will undergo a process of settlement whereby they adjust to life in Australia. At the same time, Australia needs to continually adapt to ensure it is inclusive of those we welcome to our shores. The Australian settlement sector exists to make this process of adjustment as smooth as possible. In the face of increasing displacement and a growing humanitarian program it is more important than ever that this sector be as optimised as possible to welcome an increased number of new arrivals.
The Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) is the peak body representing Australia’s migrant and refugee services and allied organisations. SCOA provides leadership to the settlement sector and broader society to enable people of migrant and refugee backgrounds to experience positive settlement outcomes. SCOA represents over 100 member organisations nationally, all working towards a shared vision for an Australia where all people of migrant and refugee backgrounds belong, thrive and experience fulfilling lives.
It is within this context that SCOA led the development of a collective Road to Belonging strategy for Australian settlement services. SCOA worked with 46 individuals from different settlement organisations, peak bodies, government departments and other key stakeholders - many with lived experiences - to co-design an ambition and roadmap for the settlement sector.
The Road to Belonging Strategy articulates an overarching shared ambition for Australian settlement services. Namely, that we are working to ensure Australia is a country where all people of migrant and refugee background belong, thrive and experience fulfilling lives. This ambition is the ‘north star’ we are all collectively working towards. The strategy sets out six streams with a total of 26 actions for implementation over a five-year period.
Since the strategy was initiated in January 2023, SCOA has completed or significantly progressed on the actions, developing a Community Engagement Framework, a research project on engaging with other stakeholders and broader Australian society, a survey of the Australian settlement workforce, a theory of change for settlement services, a feasibility study on return on investment in settlement services, and developing principles for conducting research with migrant and refugee communities.
SCOA is leading active implementation of the strategy over the next five years. A Governance Group oversees implementation, and six working groups drive implementation of actions across the six streams. Each working group is chaired by a leader in one of these fields and has 10-25 members. The strategy will be the guiding manifesto for settlement for the coming years. Nearly 80 organisations have endorsed the strategy and joined one of the six working groups. In the Global Refugee Forum 2023, SCOA pledges to implement the following six plans of the Road to Belonging strategy for the refugees and migrants in Australia by January 2028. Specific steps and work plans of each plan are available in the full version of the Strategy.
1. Empowered settlement journeys: We enable and support new arrivals to define their priorities and preferences and empower themselves
2. Partnering with local migrant and refugee communities: We partner with local migrant, faith and cultural communities to support their collective settlement journeys.
3. Connecting with other sectors and broader Australian society: We create purposeful and meaningful collaborations with broader society (such as governments, local communities, private sector, philanthropy and others) to advance a welcoming society.
4. Supporting workforce and organisational capacity: We support our workforce to consistently deliver high quality services, and we ensure the depth of their experience and expertise is recognised.
5. Building monitoring, evaluation and data capability: We collaborate to ensure research and data collection is aggregated, shared and used to support positive outcomes.
6. Driving research and systems change: We collectively challenge systems or practices that are not working for migrants and their communities.
Settlement Services International
SSI is committed to advancing labour mobility pathways in Australia and globally. SSI will support Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) advocacy for the continuous expansion of labour mobility pathways and share our expertise to address skills shortages in specific sectors, such as aged care. SSI pledges to continue supporting the settlement and integration of candidates and their families that arrive in Australia. SSI is committed to recruit and employ one candidate through TBB in 2024, as well as working with TBB the increase the number of candidates accessing labour mobility pathways from Asia and the Pacific region.
Government of New Zealand
Support working-age adult refugees (20 to 65 years) to connect to sustained and meaningful employment within the New Zealand labour market
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Support the inclusion of refugees in the national health and disability system through enhanced coordination and networking, sharing of best practice and workforce development across health services in the settlement locations in New Zealand
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian and New Zealand Governments commit to supporting comprehensive protection and solutions strategies in the Asia-Pacific, and supporting States, including those who are smaller and emerging, to develop and strengthen their asylum systems and protection capacity.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Strengthen current, and create new, approaches of meaningful refugee participation in the development of refugee policies, strategies and programmes.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
The Australian and New Zealand Governments pledge to champion the enhanced global issuance and acceptance of machine-readable refugee travel documents; to share expertise and technical advice with interested States; and to partner with ICAO and UNHCR to build the technical capability of States to issue and accept machine-readable convention travel documents
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Resettlement and complementary pathways: Refugee Travel Documents – The 21st Century Nansen Passport
Improve education, employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for former refugee youth (15 to 25 years) who have spent less than five years in the New Zealand education system.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Economic Inclusion and Social Protection
Education – 15% by 2030: Global Pledge on Refugee Higher Education and Self-reliance
Support evidence-informed approaches to re/settlement policy, strategies and programming through the collection of additional refugee data, including data on age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other diversity considerations where possible.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Economic Inclusion and Social Protection
New Zealand Refugee Youth Council
In commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees and recognizing the unique challenges faced by refugee youth in the Asia-Pacific region, the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council pledges to focus on training, equipping, and mentoring refugee youth. Our goal is to empower them with the skills necessary for meaningful decision-making and the ability to represent themselves effectively.
We, the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council, pledge to:
- Training for Decision-Making: Develop and implement comprehensive training programs that focus on enhancing the decision-making skills of refugee youth. This includes workshops, seminars, and mentorship initiatives aimed at building their capacity to actively participate in shaping policies that affect them.
- Skill Development for Representation: Establish mentoring programs that provide refugee youth with the necessary skills to represent themselves in various forums. This involves training in public speaking, advocacy, and leadership, empowering them to share their experiences and perspectives with confidence.
- Access to Information: Advocate for and facilitate access to relevant information that enables refugee youth to make informed decisions and participate meaningfully in discussions on matters that concern them. This includes promoting transparency and inclusivity in decision-making processes.
- Networking Opportunities: Create platforms for refugee youth to connect with mentors, professionals, and organizations that can provide guidance and support. These networks will enable them to expand their influence and amplify their voices in advocating for their rights.
- Collaboration with Regional Partners: Collaborate with youth councils, NGOs, and governmental bodies across the Asia-Pacific region to share best practices and collectively work towards empowering refugee youth. This collaboration will strengthen regional efforts in promoting the meaningful participation of refugee youth in decision-making processes. Through these specific actions, the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council is dedicated to empowering refugee youth in the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring that they possess the skills and confidence to actively engage in meaningful decision-making and effectively represent themselves on local and regional stages.
The Government of Papua New Guinea commits by 2024 year end to issue undocumented asylum seekers and refugees with an identity document by way of a national asylum seeker and refugee card.
The Government of Papua New Guinea commits by 2024 year end to undertake legal reform to introduce an Interim Humanitarian Status Visa to grant temporary residence to asylum seekers, legalise their status and enable access to healthcare services, education and employment.
The Government of Papua New Guinea commits by 2025 year end to resolve the status of West Papuans and ensure a pathway to naturalization and local integration by: a. undertaking legal reform to enable the prima facie refugee status recognition of recent and future West Papuan asylum seeker arrivals, and; b. ensuring the prompt naturalization of West Papuans who meet nationality requirements.
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) members have consistently identified the continued use of mandatory immigration detention across the Asia Pacific region as a priority issue to address collaboratively. It affects a host of different groups of people, including refugees, people seeking asylum, stateless persons and migrants in an irregular status. People remain detained for seeking protection, often in substandard conditions, overcrowded facilities, and without access to adequate health and legal services. Proper screening mechanisms are often absent, leaving individuals with added vulnerabilities (such as disabilities, LGBTQIA+ persons and victims of trafficking and smuggling) from being identified whether prior to, or in detention.
Under this pledge, APRRN acknowledges the critical role of lived experience leadership in shaping effective advocacy efforts. Recognizing the unique perspectives and insights that individuals with direct experience of immigration detention bring to the forefront, APRRN pledges to prioritize and amplify the voices of lived experience in its initiatives. Under the Multistakeholder pledge on Developing alternatives to immigration detention and ending immigration detention, APRRN pledges to:
1. Support members to strengthen capacity, evidence base and coordination of advocacy efforts to end immigration detention and promote rights-based ATDs by:
a. Mapping opportunities for collaborative advocacy on limiting and ending the use of immigration detention.
b. Sharing data and resources on developments regarding immigration detention and Alternatives To Detention in the region.
c. Supporting members to engage with and coordinate across a variety of different international commitments, including Global Refugee Forum Pledges ( such as the Legal Community Pledge).
2. Strengthen connections and partnerships across members to share leanings, challenges and opportunities for advocacy to ultimately end immigration detention by:
a. Creating safe spaces for members to engage in discussion and share learnings and challenges around advocacy to limit and end immigration detention in the region. Topics can include strategies to engage governments and supporting refugee leadership.
b. Support members’ engagement with regional mechanisms on limiting and ending the use of immigration detention, particularly for vulnerable groups including children and their families.
3. Actively engage and support individuals and communities who have experienced displacement and detention, ensuring their meaningful participation in decision-making processes, and fostering safe spaces for dialogue within the network.
Linked to multi-stakeholder pledges on:
Information for everyone
Even if you are not attending the GRF in person this year, everyone has a role to play in supporting refugees.
Information for attendees
Please note that participation in the Global Refugee Forum 2023 is by invitation only.
Programme
Programme outline for the Global Refugee Forum 2023.
Information note: States, IGOs, UN
Overview and key information for States, IGOs and UN entities (pdf).
Information note: other stakeholders
Overview and key information for other stakeholders (pdf).
Refugee inclusion
Guidance on refugee inclusion in State and stakeholder delegations (pdf).
Media
Information and resources for media covering the Forum.
Submit a pledge or contribution
Guidance on how to develop and submit a pledge or contribution (via the Global Compact website, pdf).
Logistics and practical information
Location information, venue map, and registration details.
✉️ Contact us
If you have additional questions, you can refer to the frequently asked questions. If you're unable to find the information you're looking for, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Global Compact on Refugees Coordination Team at the email provided below.
Note on speaking arrangements (pdf)
Information for delegations who wish to deliver a statement.
List of participants (pdf)
Provisional list of States and other attending delegates.
Press opportunities for participants
Details on holding press briefings and the VIP Social Media Zone.
List of speakers (pdf)
List of delegations who will deliver a formal statement.
Download the GRF 2023 app
The GRF 2023 app contains essential event information, including the programme, the ability to search events, create a customizable schedule and interact with other participants.
What’s on at the Forum
The Forum plenary session and parallel high-level events will be held at the Palexpo convention centre in Geneva. A range of linked events will also take place around the city in the lead-up to and during the Forum, with many of these open to the public.
Action. Unity. Impact.
[The Compact] represents the political will and ambition of the international community as a whole for strengthened cooperation and solidarity with refugees and affected host countries.
Video highlights and statements
Delegates’ statements and webcasts of the plenary session will be made available via the links below. View the official programme for details of session schedules and speakers.
Join the conversation: #RefugeeForum
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Global Compact on Refugees
- Ease pressures on countries that host refugees
- Enhance opportunities for refugees to become self-reliant
- Expand refugees’ access to third-country solutions such as resettlement and other pathways
- Support conditions in refugees’ countries of origin so that they may be able to return in safety and dignity.
The key global arrangement is the Global Refugee Forum where States and other actors come together every four years to take stock of progress made and pledge further contributions to help reach the objectives of the Compact.
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Learn more about the purpose of the Global Refugee Forum
Documents and resources
Global Refugee Forum 2023 resources
Previous meetings and forums
Related news and stories
Frequently asked questions
For more information or questions, please see the frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the Global Refugee Forum.