Global Refugee Forum

The Global Refugee Forum (GRF) is the principal follow-up mechanism of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which was affirmed by the UN General Assembly in December 2018. Convened by UNHCR and co-hosted by a rotating group of states, the Forum brings together governments, international organizations, refugees, host communities, civil society, the private sector, and development actors to announce concrete pledges and contributions toward the GCR's four objectives: easing pressures on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, expanding access to third-country solutions, and supporting conditions for return in safety and dignity.

The first GRF took place in Geneva on 17–18 December 2019, co-convened by Switzerland and Turkey alongside Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Germany, and Pakistan. It generated roughly 1,400 pledges across areas such as education, jobs and livelihoods, energy and infrastructure, protection capacity, and solutions. The second GRF was held on 13–15 December 2023, also in Geneva, co-convened by Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan, Niger, and Uganda. It produced a further large set of pledges, including multi-stakeholder commitments and so-called "matching pledges" linking needs identified by host states with offers of support.

Between Forums, progress is tracked through High-Level Officials Meetings (HLOMs), typically held at the midpoint of the four-year cycle, and through an indicator framework that measures outcomes against the GCR's objectives. Pledges are voluntary and non-binding, which critics argue limits accountability; supporters counter that the multi-stakeholder format mobilizes resources and political attention that traditional intergovernmental channels do not.

The GRF is notable for institutionalizing refugee participation: refugee-led organizations attend as delegates and co-sponsor pledges. It also formalizes the role of the private sector and development banks (including the World Bank's IDA window for host communities) in refugee response, marking a shift away from a purely humanitarian model toward a development-oriented approach to forced displacement.