Making a difference at Global Refugee Forum

Arafat Jamal
The author is UNHCR Coordinator for the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.

The moment she arrived in Korea in 2010, Dorcas Ngalula knew that she was in a country completely different from her own. Everything was new to her from the sound of people’s voices to the distinctly urban scents of Seoul.

Now, almost 14 years later, the Congolese refugee is leading a non-profit women’s organization supporting the network of African migrants and refugees in Korea, and facilitating cultural and intellectual exchanges with the local community.

To Dorcas and fellow members of the “Wise Women Association,” Korea is no longer an unfamiliar country — it is their second home that whole-heartedly embraced them as members of its own.

One of the aims of the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) is to generate more possibilities for refugees such as Dorcas and the communities that host them around the globe. To advance social, financial and cultural inclusion to empower refugees to become self-reliant so that they can make tangible contributions to host communities.

The GRF is a moment of unity. We want to demonstrate our collective will to take action and find solutions to the challenges posed by record levels of forced displacement.

According to our latest estimates, there are 36.4 million refugees worldwide, out of a total displaced population of a staggering 114 million. Every refugee is a symptom of our collective failure to ensure peace and security.

Held every four years, the GRF is the world’s largest international gathering on refugees. Its purpose is to mobilize international solidarity for refugees and the countries hosting large numbers, and work towards resolving protracted refugee situations.

Rising to the many challenges of forced displacement requires a recognition of the mutual benefits of collective action and sharing responsibility. Countries that are hosting large numbers of refugees, often for a protracted period, are providing a global public good. They deserve international solidarity and recognition.

At the GRF — taking place in Geneva from December 13-15 — states, businesses, international financial institutions, international organisations, charities, NGOs, grassroots organisations, universities, faith groups and students — in alliance with, and guided by, refugees themselves — are all invited to make transformational pledges and contributions.

These contributions could be in the form of financial, material, or technical assistance for the displaced and their hosts; places for resettlement and complementary pathways for admission to third countries; measures to address root causes, prevent conflict, and build peace in countries of origin; and other actions such as policies and practices to promote refugee inclusion and protection, joining or developing new initiatives, or monitoring and research. Organizations can pledge alone or combine efforts in groups with other actors.

Various entities from the government, civil society, private sector, academia, legal profession and religious groups, and refugee themselves will participate in the 2023 GRF in Korea to make pledges, and to share meaningful examples and experiences as one of UNHCR’s most valued partners.

Notably, the Korean government will pledge to significantly increase its core contributions as well as its complementary pathways space for the world’s forcibly displaced persons.

Five research institutes affiliated with Korea’s leading universities and the Migration Research and Training Centre will form a network on refugee and statelessness studies for the first time. Legal practitioners, including the Korean Bar Association and major law firms, have pledged their commitment to work for refugees. Leaders of eight religious groups in Korea will also be attending the GRF for the first time, committing to promote balanced understanding and the values of living together by embracing refugees in Korea.

Last, but most definitely not the least, two refugees from Korea will be attending the GRF to share their experiences and to promote the main spirit of the forum, which is the importance of supporting opportunities for self-reliance and recognizing the resilience of refugees.

We do this so that all refugee children can go to school; so that climate change does not have to mean forced displacement; so that refugees can contribute to new societies through labour mobility; so that they can be included in national systems and contribute to host economies — a net gain for all; and so that refugees, whose lives have been profoundly affected by conflict, can also be agents of peace.

We are also coming together to put our focus on longstanding refugee situations such as those of Afghans, Rohingya, Central Americans, Somalis, South Sudanese and Central Africans, to offer innovative and adapted solutions to their plight under often difficult and imperfect circumstances.

Refugees don’t want handouts. They want opportunities and the chance to build their own futures. The GRF is a golden opportunity to provide the large-scale support they need to thrive.

“Life as a refugee is not easy, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot do anything,” Dorcas told UNHCR when we met her in September. “No. We can all do something. If you have time, you can learn, and if you can learn the language, you can work and make a difference.”

We hope that everyone will contribute to making a different at the GRF this year.