As the inaugural Global Refugee Forum (GRF) begins in Geneva today, RSN is excited to announce that we have submitted four pledges as part of the GRF process. Pledges introduced at the GRF articulate commitments made by states, private actors, and members of civil society to improve protections for refugees around the globe. UNHCR is coordinating the GRF itself and the pledges made by stakeholders.

RSN developed pledges collaboratively, both through coalitions as well as with partners in the field. We signed on to a joint pledge, put forward by PILnet, which includes 27 legal actors committing 125,230 pro bono hours per year to protect and find legal solutions for refugees. We also developed a pledge around refugee participation, inspired by the work of our peer organizations Asylum Access and the St. Andrews Refugee Services, who highlighted this important topic for stakeholders at the GRF. RSN spearheaded two additional unique pledges, submitted jointly with our long-time partner Refugee Rights Turkey, as well as Mexican NGO Sin Fronteras IAP, a more recent collaborating partner. The first such pledge focuses on working together through a model of triangular cooperation between NGOs like RSN based in the Global North and actors from across the Global South to strengthen civil society in refugee hosting states. The second involves specific pledges around strengthening the legal community and fostering pro bono partnerships among the legal community in refugee hosting states.

RSN is excited to develop pledges that capture the spirit and ethos of our mission, to protect refugee rights while strengthening host communities. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with others on these processes, and to being a part of the ongoing work to monitor and implement these important commitments.