Co-sponsorship arrangements

Who can be a co-sponsor?

Co-sponsors may be UN Member and non-Member Observer States and other relevant actors, such as international organizations within and outside the United Nations system, including those forming part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement; other humanitarian and development actors; international and regional financial institutions; regional organizations; local authorities; civil society, including faith-based organizations; academics and other experts; the private sector; host community members, and refugees themselves.

Refugee networks may also become co-sponsors for specific areas of focus.  In addition, individual refugees will be identified by UNHCR in consultation with its partners and be invited to become a co-sponsor for a key area of focus based on their respective capacities, lived experiences and interests. As part of the arrangement, UNHCR commits to providing support to individual refugee representatives in carrying out their co-sponsor responsibilities.

What are the areas for co-sponsorship?

States and other actors may co-sponsor one or more of the key areas of focus for the first Global Refugee Forum.  The key areas of focus include:

• Supporting arrangements for burden and responsibility sharing, including tools that facilitate more equitable, sustained, and predictable contributions among States and other stakeholders
• Promoting access to quality education
• Creating enabling environments that facilitate jobs and livelihoods
• Improving access to clean energy and better infrastructure
• Facilitating solutions, such as broadening the base of resettlement actors, and supporting conditions necessary for safe and dignified return
• Strengthening protection capacity, through support for institutions and preparedness and contingency planning

Within the key area of focus for co-sponsorship, co-sponsors may wish to focus their efforts on a particular aspect of that area.  For example, co-sponsors on education may wish to focus specifically on access of girls to secondary education.

Co-sponsors may also wish focus their efforts on a particular refugee situation. For example, co-sponsors in the area of arrangements for burden and responsibility-sharing may wish to focus specifically on convening a solidarity conference for a specific refugee situation.

How can co-sponsors be engaged in the Global Refugee Forum?

Based upon their respective capacities, co-sponsors can be engaged in different ways.  For example, co-sponsors could:

• lead by example, either by having already made contributions, or by announcing new ones, to the area of focus that they are co-sponsoring;
• share thinking about contributions they have made or will announce in the area of focus;
• act as advocates and mobilize contributions to the area of focus from a range of stakeholders, for example through using their networks to broaden the base of contributors, or convening roundtables in the lead-up to the Forum to discuss areas for cooperation and contributions;
• ensure high-level representation at the Forum as a demonstration of political commitment;
• exchange good practices in the area of focus in their own responses to refugee situations to inspire the development of future contributions;
• share information about needs, gaps, and challenges in the area of focus to encourage others to lend their support; and/or
• play a role in shaping this area of focus in the programme of the Forum, for example through support for organizing panels, side events, or exhibits.

How can co-sponsors work together?

All of the co-sponsors of a particular area of focus will form a broad alliance of support and advocacy around that area. UNHCR would play a facilitating role, to ensure information sharing between the co-sponsors, alignment of activities, and coordinated engagement in the lead-up to the Forum.  It is envisaged that initial meetings of States and other stakeholders that are co-sponsoring the same area of focus would begin by the end of May 2019, to allow for coordinated planning of activities.

How can co-sponsors indicate their interest?

States and other actors that wish to become co-sponsors are encouraged to contact the Global Refugee Forum Coordination Team ([email protected]) at their earliest convenience. UNHCR will engage with each actor interested in becoming a co-sponsor to clarify how they specifically would like to be engaged in the Global Refugee Forum and to identify next steps for their engagement.

UNHCR organized an Informal Briefing on co-sponsorship arrangements for the first Global Refugee Forum on 3 June. Read the summary note.