The Global Compact on Refugees

“[The Global 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”.

(from the Guiding principles of the GCR)

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In this section:

High-Level Officials Meeting

Digital platform

Background

Briefings and meetings in 2023

Global Refugee Forum 2019

Resources

On 17 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the Global Compact on Refugees, after two years of extensive consultations led by UNHCR with Member States, international organizations, refugees, civil society, the private sector, and experts.

The Global Compact on Refugees is a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation.

It provides a blueprint for governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives.

It constitutes a unique opportunity to transform the way the world responds to refugee situations, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them.

Its four key objectives are to:

Ease the pressures on host countries;
Enhance refugee self-reliance;
Expand access to third-country solutions;
Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

To support periodic review, UNHCR will draw upon three distinct but interconnected initiatives referenced in the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), namely, the Indicator Framework for the GCR , progress towards implementing pledges and initiatives announced at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), and the exercise on measuring the impact of hosting, protecting and assisting refugees.

The role of the Global Compact on Refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Global Compact on Refugees and the commitments made at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum support refugees and other people of concern as well as their host communities in their response to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more about it on this page, where you can also find a comprehensive list (marked as "Annex") of all relevant pledges made at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum that support people of concern during this crisis.

A teacher and his student in front of a black board.

Digital Platform for the Global Compact on Refugees

Resources

Good practices of initiatives implementing the Global Compact on Refugees

What does the Global Compact on Refugees include?

The Global Compact on Refugees has four parts:

An introduction setting out the background, guiding principles, and objectives of the global compact.
The Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), as agreed to by Member States in Annex I of the New York Declaration.
A Programme of Action setting out concrete measures to help meet the objectives of the compact, including:
- Arrangements to share burdens and responsibilities through a Global Refugee Forum (every four years), national and regional arrangements for specific situations, and tools for funding, partnerships, and data gathering and sharing.
- Areas in need of support, from reception and admission, to meeting needs and supporting communities, to solutions.
Arrangements for follow-up and review, which will primarily be conducted through the Global Refugee Forum every four years, an annual high-level officials meeting held every two years between forums, and the High Commissioner’s annual report to the General Assembly.