“Together we are stronger” – a key take-away from the Regional Consultations with NGOs in Europe

On 19-20 September 2023, the Regional Bureau for Europe and over 100 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) across Europe – including refugee-led organizations (RLOs) – met in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss and share good practices related to inclusion in national systems, gender equality and the role of RLOs. 

After two days of in-depth discussions, the participants formulated several concrete recommendations aimed at UNHCR, States, and civil society on how to work better together to foster protection, ensure meaningful participation, and contribute to positive change across Europe. See some of the recommendations below the video.

Watch the video for some highlights from the event

• Conduct joint advocacy to raise awareness of the barriers and opportunities for the economic inclusion of forcibly displaced persons and bring stakeholders together to connect between policies and their implementation on the ground.
• Invest in building the evidence-base and the full engagement of refugee and stateless-led organizations; Promote inclusion from the onset and enable a whole-of-society approach to facilitate effective access to rights and services, successful integration in host societies, and the empowerment of forcibly displaced and stateless persons to contribute to their host communities. 
• Engage women and girls in decision-making and meaningfully incorporate their perspectives as experts, at all decision-making levels and at the programme design, planning, programming and monitoring stages of humanitarian and social protection interventions.