UNHCR: Geneva gathering to reaffirm solidarity and deliver new results for refugees

GENEVA – A key global gathering on refugee issues next week falls at a moment when reaffirming global support for refugees is essential. Asylum is increasingly politicized and undermined, humanitarian funding is shrinking, refugee rights are under pressure, and global solidarity is being tested.

Next week’s Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Progress Review, co-hosted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Switzerland, runs from 15 to 17 December in Geneva and brings together senior government officials, civil society, the private sector, academia, faith leaders and, most importantly, refugees, to advance new solutions and assess how pledges made over the past years are being translated into real impact.

Now is not the moment to step back – it is the moment to reinforce partnerships and send a clear message to refugees and host countries: you are not alone. Across countries and communities, support for refugees continues. More than 3,400 pledges have been recorded across 47 thematic and regional areas since the first GRF took place in 2019, involving over 1,300 partners. Two-thirds are fulfilled or in progress.

Ten countries have passed new labour laws enabling refugees to work, benefiting over half a million refugees and host community members. In Mexico, for instance, more than 160,000 refugees have joined the formal workforce, generating tax revenue and strengthening local economies. In Poland, refugee labour market inclusion contributed up to 2.7 per cent GDP growth. Refugee enrolment in higher education rose to 9 per cent from 6 per cent since 2023. Ten countries have strengthened asylum systems, including Chad, which adopted its first-ever asylum law. Every success – big or small – matters. Each proves that progress is possible when we act together.

However, challenges remain, and funding gaps threaten hard-won gains. Host countries are doing their part, but solidarity cannot be sustained on goodwill alone. Without renewed political will and investment, progress risks being lost. The global context is deteriorating amid continued conflict, record civilian deaths – one life is currently being lost every 12 minutes – and deepening political divides, which are driving displacement and straining the system.

Responsibility-sharing remains uneven: countries with just 27 per cent of global wealth host 80 per cent of the world’s refugees, while low-income nations bear a disproportionate burden. In 2023, $14.4 billion in aid was allocated to refugee situations – 190 times less than global military spending in 2024. Resettlement and family reunification have expanded but remain insufficient, and returns are increasing – including more than 2 million refugees in 2025 – but often under duress and without adequate support, undermining their sustainability.

This meeting is not just another process – it is about refugees, for refugees, and with refugees. Over 200 refugees and people with lived experience of displacement and statelessness are expected to participate in the event in Geneva, including 130 supported by UNHCR, bringing their expertise and holding us accountable. Their leadership strengthens the entire process.

The initiatives under the Global Refugee Forums and Progress Review have been catalysed by the Global Compact on Refugees, which remains essential for promoting equitable, lasting solutions and addressing the root causes of displacement. The message from this GRF Progress Review is clear: collective action works, but only if we sustain it. Refugee protection is a shared responsibility, and the world cannot afford to lose the progress made.

Notes for editors:

The Global Refugee Forum Progress Review, taking place from 15 to 17 December 2025 at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) in Switzerland, is a critical milestone between two Global Refugee Forums – the last held in 2023 and the next scheduled for 2027. Find information concerning media registration to the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review here.

The Global Compact on Refugees Indicator Report 2025 tracks progress toward the Compact’s four objectives – easing pressure on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, expanding third-country solutions, and supporting conditions for safe return – using 16 global indicators.

For more information, please contact:

• In Geneva, Matthew Saltmarsh: [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36
• In Geneva, Carlotta Wolf: [email protected], +41 79 546 67 07