Regional NGO Consultations 2025: Partnerships more critical than ever
Regional NGO Consultations 2025: Partnerships more critical than ever
The NGO Consultations are officially opened by the panel of speakers in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Consultations provide an opportunity for NGOs operating in Europe to network, dialogue and exchange views with UNHCR as partners, and to explore fresh collaboration on advocacy and operational issues.
The value of NGOs in Europe
UNHCR places great importance on continuously improving collaboration with our non-governmental partners, particularly national NGOs and RLOs who are often the first responders for urgent humanitarian assistance and central to effective, long-term inclusion.
Respecting their agency and their place at the forefront can lead to more sustainable, effective, and contextually appropriate responses that are tailored to the specific needs, priorities and protection risks of affected communities. Going forward, the role of national and local NGOs will remain as important as ever, and they need our full support to strengthen their capacities.
Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, in her opening remarks, emphasized the irreplaceable value of civil society on the front lines of refugee protection, advocacy and mobilization. “When pushing back the threats on foundational principles of refugee protection, you (refugee-led and stateless-led organizations) come with your lived experience – one word from you is 1,000 from me”.
The 2025 Regional Consultations with NGOs focused on two overarching themes: safeguarding the right to seek asylum and promoting community-based protection to support sustainable responses.
UNHCR Regional Bureau Deputy Director, Paul Stromberg, makes opening remarks during the NGO Consultations in Geneva. Joined with him on the panel is Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection for UNHCR and Jamie Munn, Executive Director of ICVA.
Through the fruitful deliberations we heard clear recommendations on the need to:
- Defend the 1951 Convention and core refugee protection principles and in doing so, we must speak with a united voice against the erosion of international protection standards, counter restrictive narratives, and redouble our collective efforts to strengthen State commitments to the Convention.
- Strengthen advocacy and sustainable support for NGOs by supporting them in pushing back against harmful rhetoric and the criminalization of activism; fostering collaboration between civil society, volunteers, law firms, and international actors; and promoting meaningful civil society participation in Pact implementation.
- Invest in Community-Based Protection (CBP) while holding governments accountable for core responsibilities. CBP helps to advance localization, accountability to affected populations, and social cohesion. CBP initiatives are central to both the Route Based Approach and Sustainable Responses and allow humanitarian actors to work in partnership with communities to advance critical protection priorities. At the same time, however, it remains critical for states to ensure access to rights and inclusion of forcibly displaced and stateless people.
The power of partnership: working better, together
In addition, UNHCR and NGOs discussed the funding crisis affecting all humanitarian organizations at a time of unprecedented level of displacement and needs and how we operate and join forces in this context.
Indeed, the humanitarian sector is facing a critical juncture. Global funding for refugee response and protection has declined sharply, forcing organizations like UNHCR to make difficult choices and prioritize the most urgent needs. NGOs and RLOs are feeling the strain acutely. Many have had to scale back services, innovate with fewer resources, and find new ways to sustain their work.
As one NGO put it, “Supporting refugee-led organizations is not charity but an investment in resilience, stability, and the keys to integration”.
Despite these challenges, the NGO consultations highlighted the strategic value of collaboration. By working together, UNHCR and civil society organizations can pool expertise, leverage local networks, and ensure that limited resources have the greatest possible impact.
Two participants from NGOs engage in a discussion during a break out session at the NGO Consultations in Geneva.
Participants shared good practices for adapting to funding constraints, such as
- Complementary Strengths: NGOs and RLOs bring deep community trust, local knowledge, and innovative approaches. UNHCR provides coordination, advocacy, and technical support. Together, they can reach more people, more effectively.
- Shared Advocacy: Joint advocacy efforts are more powerful, helping to keep refugee issues on the agenda even as funding declines.
- Capacity sharing: Investing in the skills and sustainability of local organizations ensures that communities remain resilient, even in times of crisis.
- Exploring new funding models, including private sector partnerships and local philanthropy
Looking Ahead
As the sector adapts to a new funding reality, the 2025 Regional NGO Consultations reaffirmed that strong, strategic partnerships are more important than ever. By working better together, UNHCR and civil society can continue to drive positive change and ensure that refugees and stateless people are not left behind.
For more information on the 2025 Regional NGO Consultations in Europe, please contact Nora Sturm at [email protected].
