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Frequently Asked Questions

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

© UNHCR

Purpose of the High-Level Officials Meeting

Programme of the High-Level Officials Meeting

Pledges


Initiatives in the Global Compact on Refugees


Purpose of the High-Level Officials Meeting

What is the High-Level Officials Meeting?
The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) aims to: ease the pressures on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand access to third-country solutions, and support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity. The High-Level Officials Meeting is held every four years and is a part of the regular process established in the Global Compact on Refugees to take stock of progress and maintain momentum towards these objectives.
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Is the High-Level Officials Meeting another Global Refugee Forum?
No. The Global Compact on Refugees provides for the Global Refugee Forum to take place every four years, and for High-Level Officials Meetings to be held between Forums to allow for ‘mid-term review’.
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When and where did the 2021 High-Level Officials Meeting take place?
The High-Level Officials Meeting took place on 14 and 15 December 2021, with an advance day (13 December 2021) set aside for side events. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the meeting was held in a virtual format.
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Who attended the High-Level Officials Meeting?
The meeting was virtually attended by senior government officials, such as head of departments engaged in refugee affairs and comprehensive refugee responses.
In addition, keeping with the multi-stake and partnership approach central to the Global Compact on Refugees, senior representatives of key stakeholder groups also participated, including international organizations, 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; media; host community members, and refugees themselves.

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Were refugee representatives at the meeting?
Yes, refugees were included as participants and speakers. The criteria for the identification of refugee speakers were agreed on by the Interim Advisory Group of organizations led by People of Concern to UNHCR and considers:

  • regional diversity,
  • compliance with age, gender and diversity considerations,
  • balance between experienced leaders (with prior experience in global events) and emerging leaders (without prior experience in global events),
  • inclusion of different networks (local, regional and global level) and;
  • nominations from different stakeholders.

The Interim Advisory Group of Organizations led by Persons of Concern to UNHCR, includes 26 members representing different regions, and advises UNHCR’s internal Task Team on Engagement and Partnership of Organisations led by Persons of Concern.

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What is the HLOM Virtual Space?

The High-Level Officials Meeting 2021 was organized in a virtual format. To give visibility to the efforts that led up to this mid-term review, the Digital Platform for the Global Compact on Refugees offered a virtual space – a digital one-stop-shop allowed participants to share content in line with the 2021 HLOM theme of “reflecting progress and charting the future”. By sharing content on progress on the Digital Platform, participants benefited from increased visibility of their efforts that will live beyond the event itself.

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How will the outcomes of the High-Level Officials Meeting be connected to the next Global Refugee Forum?
The recommendations from the stocktaking events, preparatory roundtables, spotlight sessions, and the High-Level Officials Meeting will be consolidated and summarized in an outcome document. This document will serve as the basis for the development of the strategy and guidance on the development of pledges for the next Global Refugee Forum.
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Is there a negotiated outcome document?
No. The outcome document will be in the form of a summary of the High-Level Officials Meeting (HLOM) with corresponding recommendations to also serve as guidance towards preparations for the next Global Refugee Forum in 2023.
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When will the next High-Level Officials Meeting take place?
The Global Compact on Refugees mandates that the Global Refugee Forums (GRF) are held every four years, and High-Level Officials Meetings (HLOM) held two years after each GRF. The next Global Refugee Forum will take place in December 2023.
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Programme of the High-Level Officials Meeting

Was participation at the High-Level Officials Meeting virtual or in-person?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the High-Level Officials Meeting took place as an entirely virtual event.
The safety of all involved and the ability of all participants to take part in meetings on an equal basis were primary considerations in making this decision.
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What was the programme for the High-Level Officials Meeting?
In order to ensure that the event focused on the outcomes of the preparatory process, the High-Level Officials Meeting itself consisted of a plenary discussion for the full two days. It was interspersed by three panels, each focusing on a different priority area and dedicated to furthering the discussions started during the stocktaking process and the preparatory roundtables.

Four spotlight sessions on emerging issues took place during the morning and lunch periods on each day, which included a focus on the medium to long-term response to the pandemic, climate action, the support platforms and the three-year strategy on resettlement and complementary pathways.

The full programme can be found here.
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Were there any preparations for the High-Level Officials Meeting?
Preparations for the HLOM at the global level included a series of briefings, consultations, pledge updates, virtual preparatory roundtables. In addition, UNHCR also convened a series of stocktaking events at the regional level and for specific thematic areas of focus and stakeholder groups. The Office also provided the first GCR indicator report to help inform the HLOM.

View the High-Level Officials Roadmap for 2020 and 2021 here.
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Pledges

Is UNHCR expecting new pledges to be made at each High-Level Officials Meeting?
The High-Level Officials Meeting is primarily an opportunity to assess how far the international community has come in implementing pledges made at the Global Refugee Forums and to set future directions for support and pledging.

Whilst not a pledging conference itself, States and others are welcome to make new pledges at or in the lead-up to a High-Level Officials Meeting. Additional information on how to get involved will be provided in the lead up to the next Global Refugee Forum.
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Do pledges need to have been fully implemented by the time of a High-Level Officials Meeting?
No. Pledging entities are asked to define their own timeframe for implementation when submitting a pledge. For example, at the Global Refugee Forum in 2019, many set 2023 as the date of envisaged implementation in line with the convening of the next Global Refugee Forum.
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What is pledge matching?
Matching is the process of pairing host country pledges to facilitate greater inclusion, protection, and support for refugees with pledges made by donors to provide the financial, material, or technical support necessary for their implementation.

A list of host country pledges that can be matched with pledges of financial, material, or technical support can be found here.The GCR Coordination Team are exploring various mechanisms to further encourage matching of pledges made at the GRF in 2019 and towards the cultivation of new pledges in the context of the next GRF in 2023.
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Will UNHCR continue to track progress on pledges made at the GRF in 2019 after the High-Level Officials Meeting?
Yes, all progress on pledges is tracked and reported on a dedicated online dashboard. The online tracking system remains continuously open, and pledging entities are encouraged to submit updates on progress throughout the year, particularly when significant progress or the status of their pledge implementation changes.
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How do I provide updates on the implementation of my pledge?
Any updates to your pledge can be reported through this link on the Global Compact on Refugees Digital Platform. The online tracking system remains continuously open for progress updates. If you are submitting updates on more than one pledge, please complete one form per pledge.
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Can I revise a pledge that I have made previously?
Yes, please contact the GCR Coordination Team at [email protected] for any revisions or corrections to a pledge.
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Initiatives in the Global Compact on Refugees

Were the initiatives in the Global Compact on Refugees featured in the 2021 High-Level Officials Meeting?
Yes, all of the initiatives, including the support platforms, global academic interdisciplinary network, asylum capacity support group, three-year strategy on resettlement and complementary pathways and the clean energy challenge featured during the meeting.
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When will the indicator report be available?
The report against the Global Compact on Refugees Indicator Framework was launched during a dedicated event on 16 November 2021. The report is now available here.
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How did the work on measuring the impact of hosting and protecting refugees feed into the High-Level Officials Meeting?
The outcomes of this separate workstream provided for in the Global Compact on Refugees — the latest output of which was the joint World Bank-UNHCR report on "The Global Cost of Inclusive Refugee Education" — were reflected in the report against the Global Compact on Refugees Indicator Framework where possible.
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