On Friday, 1 September 2023, from 3 to 6 p.m. the Third Formal Preparatory Meeting for the Global Refugee Forum 2023 took place at the CICG (Centre International de Conférences Genève) in Geneva.

The Global Refugee Forum (GRF), is the world’s largest gathering in support of refugees and the communities that host them and brings together governments, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector to address the complex challenges posed by the global refugee crisis.

During the meeting, the core of the GRF discussion revolved around assessing the effectiveness of pledges made during previous forums. It was widely acknowledged that the true success of the Global Refugee Forum lies in the quality of these pledges. High-quality pledges were defined as those that: demonstrated concrete and sustainable support for refugees, encompassed clear plans and mechanisms for implementation and promoted equitable responsibility-sharing among nations.

Furthermore, to address the ongoing refugee crisis, the GRF emphasized the necessity of fostering a collective will to do more. The conference recognized that hosting refugees equitably over the long term requires sustained commitment and collaboration among nations, organizations, and sectors.

During the discussion, the issue of Human Trafficking was raised, particularly by France and Colombia. It was for this reason that Prof. Michel Veuthey, Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons intervened, emphasizing the significance of addressing the problem of human trafficking and the necessity to establish a formal pledge on this matter. The panel. exactly Ms. Perveen Ali, Senior Policy Advisor and Head of the Global Compact on Refugees Coordination Team, UNHCR, responded by informing that the development of a pledge focused on human trafficking is currently in the planning stage, and it is being done in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Ms Siobhán Mullally

Here you can find the Agenda and the list of panelists.