On 17 May 2023, the Geneva Cities Hub, the Mayors Migration Council, UCLG and the Mayors Mechanism joined forces to speak on behalf of the Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) constituency at the 2nd formal preparatory briefing of the Global Refugee Forum (GRF, Geneva, 13-15 Dec 2023).
As the international community prepares for the second Global Refugee Forum, the GCH and its partners recalled the critical role of LRGs in relation to refugee inclusion and the achievements of the Global Compact on Refugees. Three specific asks were made to States and the UNHCR on the occasion of this preparatory meetings:
- welcoming local governments at the GRF in all segments of its programmes, so that they may share their pledges and expertise
- partnering with local governments and in particular for States to submitting joint pledges with their local governments or including the latter in national delegations to the GRF
- consulting local governments on policy solutions in relation to refugee policies.
The LRGs constituency will continue to engage as we get closer to the GRF, in particular to ensure a meaningful participation of mayors in this important multilateral process.
