Global Refugee Forum
Background on the Global Refugee Forum
In 2018, the global community came together and adopted an agreement called the Global Compact on Refugees. The Global Compact has 4 key objectives:
Ease the pressures on host countries
Enhance refugee self-reliance
Expand access to third-country solutions (like the Student Refugee Program!)
Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity
As part of the Global Compact, the global community comes together every 4 years to renew commitments and take stock of progress made towards these objectives in an event called the Global Refugee Forum (GRF). The first one happened in December 2019.
A key aspect of the GRF is that participants make pledges to achieve certain goals within the four year window. Pledges are made at the state, organization, and individual levels.
Wenasa Alaraba, SRP alumni with Minister Mendicino, Minister of Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, at the Global Refugee Forum, December 2019.
Who attends the Global Refugee Forum?
Refugee leaders
Heads of state, ministers, and senior government staff
UN Refugee Agency and other agencies
Academics and researchers
Foundations and philanthropists
Multilateral organizations
Private sector representatives
Non-government organizations (like WUSC!)
What is WUSC's role in the Global Refugee Forum?
At the first GRF in 2019, WUSC’s Executive Director, Senior Manager for Durable Solutions, and Student Refugee Program alumni Wenasa Alaraba attended the GRF. As a co-chair of the Global Task Force on Education Pathways for Refugee Protection, WUSC also convenes panels and plays a planning role in the event.
WUSC as an organization also submits pledges on behalf of the whole organization’s efforts to improve the lives of refugees. You can see the 2019 pledges here and read about our progress here.
How do Local Committees get involved?
We ask Local Committees to get involved in the Global Refugee Forum by submitting pledges on what they hope to achieve with the SRP in the next 4 years! WUSC will collect the pledges and ensure they are represented at the GRF. We will also support your Local Committee as you work towards fulfilling your pledges.
How can your Local Committee submit a pledge?
Your Local Committee will choose to commit to one or more of the pledges listed below, and define your specific goals and strategies to fulfill each pledge. You will submit your pledges via MyCommittee, where you will report on them annually, identifying new actions you have taken in each area. WUSC will be checking in on the status of your pledges and provide you with the support you need to fulfill them.
WUSC Local Committee Pledges
The pledge categories we propose are in line with WUSC’s broader programming principles of sustainability, scale, and quality (read more on pg. 13 of WUSC’s 5 year strategy).
PLEDGE #1: SUSTAINABILITY
We pledge to secure the sustainability of the Student Refugee Program on our campus.
Securing and expanding long-term funding commitments
Referenda (see Referendum Guide here)
Tuition and housing waivers
Fundraising (large donors and/or peer-to-peer)
Ensuring multi-year commitments for cash or in-kind support are recorded and saved (like in a Memorandum of Understanding)
Building a strong and resilient Local Committee
Recruiting staff advisor AND faculty advisor
Recording members and activities on MyCommittee
Develop clear roles and responsibilities, in addition to transition/handover plans for when members leave/graduate
Constitution
Training plan for members
Shadowing
Recruitment
PLEDGE #2: SCALE
We pledge to scale the impact of the Student Refugee Program.
Increasing the number of students sponsored
Fundraising
Building a larger/stronger Local Committee
Influencing admissions policies to be more inclusive of refugee applicants (SRP students or otherwise)
Grades, language tests, academic documents
Influencing other campuses to implement the Student Refugee Program on their campuses
PLEDGE #3: QUALITY
We pledge to improve the quality of the Student Refugee Program on our campus.
Improving support along the 5 pillars
Engaging more actors/supporters to help, like alumni and specific campus services who can adapt to resettled refugee needs
Evaluating the support we provide by collecting regular feedback from SRP students and alumni (through surveys, focus group discussions, etc.)