The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) is an international framework for strengthened cooperation and solidarity with refugees and affected host communities. It specifically recognises the contribution of sport and sporting entities in ensuring the protection and well-being of displaced people.
The GCR sets out to broaden the base of entities engaging in refugee response and become a catalyst for actors from the private sector, faith-based organisations, cities, academic institutions, and the world of sport, among others, to engage. It provides a unique opportunity to transform the way the world responds to refugee situations by benefiting both refugees and communities that host them.
Paragraph 44 of the GCR specifically recognises “the important role that sports […] can play in social development, inclusion, cohesion and well-being for refugee children (both boys and girls), adolescents and youth, as well as older persons and persons with disabilities”. The Compact emphasises that new partnerships will be essential to increase access to sporting activities in refugee-hosting areas.
The first Global Refugee Forum in 2019
Following the affirmation of the Global Compact on Refugees in 2018, the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) was established. The GRF is an opportunity for states and other actors to come together every four years to share good practices and contribute financial support, technical expertise and policy changes, to further the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees.
The first GRF took place in December 2019, and around 3,000 participants from various countries, international organisations, companies, foundations, civil society organisations, refugee and sport organisations participated. UNHCR and the Olympic Refuge Foundation coordinated activities that highlighted the important role that sport can play for the protection and inclusion of displaced people. On this occasion, the Sport for Refugees Coalition was created.
The second Global Refugee Forum in 2023
The 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) presented the opportunity to reiterate the important role that sport can play as a tool for the protection and inclusion of displaced people, building on the strong foundations laid in 2019. It also acted as a mechanism to broaden the base of sports stakeholders involved in refugee issues and to use the platform that sport provides in efforts to further the refugee cause. Co-convened by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and the Scort Foundation, more than 140 entities, from grassroots clubs and civil society organisations to governments and sports federations, came together to commit to the Multistakeholder Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection. The refreshed pledge on sport outlines the role that sport can play in improving the lives of refugees, including through sports programming, policy change, skills development, and communication and advocacy efforts. Further, pledging entities could join the Sport for Refugees Coalition, if interested.
- Learn more about the Global Refugee Forum 2023
- Learn more about the GRF 2023 Joint Pledge on Sport
- Learn more about sport’s contribution at the first Global Refugee Forum in 2019
If you are interested in committing to the pledge, reach out to us at [email protected].
Image by Ahmed Akacha.
