MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2019) A three-day forum co-hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Switzerland will seek to transform how countries react to refugee situations, as the number of refugees and internally displaced people reached record highs in 2019, a press release stated.
"This week, at the first ever Global Refugee Forum, we must focus our efforts in the coming decade on building upon what we have learned and committing action to support refugees and the countries and communities hosting them. This Forum is an opportunity to attest our collective commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees and rally behind the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in the release.
The forum brings together high-level diplomats, charity and NGO leaders, and prominent business figures. Panels throughout the forum will focus on establishing pathways and methods for reacting to refugee situations in areas such as burden and responsibility sharing, education, jobs, energy and protection.
According to the UNHCR press release, more than 100 companies and foundations will attend the forum, due to be held at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, in order to make pledges to offer private-sector assistance to refugees across the world.
According to a report published by UNHCR in June, the world is experiencing the highest levels of population displacement ever recorded, as approximately 70.8 million people have been forced to move from their homes due to violence, climate change or persecution. 57 percent of refugees recorded by UNHCR originate from Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan, while Turkey is the top refugee-hosting country, currently accommodating 3.7 million refugees.
