PILnet is excited to participate in the upcoming Global Refugee Forum Progress Review (GRF PR) in Geneva on December 15-17. This event will build on stocktaking efforts at the country, regional, and global levels, to maintain momentum and assess progress against the implementation of the pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) towards the advancement of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), and also outline next steps in the lead up to the GRF in 2027.
Explore the full programs for the GRF PR:
Main event (CICG) Linked events (Various Locations) R-SPACE (Impact Hub)
2025 pledge video
To capture the importance of the GRF Legal Community Pledge, Core Group Member Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has prepared a video which was launched at the GRF Pledge Review.
PILnet is leading a diverse Global Refugee Forum Legal Community Pledge delegation to amplify the critical role of legal assistance and advocacy in responses to displacement and statelessness. Our team will represent the legal community across plenary sessions, side events, and direct support activities throughout the GRF Progress Review.
The following PILnet staff and board member are leading the delegation:
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Jasmine Simperingham
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Yusra Herzi
Program Officer at PILnet
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Awmaima Amyaraf
Senior Impact Advisor at DLA Piper
PILnet Board
Global Legal Community Pledge: Priorities and Partnerships Dialogue
18:00 – 18:50 | Meeting Room 2, CICG
Moderated by Jasmine Simperingham (PILnet) and Patrick Eba (UNHCR), this strategic dialogue brings together States, UN agencies, law firms, and civil society to chart the path to GRF 2027.
This session will feature good practice highlights from Boriana Benev Ode, Abdikadir Mohamed (South African Refugee Led Network), Ainura Bekkoenova, Lara Nasiff (Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer), and Cecilia Vejby Andersen (Danish Refugee Council)
Live Legal Health Checks for Refugee-Led Organizations
R-SPACE Impact Hub
Throughout the GRF PR, Yusra Herzi will provide one-to-one Legal Health Check sessions for refugee-led organizations attending the GRF PR—offering tangible support to identify legal risks, strengthen governance, and build organizational resilience.
Plenary Pledge Statement Launch
Plenary Hall
Dr. Awmaima Amrayaf will deliver the Global Legal Community Pledge Joint Statement—co-drafted and endorsed by pledge members—which highlights the community’s achievements, including reaching nearly one million people with legal services, and warns of the mounting challenges threatening access to justice.
Watch Live StreamLive Legal Health Checks for Refugee-Led Organizations
R-SPACE Impact Hub
Throughout the GRF PR, Yusra Herzi will provide one-to-one Legal Health Check sessions for refugee-led organizations attending the GRF PR—offering tangible support to identify legal risks, strengthen governance, and build organizational resilience.
Launch of the GRF Legal Community Pledge Progress Report 2024–2025
On December 17, PILnet will launch the GRF Legal Community Pledge Implementation Progress Report 2024–2025, following a global stocktaking exercise with pledge members on the implementation of their commitments over the past two years. The report showcases best practices from pledge members worldwide and highlights the momentum of collective action under the pledge.
Read the Pledge reportUpholding the Refugee Convention: a multistakeholder call to action
8:00-9:45 | Varembé Conference Centre, Geneva Meeting Room
The upcoming 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention offers a pivotal moment to reaffirm and expand global support for its life-saving protections.
This event will explore how states and civil society can commemorate this milestone through campaigns, events, and joint statements that highlight the Convention’s role in safeguarding refugees and fostering international cooperation. Organized by Church World Service, Danish Refugee Council, Human Rights First, ICVA, Jesuit Refugee Service, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Refugee Congress, Refugee Council USA, R-SEAT, and the Women’s Refugee Commission, as well as additional partners such as academia, UNHCR and member states, the discussions will focus on renewing commitments, encouraging new accessions, and advancing GRF pledges, such as strengthening asylum systems and promoting pathways for regularization, integration, and naturalization.
GCR mechanisms: Strengthening the pledge framework
11:30-13:00 | Room: 4
This strategic dialogue will bring together engaged pledging entities made up of States, international organizations, development partners, civil society, refugee-led groups, and other stakeholders to review the evolution and future direction of the Global Refugee Forum pledging framework established under the Global Compact on Refugees. The open exchange will assess how the framework has supported progress on protection, inclusion, and solutions, drawing on insights from the nearly 3,500 pledges cumulatively submitted since 2019. The discussion will consider the quality and impact of pledges, the functioning of the matching process, and the ability of the multistakeholder pledge structure to generate transformational outcomes. The discussion will inform updated guidance for the 2027 Global Refugee Forum to ensure that pledges are practical, results-oriented, and aligned with core needs.
Jasmine Simperingham, PILnet’s Program Director, Forced Displacement, will be speaking on this panel.
Spotlight session: Strong and sustainable asylum systems: addressing challenges, enabling protection and solutions
13:30 – 15:00 | Room ABCD
The event, moderated by PILnet delegate David Manne, will provide a moment to reflect on achievements, assess ongoing challenges and chart a practical path forward to fully realize the Asylum Capacity – Asylum Capacity Support Group (ACSG) Multistakeholder Pledge ahead of the GRF 2027. The event aims to mobilize further political commitments to strengthen national asylum systems as outlined in the recently launched Strategic Approach and position these efforts as part of a broader, coherent and coordinated response to mixed movements of refugees and migrants.
Live Legal Health Checks for Refugee-Led Organizations
R-SPACE Impact Hub
Throughout the GRF PR, Yusra Herzi will provide one-to-one Legal Health Check sessions for refugee-led organizations attending the GRF PR—offering tangible support to identify legal risks, strengthen governance, and build organizational resilience.
Follow GRF PR proceedings live:
The Global Legal Community Pledge builds essential bridges across the legal ecosystem to strengthen access to justice for displaced and stateless people, while placing those with lived experience at the center of its efforts.
First launched at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum and reaffirmed in 2023, the Pledge unites 125 organizations, law firms, States, and other actors in a powerful model of collective action.
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For partnership opportunities: [email protected]
For Legal Health Checks (RLOs): [email protected]