Many forcibly displaced people frequently live outside the protection of the law and cannot secure essential legal information and assistance to access rights, justice and solutions. To address this, over 100 legal and refugee rights organizations – including community empowerment organizations, law firms, bar associations, refugee law clinics, and corporations – have come together to collectively commit to increase access to justice for those displaced by joining the Global Refugee Forum Legal Community Pledge.
Among the commitments made, the private sector signatories to the Pledge committed to provide over 134,000 pro bono hours a year to support the legal needs of those forcibly displaced. PILnet, together with a Core Group of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), support the coordination, sustainability and monitoring of the implementation of the Pledge.
Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 and in response to the urgent refugee crises in 2022, the actors that signed the GRF Community Legal Pledge effectively mobilized themselves in an unprecedented way to deliver essential legal services to refugees and others forcibly displaced and to work collectively to increase access to justice for refugees. This includes responses to the crisis in Afghanistan and Ukraine. The private sector signatories to the Pledge provided over 275133.78 pro bono hours in 2022. The private sector signatories to the Pledge provided over 275,000 pro bono hours in 2022, more than double the Pledged Commitments.
For more information about the progress and impact of implementation of the Pledge, please read:
