David Barclay's speech at the first preparatory meeting for the Global Refugee Forum
RAMP's Adviser on Inclusion to the Mayor of Bristol recently addressed a meeting convened by the UNHCR's Global Refugee Forum at their head office in Geneva.
“Mr Co-Chair, Distinguished Delegates,
Firstly I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate today. In December of last year over 70 cities came together from around the world to endorse the Marrakesh Mayors Declaration. That Declaration represented the culmination of a sustained process of engagement by cities in the development of the Global Compacts, and affirmed cities’ commitment to work together and with the international community to implement the GCR and improve the lives of refugees in our communities. The Declaration focused on 4 action areas to implement the GCR where city leadership creates positive outcomes for refugees:
1) Reception
2) Meeting refugee needs in our communities
3) Inclusion and self-reliance
4) Working together to engage in regional and global partnerships
Working through initiatives such as the Mayors Migration Council and the Global Parliament of Mayors, cities are committed to exploring participation in the pledging process of the Global Refugee Forum. Topics that we propose investigating as part of this include:
1) Work to promote inclusion and refugee self-reliance in our communities, in line with objective 2 of the Compact. This will build on the experience and expertise of many cities. For example in Bristol we have programmes supporting refugees to enter skills-shortage occupations, and to start and grow new businesses, and we are working with our national Government to create a more enabling policy environment for asylum seekers and refugees to access the labour market.
2) Tracking inclusion outcomes for refugees and host communities at the local level, through harmonising metrics and improving data collection and report (in this we are already working with the OECD, Welcoming International and others).
3) Expanding city-to-city co-operation and pursuing partnerships with other stakeholders, including through the recently established Mayors Mechanism of the GFMD
In order to unlock the potential of cities to contribute fully to the realisation of the Compact’s aims, we believe it is crucial for all stakeholders involved in this process to play their part in enabling our participation. This will involve:
1) Supporting a whole-of-Government approach to implementing the GCR – recognising that local ownership in collaboration with host communities and refugees is critical for successful outcomes
2) Recognising cities as formal actors in decision-making processes – including encouraging Member States to include Local Authority representatives in their delegations
3) Supporting cities welcoming and receiving refugees through investment, technical support and capacity building for institutional capacities, infrastructure and accommodation at the local level. This will include facilitating cities’ access to international financing and partnerships to create inclusive services, including private sector partnerships.
4) Facilitating dialogue and good practice sharing between UNHCR, cities and diaspora communities that create local-to-local co-operation.
Ladies and gentlemen, the cities of the world stand ready to play our role in implementing the Global Compact on Refugees, for the benefit of refugees and host communities alike, and we look forward to continuing to work with you all towards this shared goal. Thank you.”