Geneva to host first Global Refugee Forum: UN

The first-ever "Global Refugee Forum" will take place here between Dec. 16 and 18, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced on Monday.

The UNHCR and the government of Switzerland will jointly host this global meeting at the Palais des Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations, it said in a statement.

Convened at the ministerial level, the event will be the first high-level gathering to follow up on the practical implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees, which was affirmed by the United Nations (UN) in New York in December 2018.

The aim of the forum is to give impetus to efforts to achieve the compact's objectives and translate international solidarity into concrete action, the UNHCR said.

High-level delegations from co-host Switzerland and from co-convening countries Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Germany, Pakistan and Turkey as well as the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres are scheduled to attend the forum.