Commissioners Lenarčič and Johansson participate in Global Refugee Forum in Geneva

Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič and Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson will participate in the upcoming Global Refugee Forum in Geneva between 13 and 15 December.

Over the 3-day forum, the EU will reaffirm its support to address major displacement crises and areas linked to refugee support and protection, providing a high-quality asylum space in the EU, continued support for people displaced from Ukraine and contributing to global efforts on resettlement and complementary pathways, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to fostering global stability and durable solutions.

On Thursday, Commissioner Johansson will meet in the morning with the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller. She will attend a parallel high-level event on the Ukraine refugee situation. Also on Thursday at 10:30, Commissioner Johansson will have a press point where she will announce the resettlement pledges for 2024 -2025.

On Friday, Commissioner Lenarčič will attend the parallel high-level event on ‘Scaling up Climate Action in displacement settings' and in the afternoon he will address the plenary session of the Forum.

Resettlement is a crucial humanitarian and protection tool. Commissioner Johansson organised High-level resettlement forums with the Member States and international partner countries (US, Canada, UK) in 2021, 2022 and 2023 to encourage Member States to contribute to this voluntary effort.

Resettlement is voluntary for the Member States. The Commission facilitates joint EU efforts, providing political and financial support. So far in 2023, the Commission has provided €246 million to Member States, in relation to persons admitted through resettlement and humanitarian admission over the last two years.

Together with its Member States, the EU is the biggest humanitarian and development contributor and supporter in refugee situations globally. According to the 2020-2021 OECD-DAC survey from October 2023, the EU is the second-largest donor for forcibly displaced persons.

Combined, EU and its Member States' official development assistance streams establish the EU as the world's leading donor in refugee situations, contributing to 41,8% of global funding.

Each year, about 80% of the EU humanitarian budget is allocated to projects addressing the needs of forcibly displaced persons and host communities, in sectors such as protection, shelter, food assistance, safe water, access to health services or education.