JLI Refugee Hub Meeting Feb 9 Global Compacts

Updates from Hub Members on global compact advocacy

• Atallah: Faith-based collaboration organized by Claire Lamont of UNHCR currently forming w/ HIAS & others – keen to collaborate on shared policy positions for submission addressing the role of faith & faith communities in compact. What processes are other organizations in?

• Antonia – May & July UNICEF will join

• Nobuyuki SGI: Geneva Formal Consultation next week – SGI’s particular interest is education

• Others not attending call:

• CCUSA:  Webinar on the 15th of February on the Global Compact & Pope’s response – 20 points from JRS & starting “Share the Journey” campaign

• CCUSA will be hosting a 4/17-19 Interfaith Conference sponsored w/ Caritas, CRS

• ACT Alliance (Christian Wolff) & Oxfam (Shannon Scribner) are interested to collaborate with joint efforts

Advocacy Events & opportunities (feel free to add to JLI Partner & Events Calendar)

1. 1. IRW Planning w/ country offices Italy, Germany, Sweden, UK, US & Canada to do something around world refugee day
   2. #WithRefugees campaign & Welcoming the Stranger toolkit
   3. Faith-based coalition w/ HIAS, ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Religions for Peace, and the World Council of Churches (WCC)—that’s developing (Clarie Lamont, UNHCR)
   4. Atallah: would like to propose a March/ early april in Geneva or London in-person meeting for all interested in submitting a faith response policy brief to the compact
   5. On the compact: a little disappointed at the absence of faith mentioned in the zero draft

Other events

• WCC/ WVI Children on the move Church Partners Conference- Oct 16-19 in Rome
• Other meetings need to be clarified for Geneva etc. please add org events to calendar
• Holy See- ending detention of Migrant and Refugee Children; Feb 21 RSVP
• Daniela Reale of Save the Children leads the Initiative on Child Rights in the Global Compacts

All UNHCR consultations around compacts: 13/14 Feb; 20/21 March; 10/11 April; 8/9 May; 12/13 June; 3/4 July – www.unhcr.org/formalconsultations

3. JLI Refugee Hub Activity

• In 2 years, produce 2 scoping studies (1st was written by Olivia and Joey- role of lfcs in urban context esp in the global south; one policy brief due shortly – March)
• 2nd scoping: places & spaces in the migration journey- will work towards UNGA; launch the 2nd scoping in the fall w/ other translations of evidence possibly podcasts, webinar etc (dependent on success of a funding grant submission currently underway)
• JLI hoping to have a series of guidelines for local, international, refugees and LFCs etc, moving into the implementation phase of the compact

4. Global Compact and JLI Refugee Hub discussion on potential joint opportunities

Marie Claude: 3rd & 4th July will be 6th and last consultation with program of action negotiation; to impact the consultation, any response must be submitted before July

• UNHCR will annex the compact to the high commissioner’s report

• Best length for contribution? 2-4 page brief
• May want to consider asking for policy documents be placed in the room during the formal consultation policy- either 2nd or 3rd of July
• any NGO can register and attend consultations ([email protected]), but NGOs will only be allowed to speak once under each agenda item through ICVA
• Michelle: WEA submitted intervention to ICVA on agenda 1, 2 &3 for next week by 5pm UK ([email protected])
• Antonia: very interested in joint collaboration; quite a lot of efforts focused in advocacy around global compact; in combination with the initiative on child rights
  • How to align; esp w/ unaccompanied minors in Europe
  • UNICEF FBO Roundtable Jan 23 included IR USA (Anwar Khan): Antonia to share notes – discussion on key advocacy moments;
• Beth: CWS Advocacy is mostly US focused, & not the global compact, but could JLI send brief notes on joint publication for CWS to join/ ecumenical partners

Key themes to prioritize for scoping?

• Education, Detention, Safe passage options
• Detention definition? mainly immigration detention; refugee camps included as well as formal and informal
• Additional themes in the scoping study proposal outline
• If you have any themes that you think should be prioritized, please let us know

–          Opportunities from Scoping Study & Policy Brief

• We are hoping to finish the 2nd part of the scoping study in time to include it in the consultation or at least have policy briefs to contribute