Support Platforms

Context-specific arrangements to support a comprehensive response for refugees and concerned host communities

Support Platforms

Context-specific arrangements to support a comprehensive response for refugees and concerned host communities
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South Sudanese refugee Agnes Batio, 32, is a mother of two who started working in construction at Bidibidi settlement and is now team leader. The job has earned her new skills and an improved income.

The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) proposes that, in appropriate circumstances, UNHCR would be able to 'activate' a Support Platform. The Support Platform is a flexible modality for the provision of situation-specific support from the international community. As set out in the GCR, a Support Platform is led by a group of States that are committed to providing support, and it can benefit from the engagement of other stakeholders as appropriate (including regional and subregional mechanisms and groupings, international organizations, international financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector).

The Global Refugee Forum 2019 marked the launch of three Support Platforms to reinforce regional refugee responses, including for the MIRPS in Central America and Mexico, the Nairobi Process facilitated by IGAD in the East and Horn of Africa, and the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR). In 2023, a Support Platform was launched for the Central African Republic situation.

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The functions of a Support Platform include:

  • galvanizing political commitment and advocacy for prevention, protection, response, and solutions;
  • mobilizing financial, material, and technical assistance, as well as resettlement and complementary pathways for admission to third countries;
  • facilitating coherent humanitarian and development responses, including through the early and sustained engagement of development actors; and
  • supporting comprehensive policy initiatives to ease pressure on host countries, build resilience and& self-reliance, and find solutions.
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A group of nine people standing on steps, in front of a roll-up banner announcing the launch of the CAR support platform

Central African Republic Solutions Support Platform

Co-chaired by the African Development Bank and UNHCR, the Core Group solicits humanitarian, development, peace and private sector actors to contribute to the sustainable and peace-transformative solutions for forcibly displaced Central Africans, including refugees, internally displaced people and returnees.

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Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)

The IGAD Support Platform is the result of close collaboration between the IGAD Secretariat, the European Union, the World Bank, Germany, and UNHCR. It is a mechanism to sustain the momentum and galvanize additional support for the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and Plan of Action, as well as subsequent Declarations and Plans of Action (all referred to as “the IGAD Process”).  

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MIRPS - Comprehensive Regional Protection & Solutions Framework

The MIRPS Support Platform is a mechanism to support responsibility sharing for forced displacement in Central America and Mexico. It was set up to support the efforts of the seven MIRPS countries (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama) to offer protection, seek solutions, and mobilize support from current and new actors engaged in these efforts.

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Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR)

The Support Platform is led by Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, with UNHCR’s support as a secretariat. In this time of humanitarian crisis, the Support Platform is more relevant than ever and will remain the key framework for comprehensive and coordinated support to the Afghanistan situation, including for those displaced inside Afghanistan and those who cross borders.

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