Beyond promises: saving lives by easing pressures on host countries

In December 2025, the second High-Level Officials Meeting (HLOM) will take place, bringing together representatives from across the international community to reflect on the progress made since the Global Refugee Forum 2023, identify and address the challenges faced, and look to the next Forum in 2027.

In advance of the HLOM 2025, regional and thematic stocktaking events will be held, to help better inform discussions in December.

This article is the first in a series looking to demonstrate some of the tangible, life-saving impact the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) is having, including through implementation of pledges, starting with contributions towards the first objective of the GCR, to ease pressures on host countries. Many pledges contribute to more than one objective, so this article will focus in particular on pledges towards quality financing for humanitarian, development and peace cooperation – which are working to increase funding while giving more flexibility to spend it where deemed most necessary – and to pledges contributing towards resilient human settlements, which work to mitigate risks to host countries and their citizens, while expanding protection for refugees and other displaced people.

For decades, host countries, often with limited resources, have not only provided protection and support to refugees, asylum seekers and stateless people, but also carried much of the burden of raising awareness of the need for better, more comprehensive responses. The humanity and determination displayed by many host State governments is inspiring and cannot – and should not – be understated. But they are desperately in need of support.

Through the implementation of pledges towards achieving the GCR objectives, vital support is being provided to start to address the inequality of responsibility sharing in refugee responses. This support is also enabling host countries to deliver on their pledges, enhancing the lives of refugees and host community members alike. And the impact can be lifesaving.

In Cameroon, a government-run reforestation project is regenerating degraded ecosystems, not only bringing clean energy sources making cooking safer for host community members and refugees alike, but also providing tens of thousands of plants, including fruit trees, to both groups. With a particular focus on women, children and youths, the elderly, and people with disabilities, this pledge made at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 is improving the environment while providing an additional, sustainable source of food.

Projects promoting food security, particularly food self-sufficiency, have been a priority for the Government of Norway. Taking a conflict-sensitive approach, they are ensuring the implementation of their pledges is meeting the needs of refugees and internally displaced people in a way that also benefits host communities.

Among these pledges, Norway, in close collaboration with UNHCR and the World Food Programme, has been working to address food insecurity in Uganda. In addition to easing pressures, the pledge is also essential in that it supports the Government of Uganda in implementing their own pledges to assist the large-scale refugee populations they so generously host.

Additionally, Norway is allocating NOK 5 billion for developing countries impacted by the knock-on effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in particular addressing acute and underfunded hunger crises. Further work is being done in collaboration with the World Food Programme to strengthen early warning-based efforts for food security, designed to highlight risks of food shortages, allowing for adaption and anticipatory action to be taken, reducing the reliance on more costly humanitarian relief in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of its pledge to enable access to sustainable and green energy solutions for refugees and host communities, South Sudan is implementing a World-Bank funded regional Climate Resilience Programme, which focuses on mitigating risk, investing in infrastructure, and improving institutional capacity for long term-risk management. As part of this project, over 40,000 tree seedlings have been distributed, engaging 500 host community members and refugees in paid employment including tree planting and other adaption activities.

Furthermore, nearly 500 refugee households were supported in accessing clean cooking technologies, lowering the reliance on cutting down trees as a source of fuel, thus improving air quality and reducing flood risks for everyone. This is coupled with enhanced resilience within refugee camps through better flood preparedness, by working with refugees to provide improved alerts, early warnings, and forecasting.