KEY OUTCOME:

Advance self-reliance through the economic inclusion and social protection of refugees, other forcibly displaced and stateless people, and host communities (also linked to HLOM Recommendation 13).

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The Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection aims to galvanize concrete commitments from a wide range of stakeholders to advance the self-reliance of refugees, other forcibly displaced and stateless people, and host communities. It advocates for inclusive law and policy to enhance: economic inclusion; access to agricultural land; food security; local and remote employment and decent work; finance and financial services; entrepreneurship; training and lifelong learning; and inclusion into national social protection systems.

This pledge serves as a platform to promote synergies and matching opportunities between pledging entities and other stakeholders to fulfill the implementation of pledges, share best practices, and aggregate resources, tracking, and accountability related to the thematic areas of economic inclusion and social protection. 

The pledge recognizes the generous commitments made at the GRF 2019 by States and others and seeks to build upon implementation and progress made on these with renewed support. The pledge builds on the outcomes of the High Commissioner’s Dialogue Innovation Lab on self-reliance in November 2022 and commitments made in 2019. 

READ: One Year On From the 2023 GRF

Technical Guidance Notes
Data & Evidence | Programmes | Law & Policy

How to Submit a Pledge
Written Guide | Video Tutorial

How to Join the NGO-led Pledge on Promoting Holistic Self-Reliance
Overview | Instructions | FAQ | Expression of Interest

resource library

The Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection Resource Library is meant to serve as a hub for research and reports on topics that relate to economic inclusion and social protection to support refugees, other forcibly displaced and stateless people, and host communities.

Economic Inclusion and Social Protection Resource Library

Leadership

The Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection is led by the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative (RSRI) and UNHCR with the United States, Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa, Denmark, Germany, and Mexico.

Technical co-conveners of this pledge include: the International Labour Organization, Innovations for Poverty Action, Poverty Alleviation Coalition, and Tent Partnership for Refugees.

Technical contributors include: International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement, The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), OECD, UNICEF, ODI, and the European Union.

We welcome contributions by partners and stakeholders as their commitments develop.

For further details or information, you can contact us at info@refugeeselfreliance.org and livelihoods@unhcr.org.

visit the Global Compact on Refugees webpage for this pledge

Calendar of Key Moments

Previous Events

2025

2024

2023

  • 12 December 2023 | Side event: IGAD Support Platform

  • 13-15 December 2023 | Global Refugee Forum 2023

  • 13 December 2023, 13:30-15:00 | GRF Parallel High-Level Event: Employment and Entrepreneurship

  • 14 December 2023, 16:00-17:30 | GRF Parallel High-Level Event: Social Protection

  • 14 December 2023, 13:40-13:50 | GRF Speaker’s Corner: Poverty Alleviation Coalition

  • 15 December 2023, 13:40-12:50 | GRF Speaker’s Corner: Enhancing the support ecosystem for refugee entrepreneurs

  • 15 December 2023, 14:20-14:30 | GRF Speaker’s Corner: Integrated Livelihood Programming in Displacement Settings

  • 8 November 2023 | Making Inclusion a Reality in GRF Pledges: A Dialogue on Age, Gender, and Diversity (An Event of the GRF AGD Group of Friends)

  • 2 November 2023 | Virtual Briefing: Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection

  • September-December 2023 | Pledge development

  • 17-19 October 2023 | ILO Conference: Business and Decent Work in Forced Displacement (Kampala, Uganda)

  • 9-13 October 2023 | Convening with pledge partners during UNHCR ExCom to update on pledge-making progress

  • 21 September 2023 | Agenda 2030: Leave no one behind - Online dialogue on inclusive social protection for displaced children and their families

  • July-September 2023 | Sub-convenings per each thematic area to highlight progress since 2019, including best practices and achievements (learning), remaining gaps (stocktaking) and new pledge/matching commitments addressing those gaps

  • 22 June 2023 | Virtual pledge introductory meeting

  • 17 May 2023 | Introduction of pledge at the Global Refugee Forum preparatory meeting

2019 GRF PLEDGE

At the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative (RSRI) presented a joint pledge, along with 15 partner agencies, to promote refugee self-reliance through measurement, programming and advocacy. Despite the significant global disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made progress towards our joint commitments to advance self-reliance for refugees, other displaced populations and host community members. We are pleased to share an update on the progress made so far.

2019 GRF PLEDGE: PROGRESS UPDATE