The IDC welcomes its Members to attend the 2016 Annual Consultations with NGOs, an event hosted by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland from 15-17 June.
The UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs have long been an important opportunity for IDC Members to meet, discuss, and collaborate around issues of refugee and asylum seeker protection.
Every year over 300 representatives from around the world attend these consultations, offering the unique opportunity for NGOs to engage directly with the UNHCR on important thematic and regional priorities. It is the largest international forum for NGOs working with refugees and internationally displaced persons (IDPs). Participants are able to gather and share information with other active members of civil society, hear from experts in the field, and participate in discussions on how to improve policies and practices concerning refugees.
The theme for this year’s consultations is ‘Youth’, recognising that young people are often overlooked when responding to humanitarian situations. These consultations seek to give youth who are seeking asylum and/or are refugees a platform to voice the challenges they face. The agenda positions youth at the centre of the decision-making process, looking to discuss what is needed to shape positive futures which realise the rights of young people.
This year the IDC will be facilitating a session in the main program entitled “Where we live: safe asylum space for youth”. The session will highlight, among other things, the importance of alternatives to detention as an effective, affordable and humane approach to creating safe space for refugee and asylum seeking youth. This session will take place on Thursday June 16, 2016, 10h30-13h00 in Room 2, ICCG.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Find out more about the NGO Consultations via this link.