Local Leadership at the Forefront of Refugee Inclusion at the 2025 Global Refugee Forum Progress Review
© UCLG-CGLU | Ramallah Municipal Councillor Jamal Haddad presents the cities pledge at the GRF Closing Plenary
GENEVA, 15–17 December 2025
As governments and partners gathered in Geneva for the 2025 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Progress Review, 9 local and regional government (LRG) delegates joined our Local Coalition for Migrants and Refugees (LCMR) to showcase how cities and regions are turning global refugee commitments into tangible local outcomes. The delegation—representing the Association of Regions of Mali, the Government of Catalonia’s Delegation to Switzerland, Nairobi City County, the City of Milan, Glasgow City Council, Mexico City, and the municipalities of Ramallah and Koboko—participated in the GRF plenary and multiple side events, presenting concrete progress in advancing the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).
On 16 December, the LCMR convened the side event “Cities Turning GCR Commitments into Local Impact”, where it launched its flagship 2025 Call to Local Action Report, “Delivering Results: Local and Regional Governments Advancing the UN Migration and Refugee Compacts”, the first consolidated stocktaking of local pledges made through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees. The report assesses progress on 124 pledges submitted by 88 LRGs at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum and sets out clear recommendations for Member States, donors, and partners to better support and scale local leadership ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum.
Across two panels facilitated by UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz and the Mayors Migration Council’s Policy and Advocacy Director Maggie Powers, local leaders from Nairobi, Milan, and other municipalities highlighted how they are institutionalising inclusion by embedding migrant and refugee services into local governance structures, budgets, and long‑term strategies. Speakers underscored a paradigm shift: cities are no longer just implementers of national policy, but strategic multilateral partners translating international GCR commitments into essential public services such as housing, education, social protection, and waste management at the front lines.
This message resonated throughout the Progress Review, where Koboko Mayor Wilson Sanya and Ramallah Municipal Councillor Jamal Haddad called on the international community to match local ambition with direct, flexible funding and stronger political representation for local leaders supporting refugees and displaced populations in their territories. By documenting local pledges and their implementation, the Call to Local Action demonstrates how LRGs are maintaining protection space, promoting socio‑economic inclusion, and reinforcing social cohesion even amid rising polarisation, shrinking civic space, and constrained funding.
You may consult the 2025 Call to Local Action Report here and explore highlights from the LRG delegation’s participation in Geneva in our photo album from the 2025 Global Refugee Forum Progress Review.
