Over 110 legal and refugee rights actors have come together to commit to the 2023 Joint Legal Community Pledge, as part of the multi-stakeholder 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Legal Community Pledge initiative launched at the second GRF on 14 December 2023.
Each member of the community has made their unique pledge, ranging from commitments to provide legal assistance to displaced people and refugee-led organizations, to increase refugee inclusion in legal programming and hiring practices, and to mobilize resources for legal assistance and empowerment work. Collectively, community members agreed to provide over 1 million pro bono hours of free legal services to refugees, other displaced people, and the organizations that are led by or work with them.

A key aim of the 2023 GRF Legal Community Pledge initiative is to build a more integrated legal community that works locally to globally to advance access to justice, rights, and solutions with and for refugees and other displaced people. PILnet, together with members of the Pledge Core Group, invites signatories to the Pledge to set the agenda for community building at the inaugural Joint Legal Community Pledge - 2024 Community Meeting.

You can register for the event here by Friday, 15 March.

The purpose of the event is to:

• Bring signatories of the 2023 Joint Legal Community Pledge together to network and share respective areas of focus.
• Provide community members with an overview of the 2023 Pledge framework, organizations involved, and pledges made.
• Review examples of collective activities undertaken in the context of the 2019 Pledge, to inspire agenda-setting for the 2023 Pledge.
• Agree to shared priorities amongst community members and identify activities to increase collaboration, mutual learning, and joint legal advocacy and strategy building in 2024 and 2025.

To accommodate the different time zones we will be having two separate meetings, with the same agenda
at the following times on Thursday, 21 March:
Asia Pacific: 5.00 - 6.30 pm Australia / 2 - 3.30 pm Hong Kong / 11.30 am - 1.00 pm Mumbai
Europe, UK, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas: Johannesburg 5.00 - 6.30 pm / 3.00 - 4:30 pm London / 9.00 - 10.30 am Mexico City
 

Translation: Will be available in Spanish; other languages may be available depending on demand.

AGENDA

Welcome and Purpose: 2.00 - 2.05 pm Hong Kong / 3.00 - 3.05 pm London

Review of the 2023 Pledge: 2.05 - 2.20 pm Hong Kong / 3.05 - 3.20 pm London

Reflections from the 2019 Pledge: 2.20 - 2.35 pm Hong Kong / 3.20 - 3.35 pm London

Question & Answer: 2.35 - 2.45 pm Hong Kong / 3.35 - 3.45 pm London

Setting the Agenda - Overview & Next Steps: 2.45 - 2.50 pm Hong Kong / 3.45 - 3.50 pm London

Setting the Agenda - Regional Breakout Rooms: 2.50 - 3.30 pm Hong Kong / 3.50 - 4.30 pm London