Press Releases
Foreign Minister Kamikawa’s visit to Swiss Confederation (Attendance the Second Global Refugee Forum)
December 8, 2023
- If circumstances permit, Foreign Minister Kamikawa will visit Geneva, Swiss Confederation, from December 12 to 14 to attend the Second Global Refugee Forum (GRF).
- Held every four years, the GRF brings together refugee host countries, donor countries, international organizations, and others from around the world. Japan is co-hosting the upcoming forum.
- Currently, there are more than 100 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide. Prolonged conflicts across the globe, such as the current situation surrounding Israel and Palestine and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, are further deteriorating the humanitarian situation.
- At the GRF, Minister Kamikawa will call for strengthening the unity and cooperation of the international community for improving the humanitarian situation, while underscoring the necessity of not only short-term humanitarian assistance but also a mid- to long-term approach looking further toward the future, as well as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in resolving the issue of refugees and displaced persons.
(Reference1) Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamikawa’s Schedule
| December 12 | Depart from Tokyo |
| Arrive in Geneva | |
| 13 | Attend the Second Global Refugee Forum |
| Meeting with International Organizations, etc. | |
| Depart from Geneva | |
| 14 | Arrive in Tokyo |
(Reference2) Overview of the Second GRF
- (1) Date: December 13 to 15, 2023
- (2) Hosted by UNHCR and Switzerland
Co-hosted by Japan, France, Colombia, Jordan, and Uganda - (3) GRF is a follow-up meeting to the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), led by UNHCR. It is a forum where refugee host countries, donor countries, international organizations, and others from around the world gather together to share their efforts to resolve refugee issues and to present future policy contributions.
(Note) GCR: Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018 as a new international framework for refugee assistance as a response to the increasing number of refugees and displaced persons. It aims to (1) ease the pressures on host countries, (2) enhance refugee self-reliance, (3) expand access to third country solutions and (4) support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.