Mission
The mission of the Global Refugee Accommodation Working Group (GRAWG) is to unite key stakeholders, including refuge and resettlement states, United Nations agencies, academia, and non-government organizations/non-profits together to collaboratively ensure global and cross-sector coordination, communication, and collaboration on accommodation/shelter/housing (ASH) challenges and opportunities to ensure dignified and safe living situations for people on the move worldwide.
Background
The Global Refugee Accommodation Working Group was born during the 2023 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP), formerly known as the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR). Stakeholders from across the globe observed that housing is one of the, if not the, most pressing issues for all resettlement states. Yet, there was no space devoted to housing in the CRCP or any other high-level global forum on resettlement. To raise the visibility of this issue and begin to address it, Church World Service and the Irish government issued a call to action to form a dedicated working group around housing under the CRCP. The group was to gather all relevant stakeholders from all levels to explore and share solutions, new and old; to collaborate and to learn from one another; and to keep appraised of the latest developments around housing for refugees. Since 2023, the group has steadily grown its membership and evolved to become the go-to platform for stakeholders seeking models, new ways of thinking, and effective solutions to the problem of finding safe, affordable, and decent housing for resettled refugees across the globe.
Leadership
The Global Refugee Accommodation Working Group is led by the Government of Ireland (the Irish Refugee Protection Programme) and Church World Service. The Global Refugee Accommodation Working Group is currently in the process of forming a permanent Secretariat, which will be responsible for setting the direction of the working group and coordinating its efforts.
GRAWG leadership at the CRCP Working Group Meeting in Sydney, Australia | February 2024
Members
Members of the Global Refugee Accommodation Working Group include participating resettlement state agencies from all over the world; the UNHCR; and local and international NGOs involved in resettlement efforts.
