As key stakeholders gather for the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva this week, the need for concrete action to address the causes and consequences of forced displacement has never been more urgent.

Achieving real progress calls for high-quality data and evidence to inform the policies, programmes and financing of national and international responses in contexts of forced displacement.

At the Global Refugee Forum, ODI has pledged to maintain and expand a priority research focus on children, youth and adults affected by displacement.

In particular, through our research and policy recommendations, we will focus on highlighting the rights and perspectives of diverse groups within displacement-affected communities, with a special focus on groups marginalised on the basis of their gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and/or other characteristics.

We will draw attention to the experiences and needs of displaced individuals over the course of their lives, including the specific challenges faced by displaced children and adolescents. We will centre the perspectives of displaced individuals and communities in our research design and implementation, building on ODI’s broader commitment to decolonise our research and ways of working.

Sara Pantuliano
Chief Executive, ODI