In my capacity as Global Lead on Housing, Land and Property (HLP) Rights at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), I played a central role in formulating and operationalising the Global Multi-stakeholder Pledge on Durable Solutions.

 

This pledge, rooted in the 2021 High-Level Officials Meeting recommendations and aligned with Objectives 1 and 4 of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), focuses on fostering the conditions necessary for safe and dignified returns, local integration, and other sustainable solutions for forcibly displaced populations—anchored by secure tenure in housing, land and property.

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Strategic Leadership and Global Coordination

 

I led the design and rollout of a robust omni-channel strategy to advance long-term development outcomes for refugees, with a sharp focus on securing social tenure relations. This approach was designed to activate political, financial, technical, and advocacy commitments across digital and physical platforms, ensuring that every touchpoint reinforced the objectives of the global pledge. It was explicitly structured to catalyse interest, investment, and policy innovation around area-based HLP initiatives in both countries of origin and countries of asylum.

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Further, I spearheaded a global inter-agency effort that successfully mobilized 40 high-level pledges across 2023 and 2024 in support of durable solutions. This reflects a 1100% increase in dedicated HLP-related commitments since the first Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in 2019—demonstrating unprecedented momentum in the refugee sector. These pledges are closely tied to the core tenets of the Global Multi-stakeholder Pledge, including:

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• Restitution of housing, land, and property rights in countries of origin,

• Formally recognized documentation of tenure for returnees and refugees,

• Material and in-kind support for secure housing and land allocation, and

• Capacity-building for National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to monitor tenure security in alignment with SDG Indicator 1.4.2.

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Mobilising Systems Change through Strategic Partnerships

 

My work has been instrumental in convening and coordinating a wide spectrum of actors—UN Member States, multilateral development banks, civil society, refugee-led organisations, and humanitarian and development partners. By aligning these stakeholders under a common agenda, the pledge has gained traction as a vehicle for promoting burden- and responsibility-sharing and enhancing the quality and predictability of development financing in displacement settings.

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Building the Evidence Base and Accountability Framework

 

Recognising the importance of data and accountability in shaping sustainable solutions, I have also worked to strengthen inter-agency collaboration around data inclusion and tenure monitoring. This includes supporting the alignment of the HLP pledge with the broader Multi-Stakeholder Pledge on the Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in National Statistical Systems—ensuring that the rights and realities of displaced persons are reflected in national and global SDG reporting.