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RESOURCE MOBILIZATION
The Pledge was developed to expand the material and financial resources available
globally to address the legal needs of refugees and others forcibly displaced, with a view
to improving access to justice for this group. In addition to providing pro bono legal
assistance, many law firms and organizations that joined the Pledge mobilized financial
and other resources in 2020 in line with their commitment to the Pledge. This included the
funding of local advocacy organizations, NGO legal service providers, and other relevant
initiatives. This also included funding activities directly benefiting refugees and other
categories of forcibly displaced persons. In one instance, a corporate organization that had
joined the pledge sponsored and mentored students with a refugee background to
undertake legal studies in Germany. Some law firms also chose to support NGO partners
through secondments of lawyers for a dedicated time period, which NGO partners that
have joined the Pledge reported to be very beneficial to their work.
While each NGO, corporation, or firm who signed the Pledge is responsible for meeting its
commitments, the Core Group recognized the need for a coordinating body to be financed
to support overall implementation of the Pledge, including the matching of pro bono and
other resources pledged by the private sector with the unmet legal needs of refugees.
PILnet and the Core Group were successful in mobilizing funds from a private foundation
to support a variety of activities, as well as a Global Project Coordinator position, and
other staffing resources, to coordinate this work. Resources were also mobilized
specifically to fund the development of locally-designed pro bono pilot projects in certain
jurisdictions, to support mobilization of the legal community and growth of refugee rights
pro bono at a local level.
© UNHCR/Deiliany de Souza