Our Work
Refugee Education Japan has three focal areas of work: creating opportunities for refugees in higher education in Japan, admitting refugees from overseas to language schools in Japan, and advocating for the expansion of education pathways in Japan and the Asia Pacific region.
Global Refugee ForumPledge
The Global Refugee Forum is the world's largest gathering on refugees organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), held every four years since 2019. The Forum invites stakeholders from around the world to make pledges to implement the Global Compact on Refugees. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, the Global Compact sets out four main objectives: Ease pressures on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, increase access to third-country solutions and improve conditions in countries of origin.
At the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, the Japan ICU Foundation made a joint pledge with Pathways Japan. The pledge contained the following commitments.
The full pledge can be viewed on the GRF website by searching for "Japan ICU Foundation."
01
Admit 20 additional refugee students & continue to support the existing 65 students in 16 Japanese universities
02
Admit 96 additional refugee students in 9 Japanese language schools & provide employment support
03
Organize regular meetings to promote education pathways in the Asia Pacific Region
Complementary Education Pathways
Complementary education pathways are higher education opportunities through which refugees are admitted to a third country to build stable lives. They complement government resettlement of refugees. Scholarships alone are not considered complementary education pathways. In addition to financial and academic support throughout a degree program, complementary education pathways programs provide a durable solution and ensure non-refoulement, protection against a forceful return of students to their home countries where they may face persecution, violence or war.
The minimum standards for complementary education pathways have been compiled by the Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways here.