MADE51 at the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review and Nansen Awards in Geneva

This week, MADE51 joined the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review 2025 in Geneva — a high-level gathering co-hosted by UNHCR that brings together governments, civil society, refugee leaders, private-sector partners and humanitarian actors to take stock of progress on refugee inclusion and chart a path forward. The Progress Review follows up on pledges made at previous Forums and spotlights solutions that expand protection, opportunities and durable pathways for people forced to flee. The Global Compact on Refugees | UNHCR

We were thrilled to be there to ensure that refugee artisans are not just spoken about — but are present, represented and leading.

Over the past two days, the MADE51 team has been setting up our pop-up stand alongside two connected installations — the Nansen Peace Tree and the Global Peace Tree. Both were designed in collaboration with Ghanaian-American designer Mimi Plange and wrapped in handmade garlands crafted by refugee artisans partnered with MADE51. Using heritage techniques such as weaving, embroidery, beadwork, crochet and metalwork, these garlands represent cultural memory, precision and perseverance carried across borders.

At the heart of the installations are the personal messages added by people attending the Forum. The first handwritten notes were placed by people who have been forcibly displaced, and as the event continues, delegates from across the humanitarian and diplomatic community — including the UNHCR High Commissioner, Deputy High Commissioner and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors — have added their own hopes for peace and solidarity. Each message becomes a “leaf,” bringing individual reflections together into a collective expression of global unity.

The trees symbolise both the global scale of displacement — now affecting more than 120 million people worldwide — and the urgent need for peace, particularly in crisis contexts like Sudan, where millions remain uprooted amid ongoing conflict.

A Moment of Recognition: The Nansen Refugee Award

Coinciding with the Forum this week was the prestigious UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award ceremony — UNHCR’s highest distinction, honouring individuals, groups and organisations whose courage, compassion and leadership have transformed the lives of refugees, internally displaced people and stateless communities. The award was first established in 1954 to celebrate extraordinary commitment to refugee protection. UNHCR

This year’s Global Laureate is Chief Martin Azia Sodea of Gado-Badzéré, Cameroon. When tens of thousands of refugees fleeing violence in the Central African Republic arrived in his village, Chief Sodea and his community chose to welcome them, offering land for shelter, farming and shared access to services — creating a powerful model of peaceful coexistence and dignity.

In addition to the global laureate, four regional winners were recognised for their leadership in refugee inclusion and support:

• Pablo Moreno Cadena (Americas) — business leader in Mexico expanding workforce inclusion for refugees. UNHCR

• Proliska (Europe) — a Ukrainian humanitarian organisation delivering life-saving assistance in conflict-affected areas. UNHCR

• Taban Shoresh (Middle East & North Africa) — founder of a women-led organisation supporting conflict survivors and displaced families in Iraq. UNHCR

• Negara Nazari (Asia-Pacific) — Afghan refugee and co-founder of the Ariana Learning Centre in Tajikistan, providing education and leadership programmes. UNHCR

Their work, and the ceremony itself, reinforced a core Forum message: compassion, inclusion and solidarity save and restore lives — even in the darkest of times. 

Refugee Artisan Leaders in Geneva

MADE51 is also proud to be joined in Geneva by Sarah, a Congolese refugee, and Sunday, a South Sudanese refugee — both leaders at the Kalobeyei Women’s Handicraft Cooperative in northern Kenya. This registered refugee-led organisation supports over 400 women artisans producing design-led home décor and fashion pieces in collaboration with MADE51. Under their leadership, the cooperative has strengthened production systems, created income opportunities, and contributed to more stable livelihoods for women with limited access to formal employment.

Sarah and Sunday are also members of the MADE51 Artisan Speakers Group, a global platform that brings refugee artisan voices directly into forums like this one. Their presence — sharing lived experience, creative leadership and community insights — underscores an essential truth: the people most affected by displacement are also part of the solutions shaping global action.

All participation costs for the Forum, including travel, accommodation and related expenses, are covered by MADE51 and UNHCR to ensure full inclusion and representation.

Join the Call for Peace

One of the most visible and moving parts of the Forum has been the Peace Trees, adorned with garlands and leaf-messages added by participants — each one a hope, a commitment or a wish for peace. This initiative continues beyond Geneva: you can add your own reflection or message online and contribute to a collective call for solidarity, dignity and lasting solutions.

From celebration to reflection, inclusion to advocacy, this week in Geneva has reaffirmed that refugee artisans — and refugees everywhere — are leaders, creators and changemakers. Together, we continue to build a more humane world where craftsmanship, culture and courage shine in every context.