In 2017, the Zolberg Institute convened a meeting of experts on refugee law and policy to deliberate on, and to make concrete recommendations for, the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).  The Experts Group proposed language for the Compact’s Preamble, Conclusion and Programme of Action–with particular attention to rights, support for hosting states, solutions and responsibility-sharing, refugee self-reliance, accountability, and refugee participation.

In 2019, the Zolberg Institute and the Center for International Cooperation at New York University convened a second Experts Group to provide recommendations on the implementation of the GCR, which was presented at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2019.