The migration-development nexus is high on the agenda of the international community, which annually meets at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). Questioning the current role of forced migrants in the migration and development debate, this article shows that governmental and civil society stakeholders alike focus on labour migration while excluding forced migration from their discussions. This is the case even though - as has been established - forced and voluntary migration are inextricably intertwined. Furthermore, field experiences show that forced migrants do contribute to development despite their vulnerability and protection needs. In the UNHCR-led dialogue on Targeting Development Assistance, stakeholders agreed that, through targeted development assistance and the inclusion of forced migrants in development cooperation, forced migrants can be enabled to act as development agents of both their host and home countries and communities. Having outlined this, the article proposes some steps necessary to fully capitalise on forced migrants in the migration-development nexus.