Advocacy Updates

AUSTRALIA

• 7 October: Forced Migration Research Network and theUniversity of New South Wales co-hosted a virtual discussion about the principles and practice of academic research, led by emerging scholars with lived experience of displacement. Four early-career thought leaders came together to discuss ways to overcome structural barriers to education and research dissemination, and career pathways for refugees in academia.

• 12 October: Dr. Graham Thom (Amnesty International Australia) and Paul Power (Refugee Council of Australia) partook in the webinar, 'Afghanistan Refugee Crisis: How Can Australia Help?', to discuss Australia's efforts in providing asylum to Afghans, whether it is enough, and what the country should do to ensure the safety of the Afghans in this crucial period.

• 10 refugees from Australia's offshore detention centre will be resettled in Canada by this Christmas thanks to the efforts of community sponsors that were coordinated by the Refugee Council of Australia through the Operation #NotForgotten partnership.

BANGLADESH

• 1 October: The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative published a statement to express their condolences regarding the brutal assassination of Mr. Mohib Ullah at Cox's Bazar. The statement urged all the stakeholders to assist in investigating the culprits responsible for Mr. Mohib Ullah’s assasination, and to take requisite action against them. The statement also urged the Bangladesh government and agencies working in the refugee camps to ensure the safety and security of his family and colleagues.

• 1 October: APRRN released an urgent statement to mourn the death of distinguished Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah, and to express our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, and the Rohingya community. The statement also calls for more determined international action to protect Rohingya activists and refugees.

• 8 October: APRRN held a virtual memorial to honour Mohib Ullah, president of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) who was brutally killed in the Kutupalong camp of Cox’s Bazar.

• 9 October: “I am a Rohingya girl who had a dream of attending University... Unfortunately, I could not continue my studies due to the genocide on 25 August 2017 in Arakan,” says 18-year-old Umme Salma, one of the winning artists in Oxfam’s 2021 Rohingya Arts Competition. Read her full story here.

HONG KONG

• 13 October: Lynette Nam (Justice Centre Hong Kong - JCHK) was featured on #impact's podcast to talk about why she chose to work with them, the hardships asylum seekers experience in Hong Kong, the impact of JCHK's work, how their #HungryForChange challenge will help the audience put themselves in asylum seekers' shoes, and more. Listen to the podcast here.

• RUN Hong Kong, together with Resolve Foundation hosted four online events throughout October on their Every Action Matters campaign. The events included the release of Hong Kong’s first-ever bilingual Equality Toolkit, 'Everyday Actions for Equality in Hong Kong: A Toolkit for Allies', on how to be an ally and active bystander in areas such as race, gender and disability, and a series of experiential virtual workshops.

MALAYSIA

• 2 October: At the 'Manifesto Rakyat Policy Town Hall' event in Malaysia, Hui Ying (Asylum Access Malaysia) discussed the reasons why immigration detention must be put to an end, refugees and asylum seekers’ right to equitable healthcare, and the need for strengthened labour protection.

• 15 October: Tenaganita launched a Book Relief programme for women and children from migrant, refugee, and economically disadvantaged communities. The project aims to provide children with books and other learning materials to boost children’s learning at home and foster a reading culture. Mothers of children from these communities are encouraged to apply here.

MYANMAR

• 13 October: ALTSEAN-Burma, FORUM-ASIA, and Progressive Voice were among the organisations that jointly sent a letter to ASEAN leaders urging them to not extend an invitation to Myanmar’s military junta to the upcoming ASEAN Summit. The letter recalled the military junta's own actions that are creating the current humanitarian crisis and displacing a large number of Myanmar’s population both within the country and into neighbouring countries.

SOUTH KOREA

• 8 October: Advocates for Public Interest Law organised an online seminar that highlighted the gap between the reality of refugee recognition procedures in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. The comparative studies were conducted by APRRN's East Asia Working Group, which identified the gap between international human rights norms and the standards implemented by the three countries in practice. Through this meeting, the achievements were shared for the first time, and the institutional tasks to be developed were revealed.

Regional

• To mark the launch of the Forced Migration Review special feature on non-signatory states and the international refugee regime, the BEYOND project organised two launch events. The recordings of these events can be watched here. APRRN members Naiyana Thanawattho (Asylum Access Thailand) and Lynette Nam (Justice Centre Hong Kong) share insights from legal aid work, and Brian Barbour (Act for Peace) discussed the role of the refugee convention and UNHCR in non-signatory states, as well as domestic courts' engagement with international refugee law.

On the radar

• Music opportunity: Borderless 360 is running a music competition for refugee artists. The competition is open to anyone who identifies (or has identified) as a refugee and provides cash rewards as well as exposure and networking opportunities for refugee musicians. It also introduces refugee artists and others to the Unheard Project, which aims to monetise refugee skills for direct support to people living in exile. will close on 31 October. For more submission details, please go here.

• Learning opportunity: The Internal Displacement Research Programme is offering a free six-week online training course that provides organisational staff, counterparts, and the general public with a comprehensive introduction to key issues in the field internal displacement, conflict, and protection. These resources respond to the UN High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement call to strengthen ‘effective use of internal displacement data and analysis’. Learn more about the course and the enrollment here.
  The programme also launched the 'Researching Internal Displacement' as a major hub for interdisciplinary, independent research. This platform connects researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, students, artists and people from displacement-affected communities with cutting-edge research, analysis, creative materials and events on internal displacement. See the website for more information.

• Job opportunity: Asylum Access is looking to recruit a dynamic refugee rights advocate as its CSO Partnerships Coordinator. The role will support Asylum Access' CSO partnerships work around joint advocacy, movement building and capacity-bridging projects in pursuit of refugee human rights. The position can be based out of Asia, East Africa or the Middle East. The ideal candidate would have experienced forced displacement. Deadline for the application is on 5 November. Go here for more details.

• Fellowship opportunity: Academy in Exile is inviting Afghans at risk to apply for 24-month fellowships at the Forum Transregionale Studien in Berlin. Eligible applicants are Afghans working in the humanities, social sciences, law, journalism, and the arts, who are at risk because of their professional work and/or civic engagement in human rights, democracy, and the pursuit of free speech. Academy in Exile fellowships provide recipients with the opportunity to reestablish themselves in Germany and to work on their own project in a multidisciplinary environment. The deadline for applications is 10 November. For more information, please go here.

• Outreach: The Asia Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR) is organising the second Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees (APSOR) virtually this November. APSOR will bring together refugee communities and refugee-led organisations across the region to discuss what refugee leadership has achieved in the last two years, and how we can build on our successes in the future. If you're a refugee or displaced person anywhere in the Asia Pacific, you are highly encouraged to join APSOR for a three-day forum so we can learn about your work, your community, and how we can work together to protect refugees across Asia. Go here for more details and to register.

• Educational: Justice Centre Hong Kong (JCHK) is introducing their first-ever Mock Trial Experience - a two-day programme for high school students to learn about and apply human rights and asylum law. Students will be trained in the law and then participate in a mock trial – a simulation of the Torture Claims Appeal Board/Non-refoulement Claims Petition Office. Participants will be judged by experts in asylum and human rights law in Hong Kong. JCHK staff and university student coaches from local law schools will guide and mentor participants. Please go here to read more about it.

• Call for papers: New Series on ‘Health and Internal Displacement’. This new series seeks to increase engagement on the health needs of IDPs and support research, policy, and programming responses. The series focuses specifically on IDP health but is not prescriptive in terms of health conditions, age groups, geographic region, camp or urban setting. Accepted articles will be published by the Elsevier Journal of Migration and Health. The deadline for submissions is 15 December.

• Fundraising opportunity: RUN Hong Kong is currently running a WiFA x RUN Virtual Fitness Challenge fundraising campaign to support vulnerable refugees to rebuild their mental and physical strength, unite across differences as a community, and nurture self-reliance for a more hopeful future.

• Call for participation: The upcoming Forced Migration Review issue focuses on questions of knowledge, voice, and power: In the field of forced migration, whose knowledge is valued and whose voices are heard? What needs to change in order to address significant power imbalances in representation in policy, practice and academia? Issue 70 will focus on how knowledge is produced, shared and received, and what changes can and should be made to help ensure that power is shared and more diverse voices are heard and valued. Please go here for the full call for articles, with questions to help guide you, plus submission requirements.

From the Secretariat

APRRN’s Sparkraise campaign

For more than 13 years, APRRN has been a leader in the region, developing unique strategies and interventions that have directly advanced refugees’ socioeconomic inclusion and equitable rights in a region facing severe human rights crises. APRRN plays a critical role in the civil society response to forced displacement, advocating for the rights of refugees through coordinated regional action to promote the implementation of refugee protective policy and legislation. Please support APRRN by contributing to our campaign, to ensure this crucial work continues unabated, while also enabling us to continue to respond to emerging crises in Afghanistan and Myanmar.