Restructuring of the Secretariat has begun

To respond to the 2023-2027 APRRN strategy and Operational Plan, which calls for strengthening our impact, we began to design a new secretariat structure some months ago. As part of the restructuring, we came to the conclusion that the role of Operations Coordinator was no longer needed and therefore began, in close consultation with Pat, a disestablishment process. Pat’s last was on 19 July.  We hope that you will join us in thanking Pat for her dedication and commitment to APRRN during the last 7+ years and in wishing her well in her future endeavors. And this is not a farewell from our side, as we are sure that our paths will cross in the future again, in one way or another. If you wish to stay in touch with Pat, please contact Klaus or Hafsar.

We also began a transition from the role of Programme Coordinator to the new role of Network Coordinator, which Lars has accepted and for which we are very happy. The overall purpose of this role is to create, cultivate, and ensure high-quality diverse relationships and collaborations between APRRN members, as well as between members, the Secretariat, and external partners to advance the mission of APRRN. Lars’ responsibilities will include leading network coordination, development, capacity building and strengthening. Please join us in welcoming Lars in his new role.  We are, in the next weeks, undertaking smaller adjustments to the existing roles of staff and consultants.

On 1 July, the 2^nd Steering Committee meeting took place.  APRRN’s three new SC members were welcomed and we now have all Chair and Deputy-Chair positions filled. The secretariat restructuring plan was presented and endorsed, updates were provided from geographic and thematic working groups.

On 25 July a Governance Review Sub-committee meeting took place, as a response to the motion which was carried at the 9^th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights in September 2023, calling for a full review of APRRN’s governance structures. The sub-committee will be reviewing and drafting recommendations to APRRN’s Statutes and operations in the next few months.

Oxfam Regional Humanitarian Meeting in Bangkok -3 July

On 3 July, Klaus attended in person, and Hafsar online, a meeting held by Oxfam on current trends, opportunities and challenges in Asia Pacific and globally. There was also attendance from the Bangkok Urban Refugee Club (BUCC). They gave a presentation on APRRN’s priorities and recommendations on issues related to forced displacement and migration, and Klaus had a separate meeting, exploring future collaboration between Oxfam and APRRN.

Ongoing work on Powershift & Meaningful Participation Podcast

Hafsar participated in a series of interviews with Mr. Raouf Mazou, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at UNHCR, facilitated by The New Humanitarian, to co-produce a podcast on power shifts and meaningful refugee participation. We hope to share the full podcast soon. Stay tuned.  From the perspective of APRRN, “meaningful participation is a social movement that requires ongoing reflection and collective leadership. We are committed to our ongoing, diverse, and inclusive collective learning and implementation of meaningful refugee participation through the co-leadership model and beyond” [Hafsar Tameesuddin, Co-Secretary General, APRRN].

Transition of Rohingya Working Group to Rohingya Working Team

The APRRN Rohingya Working Group is transitioning to the Rohingya Working Team under the leadership of Rohingyas, with support and guidance from the previous leadership of the Rohingya Working Group. The aim is to implement the meaningful refugee participation across the four constituencies of APRRN, APRRN Board, Steering Committee, APRRN members, and the Secretariate. On 19 July, the APRRN Secretariat team (Hafsar, Lars Stenger, and Amrita Paul) facilitated a meeting between the former Rohingya Working Group members and Rohingya diaspora leaders to discuss the successful transition to the Rohingya Working Team and the next steps.

ICVA meeting in Bangkok

Klaus welcomed ICVA’s Asia and Pacific Representative and deputy Representative. Keya and Asma, and global Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Eileen, to APRRN’s office in Bangkok with Hafsar attending online. We had broader discussions on how to strengthen, solidify, and diversify the partnership between ICVA and APRRN.

Members Spotlight!

Amnesty International Taiwan

Amnesty International Taiwan is committed to pursuing a world where human rights are enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their status. Amnesty International has been advocating for the fundamental rights of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers for decades. Amnesty International Taiwan initiates action to urge governments of all countries to fully fulfil their shared responsibility to protect the human rights of these migrants, and we condemn any relevant policies and practices that undermine their human rights. Read More Here

ACTIONS AND NEWS FROM MEMBERS

Global: APRRN’s Board Member, Carolina Gottardo featured in Global Magazine, discussing the situation of migrants and refugees. As a lawyer and economist specialised in immigration, asylum, and gender, with more than 20 years of experience in human rights, Carolina has led several international organisations and projects, contributing to the protection of migrants, refugees and women, and influencing public policy and advocacy practices. Read More Here and Watch Here

Indonesia: Emplace Youth Initiative is excited to announce a new partnership as the Media Partner for the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration Conference 2025 (IASFM20). This conference is organised in collaboration with the Resilience Development Initiative (RDI), Urban Refugee Research Group (UREF), and Department of  Anthropology UGM. The conference will delve into critical discussions and innovative solutions for global challenges related to forced migration.

Emplace extends gratitude to the conference organizing committee for trusting EMPLACE, a refugee-led youth initiative, as an equitable partner for media and communication support.

The conference will take place in Yogyakarta in January 2025, and several APRRN members and Hafsar Tameesuddin will be speaking at the conference.

Myanmar:  Secretly recorded videos expose Myanmar junta’s torture of detainees

Member States of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should ensure appropriate protection for witnesses from Myanmar who have evidence that would contribute to accountability for ongoing potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, said Fortify Rights. Fortify Rights obtained ten secretly recorded videos showing Myanmar military junta soldiers severely torturing detainees at an interrogation facility in Mandalay Region, and the defector-whistleblower who filmed the incidents is in need of protection. Read More Here

End Abduction, Forced Conscription of Rohingya Civilians

New investigation finds Myanmar junta forcibly conscripting abducted Rohingya refugees. The Myanmar junta’s illegal forced conscription campaign in Rakhine State and elsewhere in the country must end, and Rohingya armed groups operational in Bangladesh should prevent the abduction of Rohingya refugees, said Fortify Rights today. A new investigation by Fortify Rights finds that Rohingya armed groups abducted Rohingya refugees from refugee camps in Bangladesh, and then the abductees were transported to Myanmar and forced to join the Myanmar junta’s military. These acts may violate the laws of war and amount to human trafficking. Read More Here

News from the region

Pakistan:

Following a visit from UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Pakistan announced that it will extend the validity of registration cards for some 1.45 million Afghan refugees registered with UNHCR. The Proof of Registration cards had expired on 30 June, leaving refugees living in uncertainty. Amnesty International welcomed the decision, but urged Pakistan to apply the extension to all Afghans in the country and suspend its ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said 1,929 Afghans have been expelled by Pakistan and Iran.

Australia: 

APRRN’s Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Working Group chair Zaki Haidari was quoted in a Kaldor Centre explainer: Why, 11 years on, Australia’s exclusion of refugees who arrive by boat is a failure. Read More Here

Almost 100 asylum seekers are again being held in Australia's offshore processing centre in Nauru after numbers dropped to zero in June last year. New Zealand agreed to resettle 450 refugees in Nauru in 2022 until mid-2025 but the government says this latest cohort is ineligible. Read More Here and Read More Here

Refugee doctors revive careers cut short by conflict: Read More Here

Myanmar:

Staying online in Myanmar is a matter of life and death

Civilians and resistance groups have pursued a range of technical workarounds in the face of prolonged internet blackouts, each of which has its own strengths and drawbacks. In Myanmar’s war zones, the internet is more than just a tool for communication – it’s a lifeline. Timely information about military raids and airstrikes can mean the difference between life and death. Internet access also allows citizens to inform the world about human rights violations or stay connected with family and friends. However, accessing the internet is a real struggle in some parts of the country. The most well-known barrier is shutdowns imposed by the military junta as a counter-insurgency tactic. Read More Here

A New Reuters report describes how Myanmar's junta terrorises, then rebels burn Rohingya areas, with both sides in the civil war targeted the Rohingya settlement of Buthidaung on May 17. Read More Here

Bangladesh:

APRRN is concerned after hearing that Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Hasan Mahmud, urged Myanmar to meet its commitment to repatriate Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh. Following a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers, Mahmud said his Myanmar counterpart, Than Swe, had restated Myanmar’s intention to start repatriations as soon as possible.

Rohingya refugee camps saw more clashes. Refugee camps remained restive with renewed clashes between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), which left at least six people killed in the first ten days of July. The increase is likely related to developments in Rakhine state as ARSA and RSO, who are fighting alongside Myanmar’s military, returned to camps. Read More Here

OTHER:

US blocks unlawful detention hearing for Diego Garcia asylum seekers

Lawyers for some of around 60 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers stranded on the British-held island of Diego Garcia have appealed to the UK’s new Foreign Minister David Lammy to intervene after the US blocked them from visiting the island for a hearing set to take place this week. The US runs a secretive military facility on the island. The lawyers are accusing the island’s government – the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) administration – of illegally detaining their clients, who have been confined to a small camp for nearly three years after fleeing Sri Lanka and India by boat. The BIOT administration claims to have no role in negotiating permission for the visit, but lawyers for the asylum seekers say the administration has a duty to persuade the US to allow the hearing to take place and ensure the rule of law on the remote British territory. Shortly before the hearing was blocked, The New Humanitarian spoke to several asylum seekers, who described prison-like conditions on the island, including inadequate medical services and abuse by private security guards, as well as at least 50 suicide attempts among the detainees. The lawyers now say “the only long-term viable option is for the asylum seekers to be relocated to the UK”, pointing out that the UK government has approved spending £39 million per year – £108,000 per day – to keep them on the island.

Reports & Publications

Kaldor Centre Conference “Learning from the future: Foresight for the next decade of forced migration. Check out the nine key, future-facing recommendations that emerged from this extraordinary gathering challenged to imagine what the landscape of global protection could look like 10 years from now. Read More Here

Cohere presents their commissioned report, Five Organisational Pathways for Enabling Meaningful Refugee Participation: A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide. This comprehensive document, authored by independent consultants Diana Essex-Lettieri and Julia Zahreddine and funded by the Ikea Foundation, and edited by Asylum Access’s Director of Partnerships, Deepa Nambiar. Hafsar Tameesuddin and APRRN members, including Najeeba Wazefadost from the Asia Pacific Network Of Refugees (APNOR) and Chris Eades from Church World Service (CWS)  also contributed. Read More Here  

R-SEAT's Assessment Report: Meaningful Refugee Participation at the GRF 2023

We were seen BUT we were heard? Read the Full Report Here

Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People

In 2016, a newspaper published an article about four children being sent to an orphanage after their parents were punished for attempting to flee Vietnam. Among 46 asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat, they were intercepted by the Australian navy and returned to Vietnam, where intense retribution awaited. This newspaper article sparked a unifying response from people across the globe. This work tells the story of volunteer advocates who banded together to help a group of Vietnamese refugees on their journey to freedom. Highlighting the courage of “ordinary” people—and with tales of human rights, communal living, reuniting families, and their eventual resettlement in Canada—this book paints a vivid picture of Vietnamese families’ struggle for liberty in the 21st century. Read More Here

This book has been reviewed by Prof Dr Antje Missbach, APRRN’s member in Germany's International Quarterly for Asian Studies. Read More Here

Joint Legal Community Pledge

Two upcoming opportunities to build new pro bono partnerships

Opportunities for Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and NGOs to learn about and/or pitch your legal needs and pro bono project ideas to law firms within PILnet’s network:

1. Refugee Rights Pro Bono Workshop - Europe and the UK

Date: Tuesday, 3 September 2024

Time: 3:00 - 4.30 PM CEST (Geneva)

Where: Virtual (Zoom)

For: For RLOs and other NGOs working in the UK and Europe with refugees, climate displaced, stateless, or other displaced communities.

PILnet, UNHCR, Trustlaw, European Coalition for Refugees and Migrants (EU-COMAR) and Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Legal Community Pledge partners are holding a Refugee Rights Pro Bono Workshop for RLOs and NGOs to learn how you can access free legal help (‘pro bono’) to strengthen your organization and/or enhance your programs. This workshop will be held in advance of a Refugee Rights Pro Bono Pitching Roundtable we will co-host in October, where RLOs and NGOs will be supported to pitch their legal needs and pro bono project ideas to lawyers, staff from law firms, and corporate in-house counsel who have committed to providing free legal help.

We have utilized this pitching roundtable model twice in Asia to build impactful pro bono partnerships; 100 % of the projects pitched at the last roundtable were matched with free legal assistance. Pro bono projects, included collaborative NGO-law firm direct assistance projects for displaced people, legal research, and organizational support, such as:

• Preparation of Canadian Community sponsorship applications for refugees in Hong Kong.
• Direct representation of asylum-seekers in Hong Kong and Thailand, including in cases of closed refugee applications;
• Multi-country legal research on domestic and international law on statelessness in Asia;
• Drafting of governance documents for regional and global multi-stakeholder initiatives, as well as an Australian-based RLO.

If you are an RLO or NGO working in the UK or Europe, please save the date and register for the event here. Do feel free to spread the word with others who might be interested in joining.

PILnet - NGO Marketplace - Environment and Climate Change (Asia)

Date: September, 5 September 2024 (Time TBD)

Time: Time TBD

Where: Virtual (Zoom)

For: For refugee-led organizations RLOs and other NGOs working in Asia with a focus on environment and climate change, including climate displacement. 

We are launching a virtual marketplace, a platform where you can showcase your organization's work and find pro bono legal advice and assistance from lawyers. Your pro bono projects could include the following:

• Strategic litigation related to climate displacement
• Law reform activities
• Commercial legal advice to NGOs, RLOs and social enterprises working on climate displacement
• Legal research about the intersection between displacement and climate change
• Legal information and advice to those affected by natural disasters, particularly Indigenous Peoples, women and children, and rural populations and others at risk of displacement

Please fill out this legal assistance intake form

If you have any questions, please contact Julia (jmayerhofer@pilnet.org)  and Zhong (z.huang@pilnet.org).

APRRN/Members’ Job Vacancies

Regional Director, Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific Region

JRS advocates for equal opportunity and promotes a diversified and inspiring working environment. Therefore, qualified candidates of ethnic minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Deadline: 31 August 2024 or until the position is filled. Apply Here

Awards and Prizes

The Villa Decius Association is now accepting applications for the 21st Sérgio Vieira de Mello Polish Prize. This award honors individuals and non-governmental organizations for their work in promoting peaceful coexistence and cooperation among different societies, religions, and cultures. Candidates can be from Poland or abroad and can be submitted in two categories: non-governmental organization and person. The Award Chapter includes representatives from various esteemed entities, such as the President of Poland, the Ambassador of Brazil, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, among others. Notable past recipients include Tadeusz Mazowiecki and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. Interested applicants should complete the application form and review the rules and regulations provided. Entries can be submitted until August 20th, 2024.  Apply Here

Funding opportunities

Ember Call-Out 2024: Inviting Applications from Community-Based Mental Health Initiatives

Ember is calling for applications from community-based mental health initiatives working in low- and middle-income countries who would like to partner with. Successful initiatives will be offered a 12-month partnership with Ember, customised to support and strengthen the sustainability and growth of the organisation based on their needs. There will also be an opportunity for the selected organisations to be considered for Ember investment after the 12-month partnership.

Deadline: 20 Aug 2024. Apply Here

FIRE expands Free Inquiry Grant, commits $250k to support research on free speech

FIRE is proud to announce that we are accepting proposals for the third cycle of our Free Inquiry Grant program, supporting research that advances the understanding of free speech and academic freedom. We are excited to announce that we have expanded the program to $250,000, with a maximum grant size of $50,000.

Faculty, Ph.D. students, and postdocs at accredited universities, as well as researchers at governmental and independent scholarly institutions like laboratories and think tanks, are eligible to apply. We accept proposals in a wide range of fields of study, including education, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Applications are now open, and submissions for the 2024 grant program will be accepted until the deadline of September 15, 2024. Apply Here

Grants & Fellowships

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law works to build an enabling legal environment for civil society, philanthropy, and public participation around the world. Occasionally, we offer grants to civil society organisations and others working to promote and protect civic freedoms, as well as fellowships and internships at ICNL. Apply Here

Applications open for Unifor Social Justice Fund till 2nd September - tackling the social and economic conditions that contribute to injustice and inequality to improve the lives of workers, families and other marginalised communities around the world. Past programs and initiatives included protecting human and workers’ rights, supporting gender equity and women’s rights, promoting water justice, supporting access to education, improving health care services, fostering community development, and providing emergency aid and disaster relief. Read More Here

U.S. Mission to the Philippines: Public Affairs Annual Program Statement, Award amounts may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000, and the performance period is 12 to 24 months. Deadline Date: September 30, 2024 Read More Here

U.S. Mission to Malaysia, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State: Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program, invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the U.S. and Malaysia through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation (incl. countering disinformation, cybersecurity, and transnational threats), a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $99,000. Deadline Date: September 19, 2024 Read More Here

U.S. Mission to Japan provides $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000 via the Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program, for projects that use U.S.-Japan cooperation to increase transparency and good governance, strengthen democratic processes, counter state-sponsored disinformation, and promote respect for the rule of law and human rights in the Indo-Pacific region. Deadline Date: September 30, 2024. Read More Here

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) provides a range of grants via its LIFELINE: THE EMBATTLED CSO ASSISTANCE FUND, including:

1. Short-term emergency assistance to CSOs threatened because of their human rights work
2. Lifeline rapid response advocacy grants give local CSOs the resources to push back against restrictions on civic space
3. Lifeline resiliency grants are meant to provide support to CSOs at high risk to avoid or mitigate the threats they face

ICNL accepts applications for advocacy support and resiliency support on a rolling basis. A preliminary application for Lifeline support may be found here (as a form) or here (as a Word document)