NEWSLETTER DETAILS
News Briefs (October 2024)
Our News Briefs bring you the latest highlights from the advocacy efforts of APRRN and our members, as well as keeping you informed on upcoming events and activities. We strive to provide regular updates on the network’s activities and developments in the refugee protection sphere, alongside the emerging political climate in the Asia Pacific region. We welcome contributions from members! Please share your updates, information, or resources with Ali at msco@aprrn.org
Global Compact for Migration (GCM)
Klaus took part in two stakeholder consultations as a preparation for the upcoming Second Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Regional Review of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM). The APRRN Secretariat, as well as APRRN members -the International Detention Coalition (IDC) and the Mixed Migration Centre (part of the Danish Refugee Council) -are part of the Stakeholder Advisory Group. This group leads on stakeholder consultations and attempts to include a wide and diverse range of stakeholders in addressing migration governance towards a more people-centred, coordinated and human rights-based approach.
Q3 Steering Group Meeting
On 4 October, we held our 3rd Steering Group Meeting in 2024 during which the Co-Secretaries General updated the SC on key activities and developments and Working Groups reported back on activities in their respective thematic and geographical areas.
Queer Leadership Week - Bangkok
On 23 October, Klaus and Hafsar delivered one of the opening speeches as the Queer Leadership Week began. Organised by the ASEAN SOGIE CAUCUS, around 25 queer activists together in an effort to mainstream and promote intersectional SOGIESC rights in broader civil society by building the leadership capabilities from across Southeast Asia.
Narrative Change and Solidarity - [ Online and in-person Malaysia]
Hafsar spoke in an interview with TEMPO.CO on What will happen to Rohingya refugees next? What causes this crisis to continue? And what is Indonesia's role in handling this wave of refugees? Watch Indonesian Media video (see minute '16). Hafsar spoke at the Solidarity Conference in Malaysia on War, Militarism and Displacement along with other refugee leaders from different communities, calling on a Whole of Society Approach in responding to the issues of refugees and forced displacement at local, national, regional and international levels.
APRRN's Strategy 2023-2027 is now online on our website.
Members Spotlight!
Peace Point-Myanmar (PPM)
Peace Point-Myanmar (PPM) is a Rohingya community-based human rights organisation, dedicated to advancing democratic values, human rights, peace, and justice in Myanmar. PPM is well known for amplifying the voices of marginalised communities, particularly the Rohingya in Rakhine State. PPM operates mainly in Rakhine State, Yangon, and the Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camp and focuses on addressing the needs of conflict-affected communities, IDPs, refugees, and other vulnerable groups in Rakhine State. Through a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, PPM aims to inspire, educate, empower, and connect marginalised communities—particularly youth—to become leaders for democratic and social change. PPM works with marginalised communities through various key programs, including education initiatives, human rights programs, peacebuilding efforts, anti-human trafficking activities, legal empowerment, youth empowerment, community engagement, campaign initiatives, human rights documentation, research, and advocacy efforts.
For more details information visit: www.peacepointmyanmar.org
ACTIONS AND NEWS FROM MEMBERS
Cisarua Learning and JRS Indonesia are raising funds for shelter and food for refugees in Indonesia: It has come to our attention that, with very little warning, the UNHCR has removed funding for stipends of over 850 refugees in Indonesia. Another 350 of the ‘most vulnerable’ refugees will have their support removed in the New Year. This is a desperately difficult blow for individuals, some of whom have been stuck in an endless limbo for over ten years. Cisarua Learning has created a fund to support those refugees who have lost their stipends and we are asking for donors to help.
SUAKA & KontraS Aceh statement as Rohingya on boat sighted off South Aceh coast original statement here, see also Save the Children statement and for media coverage.
Panel Discussion: With the election scheduled to happen at the UN General Assembly in New York on October 9, many are looking seriously at how Thailand will resolve Y Quynh Bdap’s desperate situation. Will the new Thai government of PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra uphold its obligations to protect refugees and human rights, or will it continue down the road of former PM Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha? The panel discussion on this can be watched here.
IDEAS 9th Liberalism Conference: Borders and Belonging in a Globalised World sessions held on 28 September can now be viewed on YouTube channel: including Key Note Address by Karima El Korri, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, Lilianne Fan on Refugees & Statelessness also delivered the Closing Remarks, Media representation of refugees in Malaysia by Aunger Aung, "Inclusion and Dignity: Holistic Approaches to Statelessness, Refugee, and Displacement Challenges" with Dr Richard Marshall, Senior Economist, Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RCO) and Dr Aslam Abdul Jalil, Senior Lecturer, International Institute of Public Policy & Management.
Ravi Hemadri - DAJI, India’s treatment of the Rohingyas has been noted by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. BJP Demonising Rohingyas for Political Gains Harms India's International Stature.
News from the Region
Afghanistan:
Research Brief on ‘Durable Solutions Analysis, Jalalabad/Nangarhar’
New morality law in Afghanistan is not just silencing women’s voices: it’s gender apartheid
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs said about 740,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their home country during the past six months, with 650,000 returning from Iran, 80,000 from Pakistan and 10,000 from Türkiye. In the past year, almost 2 million Afghan refugees are reported to have returned to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has dispatched a delegation to investigate a report alleging that Iranian border guards killed and wounded up to 260 Afghans trying to enter the country. Tehran’s envoy in Kabul has denied any such event took place, but the alleged massacre also caught the eye of the UN and a former US official.
The UK has agreed to resettle hundreds of Afghans who fought alongside British forces during the US-led occupation of Afghanistan. Since 2021, both the US and their allies in Europe have been accused of not doing enough to fully resettle vulnerable Afghans at risk of Taliban persecution.
IRAN:
Killing Of Afghan Migrants In Iran Crime Against Humanity, Says Ex-Attorney General
UNAMA expresses its deep concern over disturbing reports of an incident from 14 to 15 October in Sistan province, Sarbaz district, Kala Gan border area of Iran, with allegations that a large group of Afghan migrants were opened fire on, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Pakistan:
15 Afghan citizens were released from Pakistani prisons and 299 Afghan refugee families were forcibly and voluntarily deported from Iran and Pakistan on Wednesday, October 2.
Indonesia:
In the last week of October, three boats carrying nearly 400 individuals (78% women and children) disembarked in South Aceh, East Aceh, and North Sumatra. At least nine individuals, including six children, died during the course of these journeys. APRRN members and partners are currently at disembarkation and host sites liaising with local authorities and responding to the protection and assistance needs of these new arrivals. UNHCR Indonesia Update
APHR, APHR Urges Indonesia to Act Swiftly to Protect Stranded Rohingya Refugees, 25 October 2024
Al-Jazeera, Six dead as boat carrying Rohingya fleeing Myanmar arrives in Indonesia, 31 October 2024
Reuters, Boats carrying Rohingya land in Indonesia's North Sumatra and Aceh, 24 October 2024
‘Rohingya Refugees' Successes’, Tempo Magazine, 26 October 2024 other articles explore Solutions in Indonesia
150 Rohingya Refugees Stranded Off Aceh Coast; Three Lives Lost (Three Indonesians have been arrested and are facing charges under human trafficking laws. Initially, there were 216 Rohingya refugees, but 50 are believed to have successfully reached Pekanbaru. Indonesia maintains that it cannot be forced to accept refugees from Myanmar and has called on neighbouring nations (Australia?) to contribute.
Rohingya on Two Boats disembark in Indonesia's North Sumatra and in South Aceh: On 24th October, about 146 Rohingya, including children, came ashore in Indonesia's North Sumatra province on Thursday, an official said, the second wave of arrivals to the Southeast Asian country within a week.
Thailand:
Trapped and Desperate: Help Rescue Pakistani Christians from Detention in Thailand
Human Rights Watch report on refoulement and TNR
Report and Recommendations of the 2024 Global Consultations with NGOs on the themes of Solutions, Inclusion, and Gender Equality held in Geneva from 11-13 June 2024 is now online.
A Letter to Concerned Thais from a Burmese Refugee
Thailand's statement UNHCR's 2024 Executive Committee session including "Since the operationalization of Thailand's National Screening Mechanism (NSM) in September last year over 200 individuals have submitted applications, and 7 individuals have been granted the Protected Persons Status.
Malaysia:
Over 600 arrested in massive Immigration bust in Selangor
Rohingya detainees ran from Bidor depot due to violence, says EAIC report
Ratifying refugee convention won’t open floodgates to refugees, says Suhakam
Pilar Domingo & Andika Wahab, Labour migrants’ vulnerability to human trafficking and labour exploitation in Southeast Asia: An analysis of Malaysia including reflections on the role of Refugee Led Organisations.
JOURNEY OF LOVE: Echoes of Resilience
India:
Shreehari Paliath, IndiaSpend, How A Rohingya Rape Survivor’s Abortion Became Legally Complicated.
Held hostage: The next chapter in the Rohingya story of Asma Bibi
Jharkhand: Activists File Complaint against Modi, Amit Shah, Others for Hate Speeches
Myanmar:
Myanmar Junta Intensifies Crackdown on People Leaving the Country
CIVICUS report documented the vast scope of detentions undertaken by the military. Nearly 27,400 individuals have been arrested since the coup. Credible sources indicate that at least 1,853 people have died in custody, including 88 children and 125 women. Many of these individuals have been verified as dying after being subjected to abusive interrogation, other ill-treatment in detention, or denial of access to adequate healthcare.
The Rohingya: The exodus isn’t over. A humanitarian emergency decades in the making
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that the humanitarian situation in Myanmar is ‘spiralling’, with one-third of the population in ‘dire need’ of assistance, and more than three million people displaced across the country.
Deputy High Commissioner warned the crisis in Myanmar continues to sink into an abyss of human suffering.
OHCHR Report: Human rights in Myanmar
At a summit of ASEAN, foreign ministers convened to address the escalating conflict in Myanmar, Thailand offered to coordinate a ‘concerted ASEAN effort’ to try to find a political solution to end the hostilities.
ASEAN Leaders’ review and decision on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
The UN Is Still Failing Its Response to the Crisis in Myanmar: Interview with Chris Sidoti
The Irrawaddy: Once Upon a Time in… Myanmar
Bangladesh:
Rohingya youth shot dead in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camp
A Life in Shadows: The Struggles and Dreams of Transgender Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char
Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed Bangladesh’s border forces have pushed back thousands of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar since early August 2024. The number of Rohingya attempting to flee across the border has increased due to intense fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army, with some 18,000 refugees arriving in Bangladesh in recent months and a further 10,000 reportedly waiting at the border, according to HRW.
Rohingya crisis and regional powers, Myanmar and Bangladesh between China and India
Dhaka seeks a more active role from Beijing to resolve the Myanmar Rohingya crisis
Amnesty International, Myanmar/Bangladesh: Rohingya community facing gravest threats since 2017
Australia:
Australian government's immigration detention system faces new refugee class action
New Australia’s Humanitarian Policy: MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR PEOPLE IN CRISIS, Guiding principles include advancing adherence to international refugee law and international human rights law.
ASRC caseworkers can confirm the majority of people held in closed detention on Nauru have recently been moved into the community, with many now struggling to afford three meals a day, clothes, drinking water and basic necessities.
OTHER:
By embracing former refugees, the King of Bhutan can rectify his nation’s historical injustices
UK seeks to move 36 Diego Garcia asylum seekers to Romania
Global update from the High Commissioner highlights the politicisation of migrants, refugees, and minorities:
In his opening address at the 57th Session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner denounced politicians who scapegoat migrants, refugees, and minorities and called to #StandUp4Migrants through social media posts here and here.
A new UN Human Rights report summarises the key findings of the Human Rights Council discussion on the human rights of migrants in transit, recommending reviewing security-driven and deterrence-based migration governance that place migrants in transit at greater risk; countering harmful and dehumanising narratives which contribute to the acceptance of human harm along migration routes; as well as expanding pathways for safe and regular migration, including regularization, as a means of preventing and addressing situations of vulnerability along migratory routes.
New Guide by OHCHR – Building human rights-based migration narratives aims to implement public narrative change campaigns on migration and related issues. Pilot countries include Malaysia and Australia.
Collective NGO statement at the 75th Session of UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva marks a milestone as it is the first ever drafted and delivered by a refugee-led organisation, R-Seat.
Refugees in limbo - UNHCR to close office in Sri Lanka end of 2024 also covered by Aljazeera
Reports & Publications
UNHCR launched the Global Alliance to End Statelessness - information about the Statelessness Solutions Fund will be online soon.
SILP Experimental Fund Cohort 1. Final Learnings Report
APRRN/Members’ Job Vacancies
The Asia Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR) is seeking a highly innovative and strategic Communications Officer to join our team to drive transformative storytelling, influence public discourse, and position APNOR as a leader in refugee advocacy and meaningful participation.
Asylum Access: OPEN CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
If you think that working for a leading refugee rights organization like Asylum Access might be right for you, then check out these open positions.
Funding opportunities
Oxford University inviting to The International Online School on Forced Migration scheduled for 9-13 December 2024, 17-21 March 2025, or 23-27 June 2025 via Zoom and the virtual learning platform Canvas, designed for policymakers and practitioners working on refugee protection and related issues, normally with several (usually at least five) years of work experience. Oxford offers a limited number of fully funded places to refugees and others with lived experience of forced displacement.
Being - Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People Program ($1 million) seeking proposals for Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People Program - India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Viet Nam - Arts & Culture, Education, Employment & Labor, Environment, Health, Mental Health & Crisis Support, Housing & Shelter, Innovation, Transportation, Youth & Adolescents. Deadline: Jan 08, 2025
Pivotal launched Action for Women’s Health to support an array of organizations—of diverse geographies, sizes, perspectives, and approaches—united by their work to improve the mental and physical health of women. This initiative seeks to open access to funding streams to organizations and groups that historically have not had access to them. Register to apply before Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Complete applications before Friday, January 10, 2025. Funding would only be available in 2026.
The COMO Foundation is always looking for new partners. We welcome all inquiries into our work, partners and collaborators. Please review our Approach and direct all questions through our Enquiry Form. The COMO Foundation accepts proposals throughout the year.
Applications for funding must be submitted to the appropriate working group. Each working group administers its own grant budget, decides on the allocation of those monies according to its own criteria, and has its own guidelines and allocation modalities
The Embassy of Japan in Thailand offers Grant Assistance (134,000 USD) for Grassroots Human Security Projects: GGP, target group of the projects should be “socially vulnerable people” whose situation would worsen without the project. Deadline: 14 February 2025.
The US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Proposals from interested organizations for programs that support Internet Freedom (500,000-3 million USD). Theme 2: Prevent and Remedy Online Attacks (Digital Security): Conduct programs that enable at-risk, vulnerable, and marginalized populations, or those who protect them, to prepare for, prevent, identify, investigate, and/or obtain remedy for repressive digital attacks; or other types of repression (including online surveillance and censorship) designed to prevent these populations from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms online. Deadline 9 January 2025.
What Works 2 - Request for Concept Notes from Women Rights Organisations for an Innovation Grant reducing Violence Against Women and Girls up to 500,000 GBP over 3 years, deadline is 6th December 2024.
Call for Proposals: Afghanistan - Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). Deadline: 9 December 2024.
Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund for Afghanistan
Institutional funding from 2,500 USD to 30,000 USD or Programmatic funding from 30,000 USD to 200,000 USD to enhance the protection of women and girls and promote the participation and leadership of women in humanitarian crisis and response. Deadline: 9 December 2024.
AI Tool to assist drafting of concept notes and proposals:
FundraiserGPT helps nonprofits and charitable organizations approach content creation in new ways by simplifying the appeal-writing process – from generating quick first drafts to exploring a range of storytelling frameworks with ease.