Listening to Our Members, Taking Action

In 2025, APRRN held the first part of our General Assembly fully online for the first time. Member feedback showed that the experience was successfully engaging (87%), safe and inclusive, and informative about APRRN and our work (88%).

At the same time, many of you told us you wanted more opportunities to connect, interact, and actively participate, and for broader, deeper member engagement. And we hear you.

To start responding to this feedback, we kicked off 2026 by bringing together our newly appointed Working Group Chairs. In January, they hosted 10 interactive and brainstorming sessions with membership designed to gather member insights and member and community needs and advocacy priorities for the next two years, which were then shared and discussed in a 2-day workshop with the Steering Committee to finalise our advocacy priorities.

Looking ahead to 2026, we are committed to:

• Expanding participatory spaces within our Working Groups
• Holding more member consultations, particularly in the lead-up to UNHCR events, CRCP, and other processes
• Creating more opportunities for meaningful involvement and engagement across APRRN

This is just the beginning,  and we look forward to building a more connected, participatory network together in 2026. We will be sharing our full APCRR 10 report with our members and publishing it on our website soon. Stay tuned!

 

During 18–19 January 2026, Ali Reza Yawari, the Membership Support and Communications Consultant of APRRN, conducted an advocacy visit in Jakarta to meet with Australian Senator Janet Elizabeth Rice to discuss the protection situation and lived realities of refugees and asylum seekers currently residing in Indonesia. The meeting provided an important opportunity to highlight the daily challenges faced by displaced communities, including prolonged uncertainty due to the absence of durable solutions, restrictions on formal employment, limited access to higher education, and ongoing mental health pressures caused by protracted displacement. Particular attention was given to the experiences of refugee youth, women, and community leaders, who continue to demonstrate resilience despite systemic barriers and limited institutional support. The discussion also emphasised the critical role of refugee-led initiatives in providing community-based education, skills development, and peer support, often filling gaps left by formal systems.

 

Ali Reza Yawari also participated as a speaker and responder at the launch of the five-year report (2021–2025) by SUAKA, contributing reflections from both lived experience and regional advocacy perspectives on 22 January 2026. During the panel, Ali Reza highlighted the importance of SUAKA’s legal aid, empowerment, and policy advocacy efforts in strengthening refugee protection in Indonesia, while emphasising the need for deeper collaboration with refugee-led initiatives and greater inclusion of refugee voices in research, campaigns, and decision-making processes. He also emphasised the importance of the meaningful participation of refugees as active contributors to protection and policy development across the region.

 

Members Spotlight! 

REPORT ON THE SITUATION, CONDITION, AND ACTIVITIES OF SUAKA 2021-2025

(SUAKA - Association for the Protection of Refugee Rights) Perkumpulan SUAKA Untuk Perlindungan Hak Pengungsi (SUAKA) is a civil society organisation dedicated to advocating for the rights of international refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia. In pursuing the fair and dignified fulfilment of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, SUAKA carries out policy research and advocacy, provides legal aid and empowerment, and conducts campaigns and public awareness activities. These efforts aim to produce analyses that reflect the factual conditions and realities experienced by refugees and asylum seekers.

This report is a compilation and documentation regarding the refugees' situation in Indonesia, the government's response to it, and how SUAKA's work has an impact on the communities in Indonesia. SUAKA has highlighted achievements, data, and collaboration both with civil society and refugee communities within SUAKA’s work. Read the Report Here

 

Members gathered in Sydney for the first in-person meeting of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network, established to assist migrant workers, refugees, climate-displaced persons, and their families throughout the Pacific.
 

Unveiling the “Shadow Report” on Human Rights Violations Against Refugees in Thailand. The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) is an international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations in 1984. Thailand became a party to this convention on October 2, 2007. Under the convention’s obligations, state parties must submit periodic reports to the UN Committee Against Torture regarding the situation and measures to prevent torture in their countries. Additionally, civil society organisations can submit “Shadow Reports” to present information and concerns to the Committee.

News from the region

 

Pakistan:

Afghan migrants stranded in Pakistan after the US suspends refugee resettlement. Until recently, some Afghans waiting in Pakistan hoped they would eventually be resettled in the United States through the few humanitarian pathways still open to them. However, that hope has dimmed.

 

Indonesia:

‘No longer enough to survive’: Rohingya refugees protest aid cuts in Pekanbaru. The demonstrators sought more adequate assistance for their daily basic needs, carrying banners highlighting urgent requirements for sufficient financial support, immediate medical aid, education for their children and more decent housing.

 

India:

Report 2025: Hate Speech Events in India. This report provides a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of verified hate speech events targeting religious minorities in India throughout 2025.

 

Myanmar:  

World Court Conducts First Full Hearing of Genocide Case in More than a Decade. The International Court of Justice Should Find that Myanmar Committed Genocide Against the Rohingya.

 

The hearings of the genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) came to a close, with judgment expected in three to six months. Lawyers for Gambia, which brought the case, said Myanmar’s conduct in the 2017 military crackdown, which forced some 730,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, was intended to destroy the ethnic Rohingya as a group.

 

Junta Atrocities Surge 5 Years Since Coup. Concerted Global Action Needed to Reverse Human Rights, Humanitarian Catastrophe. Myanmar’s military junta has committed widespread repression and abuse in every facet of life in the country since seizing power on February 1, 2021, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch said today. The military’s atrocities since the coup, which include war crimes and crimes against humanity, escalated over the past year as the junta sought to entrench its rule through abusive military operations and stage-managed elections.

 

GENOCIDE IN MYANMAR: THE ICJ FACES THE EVIDENCE. What evidence does the small West African state provide to prove genocidal intent? Seven years ago, Gambia brought Myanmar to the International Court of Justice over genocide against the Rohingya minority. On Monday, the hearing on the merits commenced.

 

ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS. More than eight years after over 750,000 Rohingya Muslims fled violence in Myanmar – joining hundreds of thousands displaced in previous years – the crisis remains one of the world’s largest and most protracted refugee emergencies. Today, nearly one million Rohingya live in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with little prospect of return or durable solutions.

 

The Weekly Round Up: Manston inquiry, Hillsborough Law U-turn, ICJ genocide case, settlement for ‘forever prisoner’ and aid volunteers acquitted.

 

CASE CONCERNING APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE (THE GAMBIA VERSUS MYANMAR).

 

Why The Gambia wants Myanmar punished for the Rohingya genocide. Tiny The Gambia was the first to take another country to the ICJ as a third-party rights defender.

 

Myanmar begins defence in landmark genocide case at UN World Court. Myanmar on Friday rejected allegations of genocide against the Rohingya minority, telling the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Gambia’s case rests on “unsubstantiated allegations,” as public hearings continued in a landmark case on the application of the Genocide Convention.

 

Myanmar’s Rohingya people called ‘Muslim dogs’ before attacks, ICJ hears. Hearings continued on Thursday at the UN’s top court into the Gambia’s claim that Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya people, with allegations that military officials incited violence through hate speech, calling the ethnic minority “Muslim dogs” who should be made “extinct”.

 

Proving Genocide: Party Presentation. The International Court of Justice opened its public hearings this week in Gambia v. Myanmar. The Gambia maintained its consistent position that Myanmar committed genocide when its armed forces committed acts of violence against members of the Rohingya group—including large-scale killing and widespread rape—with the intent to destroy the Rohingya group, in whole or in part, as such. In contrast, it appears that Myanmar’s position has fundamentally changed.

 

World Court Hears Anti-Rohingya Propaganda from Extremist Buddhist Monk in Landmark Genocide Case Against Myanmar. As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) commences hearings for a landmark case brought by the Gambia, which accuses Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority, the Gambia’s legal team have highlighted anti-Rohingya propaganda from the prominent senior Buddhist monk Sitagu Sayadaw. The evidence, lawyers say, “provided absolution for genocide.” In the sermon, Sitagu Sayadaw, who previously served as vice chairman of the ultranationalist group Ma Ba Tha, asserted that “those who do not follow the Buddhist teaching do not know good or bad, which is the nature of animals.”

 

ICJ hears opening statements in genocide case against Myanmar. Myanmar heard accusations that it is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority at the top court of the United Nations, as long-awaited hearings began on Monday.

 

Arakan Army (AA) spokesperson U Khaing Thukha informed Narinjara that there are significant underlying problems associated with the assaults on AA camps located along the Bangladesh border by terrorist armed groups, which remain unknown to the public.

 

There was no mention of the word “Rohingya” during the 122-year British rule in Rakhine.

 

Bangladesh: 

Close Bhasan Char, End Rohingya Island Detention Policy. Report exposes new details of mass arbitrary detention and “warehousing” of Rohingya genocide survivors from Myanmar on a remote island.

 

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus told UNHCR that repatriation to Myanmar remains the only viable solution for more than one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, while UNHCR’s representative emphasised the need to strengthen the refugees’ self-reliance in the face of dramatic aid reductions.     

 

The Bhasan Char project was never about protection; it’s about Rohingya confinement. Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char project, a man-made floating refugee camp with the stylings of a penal colony in the Bay of Bengal, was destined, from the outset, to fail Rohingya refugees. Championed by the despotic former Sheikh Hasina government, the isolated island was never designed to protect the Rohingya, only to isolate, contain, and confine them.

 

Qatar Charity, UNHCR sign agreement to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Qatar Charity (QC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have signed a Letter of Understanding (LoU), accompanied by a Data Sharing Addendum, to enhance their joint response to the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

 

Australia:

Wyndham City, Victoria, joined the Mayoral and Councillor Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum, working with over 40 councils across Australia to coordinate advocacy to the federal Government about refugee policies and programs. See also:

• Migrant and refugee health expert Professor Rose McGready, who spent 30 years providing healthcare to displaced people in the border region between Thailand and Myanmar, was the Australian Capital Territory’s nominee for the 2026 Australian of the Year.

• Self-described ‘harmony Councillor’ in Maribyrnong, Victoria, Cuc Lam, who is also a refugee from Vietnam, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for bringing people together across cultures and perspectives in the Australia Day honours.
• Greek Australian Paul Gaganis was also awarded an OAM, recognising his more than five decades of hands-on support for migrant and refugee communities across South Australia.
• Vietnamese-born entrepreneur, community advocate, refugee and philanthropist Trung-Dzung Le was also awarded an OAM for his service to the industry and the Vietnamese community.
• Debra Korman, who was also awarded an OAM, shared a story of welcoming an Iranian asylum seeker into her family as an example of kindness’s ripple effect.
• Mohammed Akram Yusofi, who came to Australia by boat in 2012 as an asylum seeker and became an Australian citizen last year, was highly commended in the Greater Dandenong (Victoria) Australia Day Awards.
• Nika Suwarsih, who arrived in Australia in 2007 and now supports women and children through volunteer programs, including SisterWorks, was recognised for Community Leadership in Greater Dandenong.
• A South Sudanese refugee, Mayor Chagai, who founded a basketball club for Western Sydney youth, was named Blacktown City’s Citizen of the Year (NSW).
• Moses Vedamuthu, founder and president of Support Organisation for Homeless and Asylum Seekers (SOHAS), was named Parramatta’s Citizen of the Year (NSW).
• Wanda McInnes-Fogg was recognised for work supporting refugee settlement in Newcastle (NSW).
• Mukhles Habash, who arrived in Australia as a refugee from Iraq in 2016 and now works as an interpreter, and Van Hong Trinh, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1980 and later founded an electrical business, were guest speakers at an Australia Day event in Angelsea (Victoria).
• Volunteers across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains were recognised for their refugee support.  

Australia has been urged to make reforms to treat asylum seekers more humanely, after a United Nations review found it was ‘out of step’ with international standards. Also see:

•  Australia's human rights record scrutinised at the UN. 
• Major UN review urges Australia to legislate human rights reform.
• The international community is calling us out: UN calls on Australia to do better on human rights.Home Affairs updates humanitarian visa statistics, signalling slower post-COVID resettlement. Australia reported a 16 per cent shortfall against its 20,000-place humanitarian quota for calendar-year 2025, with the Department of Home Affairs citing ‘logistical delays’ in medical clearances and housing availability.
• 'Confusion, disappointment': Upcoming Afghan embassy closure leaves community in fear. The Embassy of Afghanistan in Canberra will close mid-year, with Australia refusing to recognise Taliban-appointed diplomats. The Refugee Council of Australia has noted that the embassy provided essential documents, such as passports and birth records, needed for refugee protection claims and opening bank accounts.
• The company handling Australia’s immigration detention is playing a key role in Trump’s ICE migrant crackdown. In a story about MTC, a private prison operator with Australian government contracts worth billions of dollars to hold people onshore and in Nauru, Guardian Australia reported on complaints about MTC-run United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.

 

 

Nauru and Manus Island:

Australia exposed an Iranian asylum seeker to torture on Manus, UN says. In a decision earlier this month, the UN Committee against Torture found that Australia exposed an Iranian asylum seeker to torture and ill-treatment during his years in detention on Manus, amounting to a breach of international obligations.

 

Economic impact of Manus detention centre laid bare in new report. New research by Australian National University researcher Maholopa Lavell, who comes from Manus Island, examined the impact of Australia’s offshore detention policy on the local community. After a boom, 780 jobs vanished when the detention centre closed, leading to increased crime and unemployment.

 

Operation Sovereign Borders Monthly Update: December 2025. Eight people were transferred to a regional processing country during December 2025, according to the most recent Operation Sovereign Borders update. It noted four suspected people-smuggling ventures were disrupted, and no vessels were intercepted and turned back in the month.

 

Other news:

The Spanish government announced plans to regularise the status of an estimated 500,000 undocumented migrants, to fill workforce gaps and counteract an ageing population. Migrants and asylum seekers with no criminal record who entered Spain before the end of 2025 and have lived there for at least five months will become eligible for renewable 12-month residence permits. Thousands of Pakistani nationals queued outside the Pakistani consulate in Barcelona to obtain the police-clearance certificate required to apply.

 

Rwanda filed an arbitration case against the UK over the cancellation of an agreement to relocate and resettle migrants and asylum seekers, after the scheme was scrapped by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024. Rwanda is seeking £50 million in compensation for payments due under the agreement, which it claims was not formally terminated. The UK has reportedly already paid Rwanda £240 million under the agreement, with only four people having been sent to Rwanda.

 

Türkiye is reportedly making preparations to prevent a potential influx of refugees from Iran, amid growing tensions between Iran and the US. Iran warned of a regional conflict if the US carries out its threat to attack Iran.

 

Documentary exposes China’s mass surveillance and detention of Uyghurs. Film exposing China’s mass surveillance and detention of Uyghurs anchors renewed international push to counter denial, disinformation, and global silence

 

Reports & Publications

Maholopa Lavell, ‘The Manus asylum centre temporary boom’.

 

Labour mobility for refugees: Is it a triple challenge?

An upcoming virtual seminar will offer a critical analysis of the growing labour mobility pathways for refugees and displaced people. Initiatives like Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) are often framed as ‘triple-win’ solutions that benefit refugees, host countries, and employers. However, this discussion will go beyond the celebratory narrative, exploring the historical context of these programs, their global impact, and the real-world experiences of both refugees and employers.

The panel features the Kaldor Centre’s Sally Baker and Louise Olliff, part of the team researching pathways in regional Australia for refugee talent.

 

Also speaking are Jeff Crisp (Oxford University), Sarah Walder (Talent Beyond Boundaries), Gemechu Abeshu (York University), and Vezda Vankova (Lund University).

Tune in for ‘New Pathways, Old Challenges? Navigating Labour Mobility for Skilled Refugees, on Thursday, 12 March, 3 pm - 4:30 pm ET, or for Australian audiences, Friday 13 March, 7 am - 8:30 am AEDT. This event is free and open to all, but advance registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

 

Awards and Prizes

Entries open for Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award (by  International Women's Media Foundation) to offer recognition, visibility and financial support to  women, nonbinary and gender nonconforming journalists whose work reflects courage and dedication in challenging reporting environments. Deadline: Mar 31, 2026  

 

Australia Awards Fellowships aim to build networks of influence and leadership by strengthening partnerships between Australian organisations and partner organisations in the region. Australian organisations can apply for funding (up to AUD $34,500 per Fellow) to host and support a range of professional development activities, including: work attachment; supervised research; a management or leadership course; a study tour; program meetings and visits, or a combination of these.

 

UN Women has launched the Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women's Empowerment to recognise and celebrate the outstanding efforts of individuals, civil society, public institutions, and private sector actors working toward gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Deadline 20 March 2026

 

CFPs: Women's Scholarship for International Students 2026

Grant Size: $1000 to $10,000

Countries/Regions: All Countries

Area: Students, Women and Girls, Women & Gender

Applicants are now invited to submit applications for the Women's Scholarship to award female students at all higher study levels. Deadline: Aug 28, 2026

 

2026 GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security

Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

Countries/Regions: All Countries

Area: Education, Climate Change, Human Rights, Cyber Security, Peace & Conflict Resolution, Technology

The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is inviting applications for its GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security, a global opportunity to reward visionary ideas that address peace and security challenges. Deadline: Mar 20, 2026

 

Call for Nominations: Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment

Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

Countries/Regions: All Countries

Area: Gender Equality, Women & Gender

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Government of Iceland, has opened nominations for the 2026 Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment. Deadline: Mar 27, 2026

 

Submissions open for Australia Awards (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) to support the next generation of local, national, and global leaders. Deadline: Apr 30, 2026

• Thailand
• Philippines  
• Bangladesh  

 

Zolve Global Scholarship to recognise and empower exceptional young leaders worldwide who demonstrate excellence, leadership potential and a strong passion for creating positive change in their communities. Deadline: Mar 15, 2026

 

Funding opportunities

Small Grants Program, Mérieux Foundation. 

The Mérieux Foundation’s Small Grants Program supports local, community-rooted initiatives combating infectious diseases in vulnerable populations, especially mothers and children. Grants fund implementation-ready projects that are aligned with local priorities, integrated with existing health efforts, and led by organisations embedded in the target communities. Applicants must demonstrate a long-term commitment to public health and adhere to the ethical principles outlined in the Foundation’s charter.

• Geographies: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, 
• Who can apply: Local nonprofit organisations registered for ≥3 years; student groups and international NGOs are not eligible.
• Funding amount: Up to EUR €5,000 per project; overall project budget may not exceed €50,000.
• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: maternal & child health, community-based infectious disease response, gender equity.
• Deadline: Two rounds yearly, March 1, 2026, and August 1, 2026.
• Learn more and apply here.

 

United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture

The annual call for applications is open every year from 15 January to 1 March (applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted). Grants are awarded for a one-year period (1 January to 31 December) of the following year for amounts ranging from 15,000 USD to 35,000 USD. The 2027 Call for applications are open from 15 January to 1st March 2026  

 

Case Study Small Grant Programme (Malaysia) by MySDG Centre for Social Inclusion, provides support to qualitative, non-quantitative research on Sustainable Development Goal–related societal issues in Malaysia (Nutrition, Community Engagement, Disability, Environment, Researchers, Students, Youth, Research, Sustainable Development, Youth & Adolescents). Deadline: Mar 06, 2026  

 

International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) announced a call for proposals to support civil society organisations in defending and expanding civic space in Nepal through targeted, context-driven initiatives. Deadline: Feb 28, 2026

 

UN Voluntary Trust Fund Small Grants Programme for Victims of Trafficking to support short-term, high-impact interventions that provide direct assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking worldwide. Deadline: Feb 28, 2026

 

UNDP - Open Call for Climate Catalysts Programme to advance young-led climate solutions that reduce environmental footprints and strengthen sustainable and resilient communities across the Asia-Pacific region. Deadline: Mar 06, 2026

 

Bangsamoro Youth Commission Launches Ideation Impact Challenge 2026 (Philippines) to support youth-led and gender-responsive policy research that strengthens evidence-based governance in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Deadline: Feb 27, 2026