Advocacy Updates

Afghanistan

• 22 November: Najeeba Wazefadost (Asia Pacific Network of Refugees) and Evan Jones (Asia Displacement Solutions Platform) wrote an op-ed for the New Humanitarian entitled ‘Afghanistan’s upheaval is no excuse to ignore local aid promises.’ The article discussed the need for humanitarian support for Afghanistan, civil society, and diaspora groups. Without proper support, Afghan-led groups will suffer, and the civil society capacity that has been built over the past 20 years will begin to crumble.

Australia

• A panel discussion from the Refugee Council of Australia 'From sharing the microphone to working in partnership: NGOs and the emergence of refugee led advocacy' is now available to watch on YouTube. The panel discussed practical examples of how refugees can be included in advocacy work.

Myanmar

• ALTSEAN-Burma released their fourth report card on Myanmar, highlighting the military junta's atrocities committed against unarmed civilians, Myanmar’s failure to comply with measures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and recent updates on the protests. The report also mentioned that there are now hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been displaced since the military coup took place in February 2021.

Thailand

• 24 November: APRRN released a statement calling on the Royal Thai Government to comply with international law and cease deportations of refugees following the recent refoulement of Cambodian refugees from Thailand.

• The assessment report on the National Screening Mechanism (NSM) is now available in E-book format in both English and Thai. In August 2021, APRRN and the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons, with support from the US Embassy in Thailand, organised the National Screening Mechanism (NSM) Report Soft Launch. The report includes the NSM implementation assessment that APRRN helped to develop and aims to share with the public the key findings and recommendations of the study.

Regional

• 24 November: Oxfam International co-organised a media forum that brought together experts from Asia and across the globe to explore how vaccine inequality is worsening and fueling discriminiation in Asia, with disadvantaged groups such as refugees significantly lacking access to COVID-19 vaccines. The webinar was part of Oxfam International’s 'Journalism for an Equitable Asia' project, which aims to increase public awareness and support, and encourage reporting on inequality in Asia.

• 25 November: To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the Jesuit Refugee Service Asia-Pacific co-launched a commemorative website dedicated to its history of outstanding service and solidarity, as well as eye-opening personal stories of refugees. You can visit the online exhibition here.

• 27-28 November: Borderless360 organised an introductory training on Emergency Pedagogy: Waldorf Education in Crisis Intervention. The aim of the four-session training was to equip educators, parents, social workers, and therapists with emergency pedagogy skills. The organisation also provided financial assistance to individuals who could not pay for the training.

• Researchers from the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees, APRRN, Act for Peace, and Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney are currently undertaking a first-of-its-kind research survey to better understand the work and contributions of refugee-led initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Find out more about the research and to complete the survey here.

On the radar

• Employment opportunity: Nationality for All is looking for energetic individuals to join them in the following positions: Programme Coordinator, Programme Officer, Research Officer, and Programme Assistant - all based in Nepal. Learn more about it here. The deadline is 10 December.

• Employment opportunity: The International Detention Coalition (IDC) is currently recruiting a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme Officer to provide operational and administrative support to IDC’s MENA office in delivering regional programmes, helping to implement the strategy in the region, develop the capacity of IDC members, and support IDC’s mission. Applications close on 15 December. Learn more about it here.

• Employment opportunity: FORUM-ASIA is looking for a part-time Advocacy and Research Programme Officer to implement a project from November 2021 to October 2024 to contribute to building an enabling environment for fundamental freedoms and sustainable development in Asia. Applications close on 17 December. Go here for the full description.

• 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.

• Job opportunity: Borderless360 (B360) is seeking an energetic and dedicated person to support the B360 Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI) team to coordinate its Refugee General Educational Development (GED) programme and undertake other functions in support of the development of its Inclusive Education Initiative. Head over here for the full job description.

• Training: APRRN, the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform, the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, and the Danish Refugee Council are organising the in-person 'Professional Development Course on Advocacy for Afghan Diaspora' to strengthen participants’ capacity, expertise and knowledge in advocating for the rights of Afghans in need of protection, and will provide an interdisciplinary overview on forced migration including political, legal, social, and economic aspects. The course will take place between 10 - 13 December.

From the Secretariat

APRRN Updates

• The Short Course on Refugee Rights and Advocacy started in the middle of November and will continue until 10 December with two sessions per week. The short course is an annual capacity building activity organised by APRRN, in collaboration with academic partners and experts, which aims to increase knowledge, develop critical human-rights understanding relevant to forced migration, and strengthen the capacity of refugee rights advocates in the Asia Pacific region. This year, the course is being conducted online in partnership with the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies of Mahidol University, and the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York.

• APRRN was mentioned in Asia News regarding the increase of refugees fleeing from Myanmar and the issues they face as a result of neighbouring governments refusing to recognise them as refugees, even those with UNHCR cards.

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’ socio-economic 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.