PUBLICATIONS
Publications
Latest publications produced by APRRN, our members and partners
Annual Report 2022
25 September 2023
2022 was a busy and challenging year for APRRN. The two major, protracted refugee crises facing our region, Afghanistan and Myanmar, caused escalating levels of suffering amid inadequate and underfunded regional and international responses. For those displaced from and within Afghanistan, APRRN has created a series of multilingual resources, including a microsite, identifying legal routes to safety for displaced Afghans, and also supported women-led organisations in Afghanistan. APRRN continued its deep engagement in the response to Rohingya displacement from Myanmar through its expert Rohingya Working Group and expanded its work on displacement from Myanmar more widely through research on local and refugee-led responses to displacement on the Thai and Indian borders. APRRN, with its members, has since developed a project to respond to displacement in Northeast India. APRRN also persisted in using all available opportunities to advocate for the recognition of basic refugee rights in countries of asylum and the creation of safe and legal routes to safety for those unable to secure protection.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Imagined Future: The Struggle of Refugees in Thailand’s Temporary Refuge
18 August 2023
A Joint Consultation Report developed by Karen Refugee Committee, Karenni Refugee Committee and Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network under the 'Strengthening Protection for Refugees along the Thailand-Myanmar Border' Project. Supported by the Staying Resilient Amid the Pandemic in Southeast Asia initiative of SEA Junction in partnership with CMB Foundation.
Type of Publication: Report
Not Always Rainbows
18 August 2023
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Equal Asia Foundation (EqualAF) partnered on a project to improve digital empathy for LGBTIQ+ refugees in Thailand. ‘Not Always Rainbows’ is a short film on the experiences of LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced persons in the country and a dialogue built towards better responses to their protection needs. We hope that this film can be an advocacy tool to increase protection for LGBTIQ+ refugees. This event and film were made possible with the invaluable contributions from the rainbow community and the support of the U.S. Government.
Type of Publication: Video
In Endless Transit: Contributions and Challenges for Refugee-led Initiatives In Indonesia
24 July 2023
In Endless Transit: Contributions and Challenges for Refugee-led Initiatives in Indonesia’, by Mohammad Baqir Bayani, Patrick Wall, Najeeba Wazefadost and Tristan Harley, highlights the resilience and entrepreneurial responses of RLIs in Indonesia but calls for support. ‘The failure of states to provide adequate protection and offer solutions are leading to a sense of disempowerment and despair amongst refugees in Indonesia, and this is having an outsized impact on RLIs,’ the report notes.
Type of Publication: Report
Insecurity, Risk and Resilience: The Contributions and Challenges of Refugee-led Initiatives in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh
24 July 2023
‘Insecurity, Risk and Resilience: The Contributions and Challenges of Refugee-led Initiatives in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh’ draws on fieldwork interviews conducted with refugee leaders and representatives in 2022. The report provides the first detailed analysis of the experiences of RLIs working in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Its lead authors are Jessica Olney and Saiful Haque, with the Kaldor Centre’s Brian Barbour and Tristan Harley and APNOR’s Najeeba Wazefadost.
Type of Publication: Report
Malaysia: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
21 July 2023
This submission for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citizen status; and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a network consisting of more than 240 civil society organisations and individuals from 28 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region. This submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in Malaysia.
Type of Publication: Paper/Article
China: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
21 July 2023
This submission for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citizen status; and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a network consisting of more than 240 civil society organisations and individuals from 28 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region. This submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereto referred to as “Hong Kong”).
Type of Publication: Paper/Article
Strategies to Promote Protection inside and outside of RSD
19 July 2023
From 25-26 April 2016, the Legal Aid and Advocacy Working Group of APRRN held a retreat in Bangkok Thailand: 27 persons from 12 countries across the Asia Pacific Region participated. Recommendations were produced at the retreat and in consultation with our members. These Recommendations are being shared with UNHCR Headquarters, the Regional Office, and with the National Offices in countries where APRRN has members. Some are directed to UNHCR; others are directed at all relevant partners. Our Members do not believe that UNHCR alone is responsible for refugee protection: addressing the many challenges and diverse needs of persons in need of protection with limited resources means everyone must do their part in a well-coordinated and collaborative network.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
APRRN marks world refugee day 2023 with activities across the region focusing on arbitrary detention and rainbow refugees
20 June 2023
On World Refugee Day 2023, APPRN is carrying out diverse activities to highlight the challenges and opportunities for refugees and other displaced people in our region, as part of our ongoing efforts to protect and promote the human rights and meaningful inclusion and participation of refugees, migrants and displaced people.
Type of Publication: Other
Co-Secretary General, Hafsar Tameesuddin's Speech delivered at the press release in Japan on 21st May 2023
6 June 2023
Our Co-Secretary General Hafsar Tamesuddin delivered a speech regarding the immigration bill to amend the immigration act in Japan. Hafsar highlighted APRRN's recommendations to consider adopting an independent Refugee Act with a primary focus on protection and revising detention legislation consistent with international standards from our recent statement.
Type of Publication: Speech
Routledge Handbook of Civil and Uncivil Society in Southeast Asia
29 March 2023
The handbook actively analyses the varying definitions of civil society, critiquing the inconsistent scrutiny of this sphere over time. It brings forth the need to reconsider civil society development in today’s Southeast Asia, including activist organisations' and platforms' composition, claims, resources, and potential to effect sociopolitical change.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
Recommendations on the protection of women human rights defenders at risk in migration contexts
27 March 2023
These recommendations are the first of their kind and underline the critical role migrant women human rights defenders play in securing the rights of people on the move. Migrant women human rights defenders include women, girls, and gender-diverse persons of all ages who promote and protect the human rights of people on the move, whether they are migrants themselves or not, regardless of their migration status, and irrespective of whether they self-identify as a woman human rights defender. These recommendations are a call to action to all stakeholders to recognize and address the risks facing migrant women human rights defenders and put in place measures to promote and protect human rights unhindered so that migrants in all their diversity can live, work, and move safely and with dignity.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Understanding RLO Impact: A meta-synthesis of five external impact evaluations covering programs run by Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs)
15 March 2023
This study synthesizes and analyzes available data in order to answer two key research questions: What impact trends can be observed across five externally evaluated refugee-led organizations (RLOs)? To what extent can observations be generalized across organizations or geographies?
Type of Publication: Report
14 Protection Principles in COVID-19 Context - Bangla
7 March 2023
The following principles derived from international treaties and instruments, customary international law, decisions of UN treaty bodies, and guidelines widely accepted by the international community. They are further informed by decisions of human rights bodies at the regional level and regional inter-State agreements. The principles are offered to inform and guide state action, to assist international organizations, and to provide a basis for advocacy and education.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
14 Protection Principles in COVID-19 Context - English
7 March 2023
The following principles derived from international treaties and instruments, customary international law, decisions of UN treaty bodies, and guidelines widely accepted by the international community. They are further informed by decisions of human rights bodies at the regional level and regional inter-State agreements. The principles are offered to inform and guide state action, to assist international organizations, and to provide a basis for advocacy and education.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
TOGETHER WE DID! A reflection on the impact of the COVID-19 Emergency Statelessness Fund (CESF) Consortium
1 March 2023
This report documents the impacts of and perspectives from each CESF member’s project in the form of a series of Consortium Heroes profile pieces. It also draws together the lessons learned from the Consortium experience as a whole, both in terms of the issues addressed as well as the strategies and approaches adopted. It is informed by direct inputs from CESF members and peer conversations, as well as the findings of a CESF Independent Evaluation Report completed by external evaluators in October 2022. The report documents how the CESF and its learnings can pave the way for a future in which this type of thoughtful and impactful collaboration between donors, global NGOs, regional, national and community groups will become more common, more long-term and even more effective.
Type of Publication: Report
Asylum Seekers & Refugees Household & Livelihood Survey 2022
10 February 2023
Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands published a report on the living conditions of the West Papuan refugees in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The report is a result of a survey conducted last year and also our involvement in working with this marginalized group in the last three years.
Type of Publication: Report
Annual Report 2021
1 December 2022
2021 was a challenging year for APRRN, its members, and all people living through forced displacement in the Asia Pacific region. The COVID-19 pandemic and attendant health risks and travel restrictions continued to force us to reimagine our work and respond to a rapidly changing landscape, including outbreaks of xenophobia, boat pushbacks, and opportunistic shrinking of the civil society space. In reality, 2021 brought new, more severe waves of infection to the region. In response, APRRN quickly re-organized, re-envisioning what was possible and reimagining how we could advocate for the protection of refugees across the Asia Pacific region and strengthen the capacity of advocates for refugee rights. Our responses included vigilantly monitoring and responding to protection challenges, advocating for the inclusion of refugees in all COVID-19 preparedness and response plans, supporting localization and refugee-led initiatives, and bridging local, regional, and global responses.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Promoting Safety of Life at Sea in Selected Coastal Areas in South-East Asia through Local Actors
12 October 2022
People seeking asylum face closed borders, trapped at sea, hundreds died. Local actors have been instrumental in rescue at sea and reception. Driven by people-to-people solidarity, traditional codes, and humanitarian values, they take action to save lives. In a series of national round-tables in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh, APRRN invited key local actors to share and reflect on their practices, challenges, and lessons learned. A regional round-table discussion explored how to strengthen collaboration regionally. This paper summarizes key experiences, good practices, lessons learned, and recommendations to inform dialogue, activities and advocacy in the region.
Type of Publication: Report
Protection from Persecution: End the Forcible Return of Refugees
12 October 2022
In the past two years, Thailand has shown leadership in expanding alternatives to detention and moving towards a national screening mechanism for persons at risk of persecution. However, if it is to be recognized as a regional leader, it must immediately stop forcibly returning refugees to their countries of origin, where they are at risk of being persecuted.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Regional Humanitarian Advocacy Consultation on Rohingya Displacement
10 October 2022
Summary 15 September 2022 Many Rohingya are still living in protracted exile with unreliable access to temporary protection, essential services and durable solutions, which has led thousands to undertake perilous journeys from Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea, leading in many cases to fatalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic created new barriers to migration, as many countries tightened border controls, the number of Rohingya refugees attempting to move irregularly is again increasing, with over 1,000 Rohingya making maritime and land movements in the region in January – July 2022. Against this backdrop, 51 representatives from 29 NGOs, networks, the UN and the donor community met to discuss how coordinated regional responses and advocacy can be strengthened. During the one-day consultation, humanitarian stakeholders discussed challenges and opportunities at both regional and national levels, identified themes for advocacy and opportunities for coordinated advocacy at the regional level to improve the situation for Rohingya in the region.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Annual Tripartite Consultations On Resettlement 2022
7 October 2022
Final Report 20-22nd June 2022 The theme for the ATCR 2022 was Reemerging and Building Globally. The conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland with more than 260 participants working in the context of resettlement and third-country solutions, including representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, academia, the private sector, and refugees.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Rights in Exile
28 September 2022
by AMERA International The Rights in Exile Programme works to achieve better protection of refugee rights by networking legal assistance providers with resources and training, and facilitating access to free legal assistance and information for refugees around the world.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
Undoing Precarity: Elevating Positive Practices for Refugee Protection in South and South East Asia
27 September 2022
This report highlights ways in which countries in South and Southeast Asia that are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol have nonetheless extended protections for and advanced the rights of refugees living within their borders through various legislative and administrative practices. The guide seeks to promote practical and actionable steps that can be adopted and adapted in other settings, informing existing and emerging efforts to help refugees defend and realise their rights.
Type of Publication: Report
It's Time to Share Responsibility: The Rohingya Crisis Five Years On
4 August 2022
Released on 25 August 2022, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network's Briefing Paper outlines how all stakeholders can own their share of responsibility towards putting an end to the systematic marginalisation of Rohingya women, men and children, five years after more than 742,000 were driven out of Myanmar by brutal attacks in 2017. “After more than 40 years of persecution, with no solutions in sight, and no clear political leadership, we are all complicit in the ongoing marginalisation of the Rohingya, and we must all begin to accept, and share responsibility if we hope that situation to change,” Hafsar Tameesuddin, Chair of APRRN and a former Rohingya refugee. Co-written by APRRN’s Rohingya Working Group, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of countries of exile where Rohingya have sought refuge, including Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Thailand, and Indonesia. It highlights the glaring lack of basic human rights and legal protections, the continuous cycle of forced displacement, and the normalisation of Rohingya marginalisation across the region, to outline concrete steps towards improvement.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
2022 Global Refugee Work Rights Report
28 June 2022
By Asylum Access In this project, produced by researchers at the Center for Global Development (CGD), Asylum Access, and Refugees International, we assess refugees’ work rights across the globe. We examine different dimensions of work rights both in law (de jure) and in practice (de facto) across 51 countries that were collectively hosting 87 percent of the world’s refugee population at the end of 2021. Combining legal documents, country-level reports, news articles, and input from more than 200 practitioners with knowledge of refugees’ livelihoods and use of services, we evaluate the de jure and de facto situation within a standardised framework.
Type of Publication: Report
Virtual Workshop for NGOs: Refugee Protection in the Context of COVID 2020
1 June 2022
TheVirtual Workshop for NGOs: Refugee Protection in the Context of COVID-19 was organised in July 2020 by the Rohingya Working Group (RWG) of the AsiaPacific Refugee Rights Network(APRRN), in collaboration with the Bangladesh Rohingya Response NGO Platform (NGOPlatform). The objective of the workshop was to examine current protection concerns faced by NGOs in the context of COVID-19, learn good practices and identify strategies to address existing and emerging challenges in the context of COVID-19.
Type of Publication: Report
Refugee Rights Situation in Indonesia: Universal Periodic Review 4th Cycle
28 April 2022
By SUAKA Indonesia This submission provides an overview of the refugee rights situation in Indonesia and the effectiveness of refugee management of the Government of Indonesia since the last UPR (Third Cycle). There were two recommendations specific to the issues of refugees, one of which was supported by the Government of Indonesia (139.147 – Colombia) and one noted recommendation (141.55 – Ireland). In addition to these specific recommendations, Indonesia also supported many recommendations on other rights which would be applicable for refugees and asylum seekers. However, this report has documented the weak commitment made by the Government of Indonesia to follow up the recommendations for the betterment of refugee rights in the country.
Type of Publication: Report
Equitable Partnership Position Paper
28 December 2021
by Asylum Access It is a position paper that documents Asylum Access' internal journey and learnings around localization. From our recent and ongoing learning, we understand there are many things that must happen in order to shift the power and resources from institutions of powers to proximate actors. This paper focuses on one key element of that: Equitable Partnerships, which we understand as partnerships where systems, processes, and daily interactions help to rectify the power imbalances that enable exclusion, and are based on the five foundational elements of diversity, representation, equity and includion; co-design; co-leadership; co-visibility; and trust and transparency.
Type of Publication: Report
ASIA PACIFIC SUMMIT OF REFUGEES (APSOR) OUTCOMES REPORT 2019
21 November 2021
The Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees 2021 prepared by the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees team. The report outlines the discussions, key recommendations, and outcomes from the Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees, held virtual on 9, 10 & 11 November 2021, with many individual refugees and country hubs participants connecting to the Summit from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Hong Kong & South Korea.
Type of Publication: Report
Thailand: National Screening Mechanism Assessment Report (2021)
27 September 2021
APRRN and the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP) in Thailand developed a comprehensive publication on Thailand's National Screening Mechanism (NSM) that provides a baseline assessment of NSM progress to date, as well as key findings and recommendations.
Type of Publication: Report
In Light of the Spread of COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Centres, Reconsider the Detention Approach to Migration
9 April 2021
APRRN renews its call to states to treat detainees in line with their obligations under international human rights law and to reconsider their use of immigration detention during an airborne pandemic. Shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19, civil society organisations called upon states to release people from immigration detention, warning that outbreaks were likely as physical distancing is impossible, sanitary facilities are typically inadequate, and access to protective equipment and medical care is minimal in the often-overcrowded facilities in which migrants are detained. One year on, migrants throughout the region have been exposed to outbreaks of COVID-19:
Type of Publication: Statement
Annual Report 2020
27 February 2021
2020 was a challenging year for all, as the COVID19 pandemic and attendant health risks and travel restrictions forced us to reimagine our work and respond to a rapidly changing landscape, including outbreaks of xenophobia, boat pushbacks, and opportunistic shrinking of the civil society space. In response, APRRN quickly re-organised, re-envisioning what was possible and reimagining how we could advocate for the protection of refugees across the Asia Pacific region and strengthen the capacity of advocates for refugee rights.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Towards Refugees' Rights to Work
31 October 2020
Despite having hosted asylum seekers for decades, Malaysia and Thailand are not among the 149 United Nations member states that have signed the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention) and/or its Protocol. In both countries, authorities have alternated between denying responsibility, granting humanitarian exceptions, and closing one eye on the presence of refugees in their territory. Consistently, however, refugees have been forced to seek work in the informal sector, exposing them to detention, arrest, exploitation, and destitution.
Type of Publication: Report
Three Years On: Rohingya Need Sustainable Solutions
3 September 2020
Three years since violent attacks in Myanmar forced more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, the refugee population in Cox’s Bazar District continues to wait for safe, dignified, and voluntary return to their homeland while living in conditions of deprivation and uncertainty The escalation of conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Arakan Army since December 2018 has impacted all communities in Rakhine State, including the Rohingya. The ongoing conflict has displaced more than 100,000 Rakhine (Arakanese) and other ethnic groups, resulting in the killing and maiming of civilians, and damage to critical infrastructure. A ceasefire that includes all parties to the conflict is urgently needed to support the protection of all communities in Rakhine State.
Type of Publication: Statement
Suspension of Afghan Refugee Repatriation from Pakistan a Short-term Solution to a Long-term Problem
24 March 2020
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)commends the suspension of the voluntary repatriation programme for afghan refugees in Pakistan, which had resumed earlier this month, due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. However, as the measures are only provisionary, APRRNcontinues to express concern regarding the appropriateness of the program itself, due to the notable lack of protection available to returnees in Afghanistan. The repatriation program, an emergence from a tripartite agreement between UNHCR, the Government of Pakistan, and the government of Afghanistan, was initiated in2003, and reaffirmed in July 2019
Type of Publication: Statement
Annual Report 2019
27 February 2020
This year was an incredible year for APRRN and its programmatic goals of advocacy, information sharing, and capacity strengthening. Particularly of note was APRRN’s instrumental intervention and tireless advocacy on several high-profile cases and the inaugural Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
APRRN 7th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights Report
27 December 2019
This year’s theme '10 years of APRRN' highlighted the successes and achievements over the past 10 years but also provided opportunities to discuss our strategies for moving forward as a network.
Type of Publication: Report
Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees (APSOR) Outcomes Report (February 2019)
27 February 2019
On 22 October 2018, APSOR brought together 104 representatives from refugee-led organisations, networks and communities residing in 10 host countries in the Asia Pacific region to discuss and plan for greater refugee participation in policy- and decision-making. This was the first opportunity of its kind for refugee leaders in the Asia Pacific region to come together to share experiences, network and discuss how to strengthen refugee self-representation at all levels (locally, regionally and internationally).
Type of Publication: Report
Annual Report 2018
27 February 2019
2018 was transformative. APRRN members helped the network accomplish considerable milestones in refugee protection across the region, and continued to develop and advance the ground-up, grass-roots, membership-led movement that the Asia-Pacific region is pioneering in the field of refugee rights advocacy. This report details many of these developments and demonstrates just how diverse and compelling our membership is. It reflects upon our recent achievements and provides a snapshot of the year in review.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Joint Statement on the Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Determination of Measures and Approaches Alternative to Detention of Children in Immigration Detention Centers - 2019
21 January 2019
Thailand edges closer to respecting refugee and migrant rights with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ending the detention of refugee and migrant children We, the undersigned refugee and human rights organizations in Thailand, welcome today’s commitment by the Government of Thailand to stop detaining migrant and refugee children. This commendable step brings Thailand closer to international standards for the treatment of refugee and migrant children and recognizes their fundamental rights under international law. We urge the authorities to immediately release all refugees arbitrarily detained in Thailand and fully protect the rights of refugees and children, including by reuniting separated families and prioritizing the best interests of the child.
Type of Publication: Statement
Meaningful Refugee Participation as Transformative Leadership: Guidelines for Concrete Action
27 September 2018
More than ever, we have seen refugees participating on panels, invited to fora and voicing their interests. And importantly, there is a growing appreciation for the fact that including refugees in substantive ways is not only the right thing to do but that it results in policies and programs that are more effective and legitimate. Despite this progress, the refugee response sector is struggling to enable meaningful participation. Refugee-led initiatives globally are therefore calling for an urgent focus on moving from rhetoric to reality. This document was authored by the Global Refugee-Led Network in collaboration with Asylum Access and experts.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
APRRN 6th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights Report
27 September 2016
APCRR6 consisted of a series of workshops aimed at reaffirming the theme of ‘Building on Positive Practices’. During the thematically diverse workshops, participants had an opportunity to discuss the latest updates, positive developments and strategise for joint action.
Type of Publication: Report
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network Vision for Regional Protection
1 June 2014
The Asia-Pacific region is currently home to the largest number of forcibly displaced persons in the world. In spite of this, there is no coherent regional vision for the protection of refugees, asylum seekers, torture survivors and complainants, trafficked persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons and returnees. While states have been actively engaged in dialogue and cooperation on cross-border movements, this has mostly focused on combating people smuggling and trafficking with limited attention to the protection of refugees and other displaced persons.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Annual Report 2022
2022 was a busy and challenging year for APRRN. The two major, protracted refugee crises facing our region, Afghanistan and Myanmar, caused escalating levels of suffering amid inadequate and underfunded regional and international responses. For those displaced from and within Afghanistan, APRRN has created a series of multilingual resources, including a microsite, identifying legal routes to safety for displaced Afghans, and also supported women-led organisations in Afghanistan. APRRN continued its deep engagement in the response to Rohingya displacement from Myanmar through its expert Rohingya Working Group and expanded its work on displacement from Myanmar more widely through research on local and refugee-led responses to displacement on the Thai and Indian borders. APRRN, with its members, has since developed a project to respond to displacement in Northeast India. APRRN also persisted in using all available opportunities to advocate for the recognition of basic refugee rights in countries of asylum and the creation of safe and legal routes to safety for those unable to secure protection.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Imagined Future: The Struggle of Refugees in Thailand’s Temporary Refuge
A Joint Consultation Report developed by Karen Refugee Committee, Karenni Refugee Committee and Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network under the 'Strengthening Protection for Refugees along the Thailand-Myanmar Border' Project. Supported by the Staying Resilient Amid the Pandemic in Southeast Asia initiative of SEA Junction in partnership with CMB Foundation.
Type of Publication: Report
Not Always Rainbows
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Equal Asia Foundation (EqualAF) partnered on a project to improve digital empathy for LGBTIQ+ refugees in Thailand. ‘Not Always Rainbows’ is a short film on the experiences of LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced persons in the country and a dialogue built towards better responses to their protection needs. We hope that this film can be an advocacy tool to increase protection for LGBTIQ+ refugees. This event and film were made possible with the invaluable contributions from the rainbow community and the support of the U.S. Government.
Type of Publication: Video
In Endless Transit: Contributions and Challenges for Refugee-led Initiatives In Indonesia
In Endless Transit: Contributions and Challenges for Refugee-led Initiatives in Indonesia’, by Mohammad Baqir Bayani, Patrick Wall, Najeeba Wazefadost and Tristan Harley, highlights the resilience and entrepreneurial responses of RLIs in Indonesia but calls for support. ‘The failure of states to provide adequate protection and offer solutions are leading to a sense of disempowerment and despair amongst refugees in Indonesia, and this is having an outsized impact on RLIs,’ the report notes.
Type of Publication: Report
Insecurity, Risk and Resilience: The Contributions and Challenges of Refugee-led Initiatives in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh
‘Insecurity, Risk and Resilience: The Contributions and Challenges of Refugee-led Initiatives in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh’ draws on fieldwork interviews conducted with refugee leaders and representatives in 2022. The report provides the first detailed analysis of the experiences of RLIs working in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Its lead authors are Jessica Olney and Saiful Haque, with the Kaldor Centre’s Brian Barbour and Tristan Harley and APNOR’s Najeeba Wazefadost.
Type of Publication: Report
Malaysia: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
This submission for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citizen status; and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a network consisting of more than 240 civil society organisations and individuals from 28 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region. This submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in Malaysia.
Type of Publication: Paper/Article
China: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
This submission for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citizen status; and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a network consisting of more than 240 civil society organisations and individuals from 28 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region. This submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereto referred to as “Hong Kong”).
Type of Publication: Paper/Article
Strategies to Promote Protection inside and outside of RSD
From 25-26 April 2016, the Legal Aid and Advocacy Working Group of APRRN held a retreat in Bangkok Thailand: 27 persons from 12 countries across the Asia Pacific Region participated. Recommendations were produced at the retreat and in consultation with our members. These Recommendations are being shared with UNHCR Headquarters, the Regional Office, and with the National Offices in countries where APRRN has members. Some are directed to UNHCR; others are directed at all relevant partners. Our Members do not believe that UNHCR alone is responsible for refugee protection: addressing the many challenges and diverse needs of persons in need of protection with limited resources means everyone must do their part in a well-coordinated and collaborative network.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
APRRN marks world refugee day 2023 with activities across the region focusing on arbitrary detention and rainbow refugees
On World Refugee Day 2023, APPRN is carrying out diverse activities to highlight the challenges and opportunities for refugees and other displaced people in our region, as part of our ongoing efforts to protect and promote the human rights and meaningful inclusion and participation of refugees, migrants and displaced people.
Type of Publication: Other
Co-Secretary General, Hafsar Tameesuddin's Speech delivered at the press release in Japan on 21st May 2023
Our Co-Secretary General Hafsar Tamesuddin delivered a speech regarding the immigration bill to amend the immigration act in Japan. Hafsar highlighted APRRN's recommendations to consider adopting an independent Refugee Act with a primary focus on protection and revising detention legislation consistent with international standards from our recent statement.
Type of Publication: Speech
Routledge Handbook of Civil and Uncivil Society in Southeast Asia
The handbook actively analyses the varying definitions of civil society, critiquing the inconsistent scrutiny of this sphere over time. It brings forth the need to reconsider civil society development in today’s Southeast Asia, including activist organisations' and platforms' composition, claims, resources, and potential to effect sociopolitical change.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
Recommendations on the protection of women human rights defenders at risk in migration contexts
These recommendations are the first of their kind and underline the critical role migrant women human rights defenders play in securing the rights of people on the move. Migrant women human rights defenders include women, girls, and gender-diverse persons of all ages who promote and protect the human rights of people on the move, whether they are migrants themselves or not, regardless of their migration status, and irrespective of whether they self-identify as a woman human rights defender. These recommendations are a call to action to all stakeholders to recognize and address the risks facing migrant women human rights defenders and put in place measures to promote and protect human rights unhindered so that migrants in all their diversity can live, work, and move safely and with dignity.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Understanding RLO Impact: A meta-synthesis of five external impact evaluations covering programs run by Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs)
This study synthesizes and analyzes available data in order to answer two key research questions: What impact trends can be observed across five externally evaluated refugee-led organizations (RLOs)? To what extent can observations be generalized across organizations or geographies?
Type of Publication: Report
14 Protection Principles in COVID-19 Context - Bangla
The following principles derived from international treaties and instruments, customary international law, decisions of UN treaty bodies, and guidelines widely accepted by the international community. They are further informed by decisions of human rights bodies at the regional level and regional inter-State agreements. The principles are offered to inform and guide state action, to assist international organizations, and to provide a basis for advocacy and education.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
14 Protection Principles in COVID-19 Context - English
The following principles derived from international treaties and instruments, customary international law, decisions of UN treaty bodies, and guidelines widely accepted by the international community. They are further informed by decisions of human rights bodies at the regional level and regional inter-State agreements. The principles are offered to inform and guide state action, to assist international organizations, and to provide a basis for advocacy and education.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
TOGETHER WE DID! A reflection on the impact of the COVID-19 Emergency Statelessness Fund (CESF) Consortium
This report documents the impacts of and perspectives from each CESF member’s project in the form of a series of Consortium Heroes profile pieces. It also draws together the lessons learned from the Consortium experience as a whole, both in terms of the issues addressed as well as the strategies and approaches adopted. It is informed by direct inputs from CESF members and peer conversations, as well as the findings of a CESF Independent Evaluation Report completed by external evaluators in October 2022. The report documents how the CESF and its learnings can pave the way for a future in which this type of thoughtful and impactful collaboration between donors, global NGOs, regional, national and community groups will become more common, more long-term and even more effective.
Type of Publication: Report
Asylum Seekers & Refugees Household & Livelihood Survey 2022
Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands published a report on the living conditions of the West Papuan refugees in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The report is a result of a survey conducted last year and also our involvement in working with this marginalized group in the last three years.
Type of Publication: Report
Annual Report 2021
2021 was a challenging year for APRRN, its members, and all people living through forced displacement in the Asia Pacific region. The COVID-19 pandemic and attendant health risks and travel restrictions continued to force us to reimagine our work and respond to a rapidly changing landscape, including outbreaks of xenophobia, boat pushbacks, and opportunistic shrinking of the civil society space. In reality, 2021 brought new, more severe waves of infection to the region. In response, APRRN quickly re-organized, re-envisioning what was possible and reimagining how we could advocate for the protection of refugees across the Asia Pacific region and strengthen the capacity of advocates for refugee rights. Our responses included vigilantly monitoring and responding to protection challenges, advocating for the inclusion of refugees in all COVID-19 preparedness and response plans, supporting localization and refugee-led initiatives, and bridging local, regional, and global responses.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Promoting Safety of Life at Sea in Selected Coastal Areas in South-East Asia through Local Actors
People seeking asylum face closed borders, trapped at sea, hundreds died. Local actors have been instrumental in rescue at sea and reception. Driven by people-to-people solidarity, traditional codes, and humanitarian values, they take action to save lives. In a series of national round-tables in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh, APRRN invited key local actors to share and reflect on their practices, challenges, and lessons learned. A regional round-table discussion explored how to strengthen collaboration regionally. This paper summarizes key experiences, good practices, lessons learned, and recommendations to inform dialogue, activities and advocacy in the region.
Type of Publication: Report
Protection from Persecution: End the Forcible Return of Refugees
In the past two years, Thailand has shown leadership in expanding alternatives to detention and moving towards a national screening mechanism for persons at risk of persecution. However, if it is to be recognized as a regional leader, it must immediately stop forcibly returning refugees to their countries of origin, where they are at risk of being persecuted.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Regional Humanitarian Advocacy Consultation on Rohingya Displacement
Summary 15 September 2022 Many Rohingya are still living in protracted exile with unreliable access to temporary protection, essential services and durable solutions, which has led thousands to undertake perilous journeys from Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea, leading in many cases to fatalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic created new barriers to migration, as many countries tightened border controls, the number of Rohingya refugees attempting to move irregularly is again increasing, with over 1,000 Rohingya making maritime and land movements in the region in January – July 2022. Against this backdrop, 51 representatives from 29 NGOs, networks, the UN and the donor community met to discuss how coordinated regional responses and advocacy can be strengthened. During the one-day consultation, humanitarian stakeholders discussed challenges and opportunities at both regional and national levels, identified themes for advocacy and opportunities for coordinated advocacy at the regional level to improve the situation for Rohingya in the region.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
Annual Tripartite Consultations On Resettlement 2022
Final Report 20-22nd June 2022 The theme for the ATCR 2022 was Reemerging and Building Globally. The conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland with more than 260 participants working in the context of resettlement and third-country solutions, including representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, academia, the private sector, and refugees.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Rights in Exile
by AMERA International The Rights in Exile Programme works to achieve better protection of refugee rights by networking legal assistance providers with resources and training, and facilitating access to free legal assistance and information for refugees around the world.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
Undoing Precarity: Elevating Positive Practices for Refugee Protection in South and South East Asia
This report highlights ways in which countries in South and Southeast Asia that are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol have nonetheless extended protections for and advanced the rights of refugees living within their borders through various legislative and administrative practices. The guide seeks to promote practical and actionable steps that can be adopted and adapted in other settings, informing existing and emerging efforts to help refugees defend and realise their rights.
Type of Publication: Report
It's Time to Share Responsibility: The Rohingya Crisis Five Years On
Released on 25 August 2022, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network's Briefing Paper outlines how all stakeholders can own their share of responsibility towards putting an end to the systematic marginalisation of Rohingya women, men and children, five years after more than 742,000 were driven out of Myanmar by brutal attacks in 2017. “After more than 40 years of persecution, with no solutions in sight, and no clear political leadership, we are all complicit in the ongoing marginalisation of the Rohingya, and we must all begin to accept, and share responsibility if we hope that situation to change,” Hafsar Tameesuddin, Chair of APRRN and a former Rohingya refugee. Co-written by APRRN’s Rohingya Working Group, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of countries of exile where Rohingya have sought refuge, including Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Thailand, and Indonesia. It highlights the glaring lack of basic human rights and legal protections, the continuous cycle of forced displacement, and the normalisation of Rohingya marginalisation across the region, to outline concrete steps towards improvement.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer
2022 Global Refugee Work Rights Report
By Asylum Access In this project, produced by researchers at the Center for Global Development (CGD), Asylum Access, and Refugees International, we assess refugees’ work rights across the globe. We examine different dimensions of work rights both in law (de jure) and in practice (de facto) across 51 countries that were collectively hosting 87 percent of the world’s refugee population at the end of 2021. Combining legal documents, country-level reports, news articles, and input from more than 200 practitioners with knowledge of refugees’ livelihoods and use of services, we evaluate the de jure and de facto situation within a standardised framework.
Type of Publication: Report
Virtual Workshop for NGOs: Refugee Protection in the Context of COVID 2020
TheVirtual Workshop for NGOs: Refugee Protection in the Context of COVID-19 was organised in July 2020 by the Rohingya Working Group (RWG) of the AsiaPacific Refugee Rights Network(APRRN), in collaboration with the Bangladesh Rohingya Response NGO Platform (NGOPlatform). The objective of the workshop was to examine current protection concerns faced by NGOs in the context of COVID-19, learn good practices and identify strategies to address existing and emerging challenges in the context of COVID-19.
Type of Publication: Report
Refugee Rights Situation in Indonesia: Universal Periodic Review 4th Cycle
By SUAKA Indonesia This submission provides an overview of the refugee rights situation in Indonesia and the effectiveness of refugee management of the Government of Indonesia since the last UPR (Third Cycle). There were two recommendations specific to the issues of refugees, one of which was supported by the Government of Indonesia (139.147 – Colombia) and one noted recommendation (141.55 – Ireland). In addition to these specific recommendations, Indonesia also supported many recommendations on other rights which would be applicable for refugees and asylum seekers. However, this report has documented the weak commitment made by the Government of Indonesia to follow up the recommendations for the betterment of refugee rights in the country.
Type of Publication: Report
Equitable Partnership Position Paper
by Asylum Access It is a position paper that documents Asylum Access' internal journey and learnings around localization. From our recent and ongoing learning, we understand there are many things that must happen in order to shift the power and resources from institutions of powers to proximate actors. This paper focuses on one key element of that: Equitable Partnerships, which we understand as partnerships where systems, processes, and daily interactions help to rectify the power imbalances that enable exclusion, and are based on the five foundational elements of diversity, representation, equity and includion; co-design; co-leadership; co-visibility; and trust and transparency.
Type of Publication: Report
ASIA PACIFIC SUMMIT OF REFUGEES (APSOR) OUTCOMES REPORT 2019
The Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees 2021 prepared by the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees team. The report outlines the discussions, key recommendations, and outcomes from the Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees, held virtual on 9, 10 & 11 November 2021, with many individual refugees and country hubs participants connecting to the Summit from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Hong Kong & South Korea.
Type of Publication: Report
Thailand: National Screening Mechanism Assessment Report (2021)
APRRN and the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP) in Thailand developed a comprehensive publication on Thailand's National Screening Mechanism (NSM) that provides a baseline assessment of NSM progress to date, as well as key findings and recommendations.
Type of Publication: Report
In Light of the Spread of COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Centres, Reconsider the Detention Approach to Migration
APRRN renews its call to states to treat detainees in line with their obligations under international human rights law and to reconsider their use of immigration detention during an airborne pandemic. Shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19, civil society organisations called upon states to release people from immigration detention, warning that outbreaks were likely as physical distancing is impossible, sanitary facilities are typically inadequate, and access to protective equipment and medical care is minimal in the often-overcrowded facilities in which migrants are detained. One year on, migrants throughout the region have been exposed to outbreaks of COVID-19:
Type of Publication: Statement
Annual Report 2020
2020 was a challenging year for all, as the COVID19 pandemic and attendant health risks and travel restrictions forced us to reimagine our work and respond to a rapidly changing landscape, including outbreaks of xenophobia, boat pushbacks, and opportunistic shrinking of the civil society space. In response, APRRN quickly re-organised, re-envisioning what was possible and reimagining how we could advocate for the protection of refugees across the Asia Pacific region and strengthen the capacity of advocates for refugee rights.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Towards Refugees' Rights to Work
Despite having hosted asylum seekers for decades, Malaysia and Thailand are not among the 149 United Nations member states that have signed the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention) and/or its Protocol. In both countries, authorities have alternated between denying responsibility, granting humanitarian exceptions, and closing one eye on the presence of refugees in their territory. Consistently, however, refugees have been forced to seek work in the informal sector, exposing them to detention, arrest, exploitation, and destitution.
Type of Publication: Report
Three Years On: Rohingya Need Sustainable Solutions
Three years since violent attacks in Myanmar forced more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, the refugee population in Cox’s Bazar District continues to wait for safe, dignified, and voluntary return to their homeland while living in conditions of deprivation and uncertainty The escalation of conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Arakan Army since December 2018 has impacted all communities in Rakhine State, including the Rohingya. The ongoing conflict has displaced more than 100,000 Rakhine (Arakanese) and other ethnic groups, resulting in the killing and maiming of civilians, and damage to critical infrastructure. A ceasefire that includes all parties to the conflict is urgently needed to support the protection of all communities in Rakhine State.
Type of Publication: Statement
Suspension of Afghan Refugee Repatriation from Pakistan a Short-term Solution to a Long-term Problem
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)commends the suspension of the voluntary repatriation programme for afghan refugees in Pakistan, which had resumed earlier this month, due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. However, as the measures are only provisionary, APRRNcontinues to express concern regarding the appropriateness of the program itself, due to the notable lack of protection available to returnees in Afghanistan. The repatriation program, an emergence from a tripartite agreement between UNHCR, the Government of Pakistan, and the government of Afghanistan, was initiated in2003, and reaffirmed in July 2019
Type of Publication: Statement
Annual Report 2019
This year was an incredible year for APRRN and its programmatic goals of advocacy, information sharing, and capacity strengthening. Particularly of note was APRRN’s instrumental intervention and tireless advocacy on several high-profile cases and the inaugural Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Asia Pacific Summit of Refugees (APSOR) Outcomes Report (February 2019)
On 22 October 2018, APSOR brought together 104 representatives from refugee-led organisations, networks and communities residing in 10 host countries in the Asia Pacific region to discuss and plan for greater refugee participation in policy- and decision-making. This was the first opportunity of its kind for refugee leaders in the Asia Pacific region to come together to share experiences, network and discuss how to strengthen refugee self-representation at all levels (locally, regionally and internationally).
Type of Publication: Report
Annual Report 2018
2018 was transformative. APRRN members helped the network accomplish considerable milestones in refugee protection across the region, and continued to develop and advance the ground-up, grass-roots, membership-led movement that the Asia-Pacific region is pioneering in the field of refugee rights advocacy. This report details many of these developments and demonstrates just how diverse and compelling our membership is. It reflects upon our recent achievements and provides a snapshot of the year in review.
Type of Publication: Annual Report
Joint Statement on the Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Determination of Measures and Approaches Alternative to Detention of Children in Immigration Detention Centers - 2019
Thailand edges closer to respecting refugee and migrant rights with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ending the detention of refugee and migrant children We, the undersigned refugee and human rights organizations in Thailand, welcome today’s commitment by the Government of Thailand to stop detaining migrant and refugee children. This commendable step brings Thailand closer to international standards for the treatment of refugee and migrant children and recognizes their fundamental rights under international law. We urge the authorities to immediately release all refugees arbitrarily detained in Thailand and fully protect the rights of refugees and children, including by reuniting separated families and prioritizing the best interests of the child.
Type of Publication: Statement
Meaningful Refugee Participation as Transformative Leadership: Guidelines for Concrete Action
More than ever, we have seen refugees participating on panels, invited to fora and voicing their interests. And importantly, there is a growing appreciation for the fact that including refugees in substantive ways is not only the right thing to do but that it results in policies and programs that are more effective and legitimate. Despite this progress, the refugee response sector is struggling to enable meaningful participation. Refugee-led initiatives globally are therefore calling for an urgent focus on moving from rhetoric to reality. This document was authored by the Global Refugee-Led Network in collaboration with Asylum Access and experts.
Type of Publication: Tool/Guide
APRRN 6th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights Report
APCRR6 consisted of a series of workshops aimed at reaffirming the theme of ‘Building on Positive Practices’. During the thematically diverse workshops, participants had an opportunity to discuss the latest updates, positive developments and strategise for joint action.
Type of Publication: Report
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network Vision for Regional Protection
The Asia-Pacific region is currently home to the largest number of forcibly displaced persons in the world. In spite of this, there is no coherent regional vision for the protection of refugees, asylum seekers, torture survivors and complainants, trafficked persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons and returnees. While states have been actively engaged in dialogue and cooperation on cross-border movements, this has mostly focused on combating people smuggling and trafficking with limited attention to the protection of refugees and other displaced persons.
Type of Publication: Briefer/Explainer