Our Future Must Be Equitable and Local

(Una versión espa?ol de este mensaje está disponible en nuestro blog)

Dear friend,?

As someone who has dedicated years of my life to advocating for the rights of refugees through Asylum Access and working closely with other local civil society organizations, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges and systemic injustices that refugee communities face. The stark disparities in power and resources within the international refugee protection system have always been glaringly apparent, both during my time leading Asylum Access Malaysia and in my global-level partnership work. It’s a testament to the deeply rooted colonial mindsets and structures that persist within our sector.

This is precisely why I am proud to be associated with Asylum Access, an organization striving to shift the power dynamics and work toward greater refugee leadership, localization, and equity within the refugee response sector.?

Our journey towards diversity in terms of lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and gender orientation, has become a cornerstone of our work – transforming not only our organization’s identity but also how we approach our mission. The combination of refugee and host community leadership ensures that our approaches are rooted in the needs, ideas, and challenges these communities face, informing both our advocacy strategies to partnerships with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs). Critically, it informs how we do our work – ensuring we are grounded in equitable partnerships that shift power, resources and opportunities to proximate communities.

We firmly believe in the principle that the only true protection for refugees is local - DEEPA NAMBIAR

At Asylum Access, we firmly believe in the principle that the only true protection for refugees is local. This means ensuring that refugees can exercise their rights in their daily lives, including the right to work, attend school, move freely, and live with dignity. To achieve this, we engage in hiring and partnering with individuals who understand the local context and are committed to the values of refugee leadership. This combination empowers communities to advocate for their rights and create environments of accountability.

Our strategies for shifting power and realizing localized protection include partnering with local NGOs and RLOs in strategic countries to jointly advocate and raise funds, as well as bridging capacity gaps to strengthen our pursuit of localized protection. Together with our partners, we engage with influential institutions such as the UNHCR and World Bank to ensure they support refugee leadership and human rights equitably.

We recognize that we are a learning organization, and we remain committed to understanding our role and impact in the refugee protection sector. We have recently conducted a Partnership Review, informed by our local partners and RLOs, which has led to a new definition of Equitable Partnership (EP). We have developed an accountability toolkit for peer organizations implementing equitable partnerships and will be organizing events to engage with partners in this shared journey.

The impact of our approach is evident in the relevance and localization of our work. We have unlocked substantial funding for our local partners and successfully advocated for the inclusion of civil society organizations in World Bank processes, ensuring that the needs and priorities of RLOs are heard and addressed. We are also at the forefront of a growing movement to build transformative and equitable partnerships with local civil society organizations and RLOs in this sector.

As we move forward, we invite you to be part of this transformation. Your support can make a significant difference in the lives of refugees and the advocacy for their rights. Together, we can continue to shift the power dynamics in the sector, empower and support refugee and host communities in their local protection work, and work towards a more just and equitable world for those who have already endured so much. Your end-of-year donation can help us make this vision a reality. Thank you for being a part of our journey.

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With gratitude,

Deepa