IMA-AP & APRRN Hold Webinar On Refugee Situation In ASPAC

The International Migrants Alliance (IMA) Asia Pacific, together with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), organized a webinar on the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Asia Pacific, entitled: “What It Means To Be A Refugee”. Held virtually on July 27, the webinar had three speakers from APRRN who shared about the current conditions of asylum seekers in the region and how organizations like APRRN work with them in addressing these challenges.

Hafsar Tameesuddin, co-secretariat of APRRN, shared a regional situationer on refugees and asylum seekers who will be 10.7 million by the end of 2022. Hafsar highlighted the need to have both the humanitarian and political lens working congruously if we wish to resolve problems confronting their sector. Hafsar is a settled Rohingya refugee from Myanmar.

Klaus Dik Nielsen, also a co-secretary of APRRN, shared about APRRN’s work. According to Klaus, the APRRN, founded in 2008, has worked to improve human rights situation for asylum seekers and refugees, their access to opportunities, and and advocate for policy changes that will better the lives of refugees and their families. APRRN has 200 member organizations across the region.

Hasan Al-Akraa, founder of the Refugee Emergency Funds and a partnership and communication officer with Asylum Access in Malaysia, shared about his life as a Syrian refugee in Malaysia. He shared about the situation of asylum seeker and refugee children and the need to continually improve their access to education. 

Their sharing prompted meaningful exchange among them and the participants who listened intently and engaged actively with them. Around 70 migrants, asylum seekers and advocates joined the webinar.