The Asia Pacific is currently home to the largest population of refugees in the world and is the site of some of the world’s most acute and protracted refugee situations. The Asia Pacific is also home to large numbers of torture survivors, trafficked persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons, returnees, people displaced by conflict and other forms of human rights abuse, and other people in need of protection.

INTRODUCTION TO APRRN

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) is a collaborative movement which advances the equal rights and inclusion of refugees and other people in need of protection—including refugees, asylum seekers, torture survivors and complainants, trafficked persons, IDPs, stateless persons, migrants in vulnerable situations and returnees—in the Asia Pacific region so they may have equal and adequate access to assistance and protection, and to timely durable solutions. APRRN is the only regional organisation working to convene momentum and direct collaboration to advance refugee inclusion and equitable rights in Asia Pacific. APRRN is an open and growing network of over 200 individuals and organisations in 28 countries across the globe. APRRN is led by two women with lived refugee experience. The network’s current Chair is a formerly stateless Rohingya woman.

There are 4.4 million refugees and asylum seekers in the Asia Pacific, who lack fundamental human rights or inclusion in civil society as the region does not have any refugee protection frameworks or systems for advancing policy. The region maintains the lowest number of signatory states to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the majority of national protection systems are ad hoc and precarious. Asia Pacific thus displays some of the most severe violations of human rights for refugees and displaced persons.

Advocacy conducted in silo is ineffective. APRRN facilitates cross-cultural collaboration and regional action of otherwise isolated human rights groups, galvanising and directing momentum to ensure the region is effectively, safely and collaboratively demanding action and thereby advancing the socioeconomic inclusion and equitable human rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

APRRN’s areas of work include:

1. Delivering capacity building on refugee rights and advocacy

2. Distributing emerging information and sharing best practices around refugee rights and advocacy across the Asia Pacific region

3. Convening forums and learning exchanges for members and non-members to facilitate essential discourse

4. Supporting and enabling collaborative advocacy action to advance refugee rights in the Asia Pacific region.

APRRN INFORMATION ON AFGHANISTAN

APRRN´s Information on Afghanistan website has been set up by the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) as a source of information on support available to those in Afghanistan or in transit seeking information on legal pathways, education and employment opportunities and psychosocial services. APRRN will seek to update all information but cannot guarantee that information is up to date.

APRRN is very grateful to Settlement Services International who continue to fund APRRN´s work on Afghanistan and have enabled to setting up of this website and linked Facebook page.

Further information on support for those in Afghanistan or in transit is available on our Facebook page: APRRN Information on Afghanistan