ADSP Briefing Note: Strengthening Whole-of-Society Preparedness for Ongoing Arrivals of Displaced Populations into Thailand and Malaysia (June 2025)

June 30, 2025

The ongoing crisis in Southern Asia has driven significant cross-border displacement into Thailand and Malaysia, where preparedness measures remain fragmented, with limited space for joint solutions-oriented planning to foster inclusion and resilience. This briefing note calls for the adoption of whole-of-society approaches to strengthen both immediate responses and the enabling environment for long-term solutions for…

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A guide for NGOs: Utilising the Bali Process to improve protection of Rohingya communities

December 9, 2024

Founded in 2002, the Bali Process is designed to ‘facilitate cooperation and collaboration, information-sharing and policy development on irregular migration in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond’. The Bali Process exclusively focuses on issues related to migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. In relation to Rohingya displacement, it has been considered as an important mechanism when…

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A guide for NGOs: Utilising ASEAN to promote solutions for Rohingya communities

December 9, 2024

Formed in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the primary intergovernmental institution for promoting integration and cooperation in Southeast Asia. Given the transnational nature, scale and protractedness of Rohingya displacement, many actors have discussed the potential role of ASEAN in addressing related challenges. In this perspective, this guide is intended to support…

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Impact of Climate Change on the Migration and Displacement Dynamics of Rohingya Refugees

May 23, 2024

Research Report & Briefing Paper There is growing recognition that climate change is a factor driving displacement – primarily within borders, but also across international borders (usually within the same region). Climate change is seen as a “threat multiplier,” exacerbating existing inequalities and risks – for example, through destroying shelter or increasing food insecurity. Groups…

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Briefing Note on the Mental Health of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Malaysia: a Detention Focus

March 30, 2024

The lived experience of forced displacement often implies trauma and can lead to an increased prevalence of mental health conditions and challenges to psychosocial well-being. Long ignored, this fact has recently been acknowledged by the international community and led to new research and interventions. In this context, the mental health repercussions of immigration detention on…

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Displacement from Myanmar: How We Got Here and What More Can Be Done

March 29, 2024

Expert Commentary by Dr Nyi Nyi Kyaw and Caitlin McCaffrie Myanmar has long been the primary source of displacement in Southeast Asia, resulting in refugees and people seeking asylum from Myanmar living across Southeast and South Asia, often in precarious circumstances. This paper aims to unpack the current situation facing those displaced from Myanmar and…

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ADSP Briefing Note – Afghan Children’s Access to Education in Iran and Pakistan

December 22, 2023

The De facto Authorities (DfA) imposed restrictions on women and girls’ education in 2022, banning secondary schooling for girls throughout Afghanistan and suspending tertiary education for women. The decreased access of girls to secondary and tertiary education will not only impact girls and women but the Afghan economy as a whole. Restrictions on female education,…

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ADSP Policy Brief: Realising the Right to Education for Refugee and Stateless Children in Malaysia

November 8, 2023

Education transforms lives, paving the way to better futures and livelihood opportunities. In times of crisis, including long-term displacement, education can play a life-saving and life-sustaining role. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, refugee and stateless children remain excluded from formal education in public schools and are thus hindered from reaching their full potential. This policy brief is…

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