At the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP), in partnership with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), delivered a joint statement during the session entitled ‘The SSAR Support Platform: ‘Showing Resilience, Seeking Solutions’ – High-Level Event at the Global Refugee Forum’. The full written statement is available below, as well…
In the past two years, there has been a precipitous rise in the number of Rohingya refugees making the decision to undertake dangerous land and sea journeys in search of safety and protection. Recent arrivals to Aceh throughout November, who are in urgent need of shelter, nutrition and medical assistance, were initially pushed back to…
In October 2023, ADSP Project Manager for the SHARP-Asia project Malini Sivapragasam delivered the NGO Statement for Protection at the UNHCR 74th Executive Committee Meeting on behalf of the global NGO community. The oral statement was the result of wide consultation and engagement with the NGO community through the support of the International Council of…
Welcome to the June Q2 2023 newsletter from the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform. These newsletters are intended to shine a spotlight on some of the issues being tackled by our members, and the programmatic work done to improve outcomes for persons affected by displacement. We hope you find this newsletter informative. For any questions please don’t…
TODAY is World Refugee Day. This year’s theme, “Hope Away From Home”, resonates deeply with the millions of refugees and displaced persons worldwide, including those in Malaysia, whose hopes and ambitions are often amplified through initiatives and support from within their own communities, including refugee-led organisations (RLOs). The Asia Displacement Solutions Platform’s (ADSP) SHARP-Asia project…
Over 1.6 million Rohingya remain in situations of protracted displacement in Bangladesh and the wider Asia region, including in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Major host countries of Rohingya refugees have resisted accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Concerned about ‘pull factors’ bringing more Rohingya and other refugees to their territories, and…
It is with great pride that I present to you our 2022 Year in Review, a year that has been one of the most productive in our short history. Over the past 12 months, we have made significant strides in our efforts to contribute a distinctive, field-led, perspective to policy and advocacy processes which can…
25 May 2023 – DHAKA, Bangladesh: The arbitrary and indefinite immigration detention of Rohingya is harmful to refugees and their families. As Rohingya flee ongoing persecution in Myanmar and deteriorating security conditions in camps in Bangladesh, punitive immigration detention has not and will not deter them from coming to Malaysia for safety. Immigration detention is expensive,…
25 May 2023 – Dhaka, Bangladesh: Unable to be formally employed in Malaysia due to lack of legal recognition, Rohingya are relegated to living on the margins of society and finding work in the informal economy. This places many Rohingya in situations of financial precarity and at risk of labour exploitation. In a recent joint…
In 2017, a violent security crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State triggered the largest exodus of Rohingya in recent history. At the time, the Malaysian government took a vocal stance against the persecution of the Rohingya, positioning themselves as supportive and sympathetic to their plight. However, as growing numbers of Rohingya have sought irregular means of…
On 7 March 2023, ADSP Manager Evan Jones delivered the NGO Statement for Asia and the Pacific at the UNHCR 86th Standing Committee Meeting on behalf of a wide range of NGO’s. The full statement is below, but can also be found here and here. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME STANDING COMMITTEE,…
Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for nearly four decades, with the first wave of refugees arriving in 1979, followed by subsequent influxes in 1992 and 2001. More than 4.4 million Afghans[1] sought refuge in Pakistan between 1979-2001[2], with over 3.2 million refugees in the country at the height of displacement. As a result, Pakistan…
This article was originally published in Oxford’s Forced Migration Review, and is available here. Failure to anticipate drought and to coordinate an effective, recovery-focused response contributed to the protracted displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan. In the face of climate crisis impacts, ensuring preparedness and early action will be key. In 2018…
On 8 March, ADSP Manager Evan Jones delivered the oral NGO Statement on Asia and the Pacific on behalf of a wide range of NGOs at the 83rd meeting of the UNHCR Standing Committee. The delivered statement is below: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME STANDING COMMITTEE 83rd MEETING 08-10 MARCH 2022 NGO Statement on Asia…
Intersessional Panel Discussion on the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations Session 2: Situations of vulnerability arising from the reasons for migration Oral Statement The Asia Displacement Solutions Platform stresses the need for action to address the vulnerable situations of displacement affected persons from Afghanistan and Myanmar. Afghanistan Afghanistan has a long history of displacement,…
Strengthening access to refugee education has an untapped potential to create a generation of youth that can contribute to the development of both Pakistan and their homeland Afghanistan, when the situation improves. Pakistan is home to 1.44 million registered Afghan refugees, and a further 600,000 unregistered Afghan refugees, many of whom have been in the…
Welcome to the December 2021 newsletter from the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform. These newsletters are intended to shine a spotlight on some of the issues being tackled by our members, and the programmatic work done to improve outcomes for persons affected by displacement. We hope you find this newsletter informative. For any questions please don’t…
‘Given the tightening of civil society space inside Afghanistan, the role of the diaspora, including refugee-led groups, is even more important.’ SYDNEY and DHAKA Donor support for Afghanistan must include civil society and diaspora groups – or risk eroding local skills and fuelling aid dependency. Without proper support, Afghan-led groups will suffer, and the civil…
In September 2021, the UK Foreign Affairs Committee launched a call for evidence on a range of topics, in the context of the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent change in the nation’s de facto governing authority. ADSP members submitted evidence to the enquiry to highlight the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, since…
Support to Afghanistan must not end at the gates of the nation’s airport. Evan Jones explains how countries must come together to protect those left behind. Comment: During late August, the eyes of the world were glued to rapidly unfolding political developments in Afghanistan, and subsequent evacuation efforts at Kabul Airport. Over nearly two weeks, more than…
More than four years have passed since Myanmar security forces began “clearance operations” targeting ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State. Purportedly a response to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an ethnic insurgent group, these operations were the culmination of mounting rights abuses and restrictions disproportionately directed at Rohingya communities. More than…
International military forces leave behind a country facing growing insecurity and levels of violence, a faltering economy and multiple humanitarian crises. Buried amongst the dozens of pressing challenges in Afghanistan is an issue that rarely receives the international spotlight: the prevalence of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Often referred to as ‘hidden and…
16 July 2021 Statement: Rising instability necessitates immediate suspension of deportations to Afghanistan Kabul, 16 July 2021: The Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP) supports the request made by the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) for the immediate suspension of returns to Afghanistan. With growing insecurity, conflict between state and non-state actors, mounting humanitarian…
On 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, deposed Myanmar’s elected government. Alleging widespread fraud in the November 2020 elections, which the Tatmadaw’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party lost to the incumbent National League for Democracy (NLD), Tatmadaw leaders announced a one-year state of emergency. Anti-coup protests and an organised Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM)…
The withdrawal of troops marks the end of one of America’s longest military engagements but the social, economic and security situation in the country remains dire. Whilst the international community is focusing upon what a post-US and NATO Afghanistan may look like, Afghans are grappling with the ongoing and acute humanitarian needs within the country.…
The principles of safety and dignity must not only guide the pursuit of durable solutions, but also the return of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan. Successful return involves much more than putting people on a plane. Jared Rowell, Afghanistan Country Director for the Danish Refugee Council, and Evan Jones at the Kabul-based Asia Displacement Solutions…
Please see the full statement in English here. Please see the full statement in Thai here. THAILAND: COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT, HUMANITARIAN ACTORS, ASEAN STATES AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS CRITICAL TO MEETING THE PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OF REFUGEES FROM MYANMAR 8 April 2021 Renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic groups near…
This article, co-authored by Najeeba Wazefadost and Evan Jones appeared in The New Humanitarian. KABUL, Afghanistan and SYDNEY, Australia COVID-19 is one of the biggest global challenges in modern history, and all nations are grappling with its impacts. But some countries have responded by shutting their doors even further to the world’s most vulnerable. Many…
With a documented total of almost 1.2 million refugees originating from Myanmar – overwhelmingly Rohingya – this constitutes the world’s fourth largest refugee group by country of origin in 2018. Rohingya also form the world’s largest stateless population. The distinctive settlement policies for Rohingya across the region, varying from encampment to relatively unconstrained urban settlement,…
Don’t forget to ask Afghan refugees what they really need. 2020 has been a year of extraordinary change, unprecedented challenges and – in some respects – a year of reflection for us all. For the people of Afghanistan, it has once again been all of this and more. From the initiation of peace talks with…
Please see the original article in full at The New Humanitarian. If the international community is serious about finding lasting solutions, then responsibility sharing is key. Many Afghans displaced outside their country are stuck in a state of perennial limbo, with no prospects for a genuine, safe return on the horizon. Yet the European Union…
The effects of Covid-19 could be catastrophic for countries in Asia which are host to large numbers of displaced people. Before Covid-19, donors recognised the inherent vulnerabilities of displaced populations living in Asia. These vulnerabilities continue. Now is not the time to withdraw from lifesaving activities. To download click on read more.
Zardozi is an Afghan NGO that works primarily with vulnerable Afghan women helping them to improve their livelihood situation through business. In 2012, it launched an initiative named Nisfe Jahan (Half the World)
Awaaz Afghanistan is a humanitarian call centre based in Kabul. Implemented by UNOPS, the centre takes calls from across all provinces in Afghanistan. The operators refer the callers’ needs and concerns to appropriate organisations who can provide them with answers and services.
This video follows the journey of two young Herati women, who both experienced displacement in neighbouring Iran. Returnees like Khatereh and Monire can benefit from innovative training programmes to expand opportunities,
In this issue we have contributions from colleagues working in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and in Myanmar. We explore the effect that extended displacement has had on relationships between the host and displaced Rohingya populations, and the resulting impact on social cohesion in the Cox Bazar area. From Aghanistan we learn about a complex context which has…
This issue of the ADSP newsletter provides an analysis of TVET for durable solutions, an interview with drought-driven displaced person from Badghis in Afghanistan, and analysis of the role that land plays in the ongoing displacement crisis-affected Rakhine State in Myanmar. The issue also outlines ADSP’s expansion to becoming the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP). ADSP_Newsletter_June_2018…
Read ADSP’s briefing note on ending displacement in Afghanistan, produced for the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, in November 2018. ADSP_Briefing_Nov_18_Final
Read ADSP’s July 2018 Newsletter with a focus on the GCR, what to expect and the challenges and opportunities for programming. ADSP Newsletter July 2018