LERRN extends its warmest congratulations to Rez Gardi as she begins her new role as Special Assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Rez’s courage, vision, wisdom and expertise will be such a tremendous asset to UNHCR as it works to navigate such a challenging moment in its history. Congratulations, Rez! We’re all cheering you on!

On the 12th of September 2025, a panel discussion titled “Towards a New Response to Forced Migration through Local Engagement Refugee Research Network” concluded the three-day LERRN 2.0 launch in Ottawa. The roundtable brought together academia and civil society partners with lived experience of displacement to present to the public the newly launched global partnership between academia and forcibly displaced communities (LERRN 2.0)

The discussion was moderated by Rez Gardi, Co-Director of LERRN and Co-Managing Director of R-SEAT. Panelists included James Milner, Co-Director of LERRN; Mustafa Alio, Co-Managing Director of R-SEAT; Ana Maria Diez of Coalición por Venezuela; and Stephanie Lopez Villamil, South America Project Lead and Researcher.

The panel highlighted the urgent challenges facing refugees globally and emphasized the need to prioritize new ways of incorporating the expertise of people with lived experiences of forced displacement into the functioning of the global refugee system. This includes fostering trust and investing in truly collaborative relationships between academics and forcibly displaced populations. By engaging refugees and displaced communities in the co-production of research, policy, and initiatives, stakeholders can leverage local knowledge, skills, and resources to create solutions that are more effective and accountable to the communities they aim to serve.

James Milner stressed the growing fragility of the global refugee system, noting that the political and financial foundations established after World War II have become increasingly vulnerable. He explained that the new phase of LERRN—built on a collective vision for change and trust-based partnerships among academia, civil society, and refugee leaders—aims to contribute to meaningful solutions. As Dr. Milner stated, “We respond by having the courage to think differently—no single set of actors has a monopoly on the truth.”

Ana Maria Diez, drawing on her expertise and knowledge of the regional crisis in Latin America—particularly the Venezuelan displacement—emphasized that sudden, unsubstantiated funding reductions have forced many regional initiatives to shut down. She noted that the closure of the Darién Gap illustrates the grave dangers that arise when escape routes are blocked, but it does not stop people from seeking safety.

Stephanie Lopez-Villamil shared findings from her extensive research in Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, highlighting how shifts in foreign aid policies and fragile asylum systems increase risks for people seeking refuge, placing them in more vulnerable and life-threatening conditions. She also underscored the crucial role of refugee leadership in safeguarding communities.

The discussion highlighted the urgent need for the international community to re-mobilize, strengthen protections to address systemic gaps, and foster deeper collaboration with displaced-led organizations to achieve effective and sustainable solutions.

LERRN’s new six-year partnership underscores a commitment to innovation and the development of a new response framework for forced migration. Broader collaborations with RLOs around the world create more opportunities for equal research partnerships and for amplifying refugee voices in key areas such as academia.

emphasized that academia can play the role of building trust with refugees and decision-making authorities that can influence positive outcomes for people forced to flee. Collaborations with academic institutions offer platforms for shared knowledge exchange and creation of innovative responses to displacement.

Central to LERRN 2.0 is the effort to elevate the voices of forcibly displaced communities and ensure their experiences inform research, policy, and practice. The partnership aims to promote inclusive approaches that benefit both refugees and host communities, fostering hope that coordinated, courageous action can drive change even in challenging times.

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�Ӱ�ԭ�� University President and Vice-Chancellor Wisdom Tettey opened the event by underscoring the transformative power of inclusive research partnerships between academia and communities. He highlighted the vital role of collaborative approaches in advancing epistemic justice—reimagining spaces, structures, and processes by placing community expertise at the center of knowledge creation. President Tettey also recognized the past accomplishments of the LERRN partnership since 2018, including James Milner’s selection as a finalist for the 2025 SSHRC Impact Partnership Award, one of Canada’s highest distinctions in the social sciences and humanities.

LERRN Project Director James Milner emphasized that the partnership’s launch comes at a pivotal moment in history. With global displacement at record levels and access to protection and durable solutions becoming increasingly uncertain, the international refugee regime faces urgent and complex challenges. Co-Director Rez Gardi highlighted the need for bold thinking and innovative forms of collaboration, stressing that amid mounting threats to asylum, international cooperation, and multilateralism, it is more important than ever to unite and center the knowledge, agency, and expertise of displaced people.

The two-day program focused on four core objectives: affirming the shared goals and vision of the partnership; refining working group plans and identifying points of collaboration; articulating foundational principles; and establishing strategic priorities for the next six years ahead.

Across these discussions, participants reaffirmed their collective commitment to reshaping forced migration research, policy, and practice through inclusive, interdisciplinary, and localized approaches. The dialogue emphasized co-production of knowledge, meaningful capacity sharing, and advocacy that amplifies the voices and expertise of those most affected by displacement. The launch marks a significant step forward in building a more equitable, community-centered, and solutions-focused approach to understanding and responding to forced migration worldwide.

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On April 03, 2025, the Local Refugee Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) co-hosted a webinar with to present and discuss findings from the R-SEAT Assessment Report titled, Meaningful Refugee Participation at the Global Refugee Forum 2023. Drawing from the report’s findings, panelists engaged in a robust conversation surrounding refugee participation at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) and explored the implications from these efforts as a point of preparation for the upcoming High-Level Officials Meeting (HLOM) in December 2025. The webinar attracted over 250 participants from 34 countries. James Milner, Project Director of LERRN, served as the moderator for the discussion and opened the webinar by emphasizing the importance of accountability, shifting power dynamics, and effectiveness in policy spaces, and encouraging participants to recognize both the moral and practical benefits of meaningful refugee participation.

Rez Gardi, Co-Managing Director of R-SEAT, presented key findings from the report, which assessed the quality of refugee participation at the 2023 GRF.   The report highlighted a significant surge in refugee participation, with numbers increasing from 72 refugee participants at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum to 328 in 2023.  Yet while participation increased in numbers, challenges remain in ensuring that this engagement is meaningful. Gardi stressed that in the current context of rising anti-refugee sentiment, intensifying displacement crises, and funding challenges, ensuring meaningful participation matters more than ever. She urged to embrace meaningful refugee participation as a cornerstone of refugee policy:

“In these uncertain times, refugee participation must remain front and centre, when refugee are involved in shaping the solutions, these solutions are more effective, more sustainable, and more grounded in the realities that we face everyday.”

Ana Valle, Honorary President of Asociacion de Nicaragüenses en Mexico, shared her experiences with  and her involvement in the Global Legal Community Pledge. She highlighted how the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, though a non-binding legal instrument for refugee protection in Latin America, foments solidarity, asylum and cooperation in the region. On the 40^th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration, Latin American and Caribbean states adopted in December 2024 the . A coalition of over 150 refugee-led organizations in the Latin America region, known as GARLOS, actively participated in the Cartagena +40 process leading up to the adoption of the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action. Ana emphasized that meaningful participation should continue in the region beyond the Cartagena +40 process and it  should be the norm rather than the exception. She further stressed that the recognition of knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders, including refugees themselves, is essential for progress in the field.

John Jal Dak, Director of Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT) and member of the UNHCR Advisory Board, outlined the Board’s multifaceted role in advising UNHCR on policy development and implementation. Dak reflected on the improved representation at the 2023 GRF while expressing concerns that refugees should not be part of global refugee policy events just for the sake of numbers, underscoring the need for substantive inclusion versus tokenistic participation. Looking ahead to the HLOM, Dak highlighted the need to address practical barriers such as funding limitations and visa restrictions that prevent many refugee leaders from attending global meetings.

Nejra Sumic, Senior National Field Manager for We Are All America and member of the US Refugee Advisory Board (USRAB), shared her experience as a refugee advisor within a state delegation. Sumic offered three concrete recommendations for improving refugee participation in state delegations:

1. States should establish better and more efficient communication systems with refugee advisory mechanisms, including timely onboarding processes, clear expectations, and post-event debriefing sessions.
2. Ensure substantive integration of refugee advisors into state delegations by creating opportunities for them to play integral roles in speaking, moderating, and participating in meetings.
3. Ensure refugee voices are heard and have tangible influence by providing opportunities for them to contribute to the delegations’ work, speak at plenary sessions, and help craft national statements and pledges.

Looking to the future, Sumic emphasized that

“We need to strive to see refugee participation as a standard practice rather than a symbolic gesture, where we see systemic inclusion and it involves continued engagement and ongoing dialogue during the GRF but also post GRF”

Ryan Figueiredo, Executive Director and Founder of the Equal Asia Foundation, discussed how to link work between local, regional and global levels. He framed his insights and the work involving refugee participation around three words: recognition, resources, and representation, stressing that refugee-led organizations need to be seen as equal partners and not only service providers or story tellers. Figueiredo emphasized that connections across different levels cannot happen without full recognition and that grassroots organizations need to be treated as equitable contributors to regional and global policy, rather than an afterthought in the process. He further advocated for shifting from viewing refugees through a deficit lens to an asset-based perspective in order to reframe the conversation on refugee participation, asking:

“What if we begin to see the brilliance, resilience, the leadership, the innovation that refugee communities, especially LGBTQI+ that face multiple intersecting vulnerabilities, bring to the table?”

Figueiredo explained that asset framing seeks to see people for their strengths and aspirations before noting their challenges and vulnerabilities, representing a refusal to reduce people to problems and ensuring that refugees’ stories go beyond their pain and rather be centered in hope, dignity, and power.

The Q&A session focused on the core challenges and opportunities in achieving meaningful refugee participation, including tokenism, lack of authentic engagement, and the need to recognize lived experience as expertise. Panelists stressed the importance of trust, accessible formats like hybrid meetings, and moving beyond symbolic involvement to structured processes of listening and implementation. Refugee participation was framed as a justice issue essential for effective, responsive policy.

In closing, the discussion highlighted the need for stronger collaboration, local leadership, the establishment of refugee advisory boards in every country, and inclusive spaces where displaced individuals, including LGBTQI+ refugees, can lead with purpose and dignity.

To view the full webinar recording, press

En Español

El 3 de abril de 2025, la Local Refugee Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) coorganizó un seminario web con para presentar y debatir las conclusiones del informe  de R-SEAT titulado  la Participación significativa de los refugiados en el Foro Mundial sobre los Refugiados 2023. Basándose en las conclusiones del informe, los panelistas entablaron un intenso debate sobre la participación de los refugiados en el Foro Mundial sobre los Refugiados (GRF por sus siglas en Ingles) en el 2023 y exploraron las implicaciones de estos esfuerzos como punto de preparación para la próxima Reunión de Oficiales de Alto Nivel (HLOM por sus siglas en ingles) en diciembre de 2025. El seminario web atrajo a más de 250 participantes de 34 países. James Milner, Director de Proyectos de LERRN, como moderador del debate, inauguró el seminario haciendo hincapié en la importancia de la rendición de cuentas, el cambio necesario de las dinámicas de poder y la eficacia en los espacios políticos, y animando a los participantes a reconocer los beneficios morales y prácticos de una participación significativa de los refugiados.

Rez Gardi, co-directora gerente de R-SEAT, presentó las principales conclusiones del informe, que evaluaba la calidad de la participación de los refugiados en el   GRF de 2023.   El informe destacó un aumento significativo de la participación de los refugiados, que pasó de 72 participantes en el Foro Mundial  sobre los Refugiados de 2019 a 328 en 2023.  Sin embargo, aunque el número de participantes ha aumentado, sigue habiendo problemas para garantizar que esta participación sea significativa. Gardi subrayó que, en el contexto actual de un aumento del sentimiento antirrefugiados, la intensificación de las crisis de desplazamiento y las dificultades de financiación, garantizar una participación significativa es más importante que nunca. Instó a adoptar la participación significativa de los refugiados como un  beneficio  a la política de refugiados:

“En estos tiempos de incertidumbre, la participación de los refugiados debe seguir siendo prioritaria; cuando los refugiados participan en la elaboración de las soluciones, éstas son más eficaces, más sostenibles y están más basadas en las realidades a las que nos enfrentamos cada día.”

Ana Valle , Presidenta Honoraria de la Asociación de Nicaragüenses en México, compartió sus experiencias con y su participación en el Compromiso Global de la Comunidad Legal. Destacó cómo la Declaración de Cartagena sobre los Refugiados, a pesar de ser un instrumento jurídico no vinculante para la protección de los refugiados en América Latina, fomenta la solidaridad, el asilo y la cooperación en la región. En el 40^º aniversario de la Declaración de Cartagena, los Estados de América Latina y el Caribe adoptaron en diciembre de 2024 la . Una coalición de más de 150 organizaciones lideradas por refugiados en la región de América Latina, conocida como GARLOS, participó activamente en el proceso de Cartagena +40 que condujo a la adopción de la Declaración y Plan de Acción de Chile. Ana hizo hincapié en que la participación significativa debe continuar en la región más allá del proceso de Cartagena +40 y debe ser la norma y no la excepción. Además, subrayó que el reconocimiento de los conocimientos y la experiencia de todas las partes interesadas, incluidos los propios refugiados, como esencial para avanzar en este ámbito. es esencial para avanzar en este ámbito.

John Jal Dak, Director del Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT) y miembro de la Junta Consultiva de Refugiados al  ACNUR, describió el papel polifacético de la Junta a la hora de asesorar al ACNUR sobre el desarrollo y la aplicación de políticas. Dak reflexionó sobre la mejora de la representación en el GRFde 2023, al tiempo que expresó su preocupación por el hecho de que los refugiados no deberían formar parte de los eventos mundiales sobre política de refugiados por el mero hecho de ser números, subrayando la necesidad de una inclusión sustantiva frente a una participación simbólica. De cara al HLOM, Dak destacó la necesidad de abordar obstáculos prácticos como las limitaciones de financiación y las restricciones de visado que impiden a muchos líderes de refugiados asistir a las reuniones mundiales.

Nejra Sumic, Senior National Field Manager en We Are All America y miembro del US Refugee Advisory Board (USRAB), compartió su experiencia como asesora de refugiados en una delegación estatal oficial. Sumic ofreció tres recomendaciones concretas para mejorar la participación de los refugiados en las delegaciones estatales:

1. Los Estados deben establecer mejores y más eficaces sistemas de comunicación  con los mecanismos de asesoramiento de refugiados, que incluyan procesos de incorporación oportunos, expectativas claras y sesiones informativas posteriores a los acontecimientos.
2. Garantizar la integración sustantiva de los asesores refugiados en las delegaciones estatales creando oportunidades para que desempeñen un papel integral en las intervenciones, la moderación y la participación en las reuniones.
3. Garantizar que las voces de los refugiados se oigan y tengan una influencia tangible ofreciéndoles oportunidades de contribuir al trabajo de las delegaciones, intervenir en las sesiones plenarias y ayudar a elaborar declaraciones y compromisos nacionales.

De cara al futuro, Sumic subrayó que:

“Tenemos que esforzarnos por ver la participación de los refugiados como una práctica habitual y no como un gesto simbólico, en la que veamos una inclusión sistémica y que implique un compromiso continuo y un diálogo permanente durante el GRF, pero también después del GRF “

Ryan Figueiredo, Director Ejecutivo y Fundador de la Fundación Equal Asia, habló de cómo vincular el trabajo entre los niveles local, regional y mundial. Enmarcó sus ideas y el trabajo relacionado con la participación de los refugiados en torno a tres palabras: reconocimiento, recursos y representación, subrayando que las organizaciones dirigidas por refugiados deben ser consideradas socios en pie de igualdad y no sólo proveedores de servicios o narradores de historias. Figueiredo hizo hincapié en que las conexiones entre los distintos niveles no pueden producirse sin un reconocimiento pleno y que las organizaciones de base deben ser tratadas como contribuyentes equitativos a la política regional y mundial, en lugar de ser una idea tardía en el proceso. Además, abogó por pasar de una visión deficitaria de los refugiados a una perspectiva basada en las ganancias , con el fin de replantear el debate sobre la participación de los refugiados:

“¿Y si empezamos a ver la brillantez, la resiliencia, el liderazgo y la innovación que aportan las comunidades de refugiados, especialmente las LGBTQI+ que se enfrentan a múltiples vulnerabilidades cruzadas?”.

Figueiredo explicó que el “asset framing” trata de ver a las personas por sus fortalezas y aspiraciones antes de señalar sus retos y vulnerabilidades, lo que representa un rechazo a reducir a las personas a problemas y garantizar que las historias de los refugiados vayan más allá de su dolor y se centren más bien en la esperanza, la dignidad y el poder.

La sesión de preguntas y respuestas se centró en los principales retos y oportunidades para lograr una participación significativa de los refugiados, como el simbolismo, la falta de compromiso auténtico y la necesidad de reconocer la experiencia vivida como pericia. Los panelistas subrayaron la importancia de la confianza, de formatos accesibles como las reuniones híbridas, y de ir más allá de la participación simbólica hacia procesos estructurados . La participación de los refugiados se enmarcó como una cuestión de justicia esencial para una política eficaz y receptiva.

Para concluir, el  seminario  puso de relieve la necesidad de una mayor colaboración, liderazgo local, la creación de consejos consultivos de refugiados en todos los países y espacios inclusivos en los que las personas desplazadas, incluidos los refugiados LGBTQI+, puedan actuar con determinación y dignidad.

On 1 April, LERRN’s Project Director James Milner, and R-SEAT’s Co-Managing Director Rez Gardi delivered a technical briefing on the global refugee regime at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York. The briefing was developed in collaboration with Leah Zamore from the Zolberg Institute at the New School of Social Research.

Within the UN System, refugee issues are typically seen as an issue to be addressed only in Geneva. Given the evolving nature of displacement, however, coupled with the critical role of the UN General Assembly and the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in the governance of the global refugee regime, the briefing was developed to highlight the role of Member States in New York in advancing the objectives of the global refugee regime.

Representatives from more than 30 Member States participated in the briefing, which provided an overview of the history and elements of the global refugee regime, how the UN in New York has contributed to the evolution of the regime over the past 75 years, and how UN actors in New York, especially development and peacebuilding actors, can contribute to more comprehensive responses to the increasingly complex dynamics of displacement.

A prominent feature of the briefing was the role that advances in meaningful refugee participation can play in advancing more effective and efficient solutions for refugees. Given the role of participation of other groups in ECOSOC discussions, the briefing argued that enhanced opportunities for refugee participation in New York discussions would help ensure that the expertise of refugees contributed to outcomes for policy and practice.

The briefing was timed to help inform preparations for the ECOSOC Special Meeting on Forced Displacement and Refugee Protection on 24 April 2025.

As with any paradigm shift, change in the international refugee regime comes with its ups and downs. The global pandemic, for example, proved that top-down and large-scale responses have become unsustainable and ineffective over time. Instead, Milner states “our only hope is to foster and to support localized responses.”

In the episode, Milner defines what localization means in the context of humanitarian responses, while unveiling some of the barriers and obstacles in implementing localization when meeting refugee needs. “We need to recognize that refugees are not there to be disciplined or governed, refugees are human beings with agency, ideas, and innovation. Recognizing that they have a meaningful and equal role to play is not just an ethically good thing to do, but also it’s a practically important thing to do” says Milner. Localization, then, requires a transfer of powers and funding from international actors to local actors who are closest to the forced displacement.

You can listen to James Milner’s previous podcast episode here and contact us on for a conversation!

James Milner, LERRN Project Director, Mustafa Alio, Managing Director, and , R-SEAT Co-managing Director, have co-authored Meaningful Refugee Participation: An Emerging Norm in the Global Refugee Regime in , the peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal from Oxford University Press. The full article is available for download here:

The article was published in Volume 41, Issue 4 of Refugee Survey Quarterly in December 2022:

Abstract