NFA is co-sponsoring the GRF Linked Multi Stakeholder Approaches towards Ending Statelessness Event
NFA is co-sponsoring the Global Refugee Forum Linked Event Multi-Stakeholder Approaches Towards Ending Statelessness, from 14:30-16:00 CET on 12 December 2023. Registration for online attendance is now open here.
The event will bring together diverse voices from civil society, governments, UN agencies, and stateless-led organizations, this event will take stock of growing and dynamic multi-stakeholder action to end statelessness, including with regard to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and objectives under the Global Compact on Refugees.
Contributions will highlight the importance of localization and meaningful participation, as well as the role of civil society, in partnership with states and UN agencies, in mobilizing action to achieve equal nationality rights and inclusion for all and to address statelessness as a root cause and consequence of forced displacement.
Translation will be available in Arabic and French for online attendees. We hope you can join us!
NFA participated in the 9th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights in Bangkok
NFA continued to mark its presence in International events and consultations.
Our Programme Coordinator, Kritagya Rai, participated in the 9th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights at Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, from 12-13 September 2023.The AGM in a closed session introduced and welcomed the new steering committee of APRRN. The event discussed APRRN's advocacy priorities for the next three years, emphasizing the importance of collective engagement for #refugee rights, and touched on enhancing #diversity and #inclusion within APRRN.
NFA attended the inaugural conference of the Refugee Communities Association
NFA's Executive Director, Subin Mulmi attended the inaugural conference of the Refugee Communities Association of Australia held in Melbourne, Australia on September 20 and 21, 2023.
Subin was one of the panelists in a session titled 'Settlement and Service Delivery' where he shared about the good practices of resettlement and settlement that Australia can learn from. He also spoke about the importance of meaningfully consulting refugees while discussing settlement and service delivery.
NFA attended the convening of Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto
NFA continued to mark its presence in multilateral spaces, this time at the 18th convening of Internet Governance Forum (IGF), in Kyoto from 8-12 October.
Our Research Coordinator, Shuchi Purohit, participated in several sessions to discuss the concerning impacts of Digital ID on minorities, especially on stateless communities in Asia Pacific. As a part of our coalition of Digital ID and Human Rights, we actively engaged in the first public session to share the work undertaken by the coalition, specifically on multilateralism as well as legislation mapping on Digital ID systems. It ended with raising crucial questions on poor implementation of Digital ID systems, highlighting the potential risks and implications for minorities who are left vulnerable in the digital age.
ANNOUNCEMENT: NFA welcomes a New Board Member
NFA welcomes a new board member Mr. Christoph Sperfeldt
Christoph Sperfeldt is Senior Lecturer at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University. He is also a Fellow at the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University, and Adjunct Professor at the Center for the Study of Humanitarian Law at the Royal University of Law and Economics, Cambodia. Christoph’s interest in statelessness arose from multi-year field research among Vietnamese minority populations in Cambodia. From 2018 to 2021, he was Senior Research Fellow at the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness at Melbourne Law School and remains affiliated with the Centre as Honorary Fellow. He holds a PhD from the Australian National University. Prior to joining academia, Christoph worked for more than a decade on human rights, the rule of law and statelessness, predominantly in Southeast Asia. He was Deputy Director at the Asian International Justice Initiative, a joint program of the East-West Center and the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University, where he supported human rights and rule of law capacity development in ASEAN. Prior to this, Christoph was Senior Advisor with the German development agency (GIZ) in Cambodia.
Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition (SDCC) - Asia Pacific
NFA conducted a CSO consultation in Hotel Maya Manor, Kathmandu on May 4 and 5, 2023, with the goal of establishing a regional coalition focused on addressing statelessness in the Asia-Pacific region. This event followed a prior consultation of the CSOs held in Bangkok. During the consultation, participants formed three working groups: Name Values and Principles Working Group (NVPWG), Structure Working Group (SWG), and Activities Working Group (AWG). These groups conducted separate discussions on their specific activities and also convened for a general meeting of all the CSO members of the coalition. The Name Values and Principle Group (NVPWG) held virtual meetings on May 25 and July 19, 2023. As of July 27, 2023, there have been two general meetings of the Regional Coalition. During the second general meeting, The Regional Coalition on Statelessness formally adopted the name "Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition (SDCC) - Asia Pacific."
SEAP report is available
Statelessness Encyclopedia Asia Pacific (SEAP) is the culmination of over two years of research and consultations commenced by NFA in late 2020. Across the statelessness sector the issue of the lack of accurate statistics and information is prominent. This report aims to build knowledge and shed light on the Asia-Pacific which despite underreporting, reports the highest number of stateless people in the world.
SEAP is now available in our website. Read the full report. HERE.
ANNOUNCEMENT : Change in NFA's Board of Directors
We would like to announce that Evan Jones has formally stepped down from the Board of Directors of NFA. We would like to sincerely thank Evan for his role in shaping the organization and sharing his valuable insights and guidance in helping the organization grow. We would like to wish him the best and hope we can work together in the future.
NFA welcomes Loretta McDonald as the new Board Member of NFA. Loretta has been working as a CFO in the Australian community sector for over 20 years and brings with her a history of leadership in the Not for Profit sector. Loretta has led business development and expansion of a number of national organisations and has been involved in establishing financial systems and processes responsive to the unique nature of start-up organisations. We are looking forward to a great working relationship with her.
Rights Con 2023
NFA attended the Rights Con 2023 from June 5-8, 2023. There were engaging discussions such as those on "Who’s got my data? Data protection in a time of public service digitization". The session touched upon the interplay of advancing citizenship, identification privacy, and data protection and privacy as a right, where participants discussed how they could contribute to the advancement of privacy laws and the engagement of data subjects.
NFA attended the Global Summit on Equal Nationality Rights
NFA participated in the Global Summit on Achieving Gender Equal Nationality Rights, which took place on June 13, 2023. The summit, organized by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR) in partnership with UNICEF, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, and UN Women, brought together stakeholders from diverse sectors and regions to address gender inequality in nationality laws. Government officials, representatives from civil society organizations, experts, activists, and advocates dedicated to promoting gender equality and women's rights were in attendance.
Following the summit, the GCENR held the Global Civil Society Workshop from June 14-16. This workshop served as a platform for civil society leaders from different regions to collaborate and devise strategies for advancing gender-equal nationality rights. Discussions, presentations, and interactive sessions were conducted to identify challenges, share best practices, and develop action plans to achieve gender equality in nationality laws on a global scale.
These events demonstrated a collective commitment to promoting gender equality and ensuring equal nationality rights for all individuals, regardless of gender. By fostering collaboration and inclusivity among diverse stakeholders, the summit and workshop aimed to generate tangible outcomes and drive positive change in the realm of gender equality and nationality rights.