About the special feature
The REF-ARAB project has partnered with Forced Migration Review on a special issue exploring the role of mobilization in supporting the rights of forced migrants in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).
The special feature brings our attention to initiatives supporting the rights of forced migrants across the MENA region. It is published as a collaboration between Forced Migration Review (FMR) and the REF-ARAB project at the University of Oslo.
The seven featured articles showcase opportunities and obstacles to mobilization through a variety of initiatives, ranging from refugee-led organising to transnational solidarity.
Some of the articles engage with potential avenues for mobilisation, whereas others serve as a cautionary tale. All of them share lessons learned in the process.
A total of 17 authors have contributed to the special feature, many of which are actively involved in the mobilization efforts they write about or have themselves lived experience of forced displacement.
The speacial feature is, in addition to English, published in Arabic and French and it can be openly accessed on FMR's website here.
Featured articles
Introduction: Rights mobilisation in the Middle East and North Africa region, by Mirjam Twigt, Nora Milch and Abdullah Omar Yassen. Access via FMR here.
Palestinian women of Syria mobilising to influence knowledge production. by Khadija Al-Khawaja, Amouna Tammimi and Mette Edith Lundsfryd Stendevad. Access via FMR here.
Refugee mobilisation to support refugee rights in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, by Watfa Najdi, Mustafa Hoshmand, Farah Al Hamouri and Oroub El Abed. Access via FMR here.
Addressing statelessness in the MENA region: a new network for mobilisation, by Zahra Albarazi and Thomas McGee. Access via FMR here.
Freedom of movement activism in the Sahara, by Moctar Dan Yaye and Maurice Stierl. Access via FMR here.
Mobilisation: a mode of survival for overlooked minority refugees, by Dina Baslan. Access via FMR here.
Community-centred legal aid: strengthening protection and access to rights for refugees, by Adhar Marup and Chuol Simon. Access via FMR here.
Launch events
An online launch event will take place on September 14, 2023, whereby several of the special feature authors will come together to discuss their contributions. More information about the online launch will follow soon.
The workshop event "Mobilization for Migrants’ Rights: Lessons from Lebanon and Beyond" also served as a pre-launch of the special feature. This event was organized by the REF-ARAB project in collaboration with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs.