The REF-ARAB Project at the University of Oslo and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs at the American University of Beirut are organizing a workshop on initiatives to support the rights of refugees and other migrants.
About the workshop
The workshop will focus on Lebanon, but some of the invited speakers will draw on experiences from other regions (inc. Jordan, the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean).
This will allow us to collectively learn, compare and reflect on strategies for rights mobilization. The discussions will serve as a prelude to the special feature of the Forced Migration Review (FMR) on Mobilization in the MENA region, due May 2023.
The event will consist of three panel sessions, each lasting 1.15 hours. The first 30 minutes of each panel session will consist of a moderated discussion on the panel’s theme. There will be ample time for a plenary discussion, in which audience members will be invited to respond, ask questions and share insights.
Agenda
9.30 - 10.00 Registration and coffee
10.00 - 10.15 Welcoming remarks
10.15 - 11.30 Panel 1: Bottom-up Approaches and Interconnected Struggles
11.30 - 11.45 Coffee break
11.45 - 13.00 Panel 2: Humanitarian Refugee Responses and NGO-ization
13.00 - 13.45 Lunch break and showcase of “Cardboard Camp: Stories of Sudanese Refugees in Lebanon” graphic novel
13.45 - 15.00 Panel 3: Solidarity and Border-Crossings
15.00 - 15.15 Final remarks
Simultaneous translation (Arabic – English, English – Arabic) will be available.
Panel 1: Bottom-up Approaches and Interconnected Struggles
The first panel focuses on bottom-up approaches and grassroots mobilization efforts led by refugees and other migrant groups. We will discuss how refugees' experiences of exclusion and oppression intersect with broader and collective struggles for social justice, including struggles against xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination.
Have local communities and activists - taking a leading role in claiming rights - drawn on the potential for cross-movement alliances and solidarity? This panel will attempt to provide valuable insights into the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of struggles and building coalitions for social justice.
By drawing on practical examples, we hope to highlight the potential of localized and community-led initiatives for navigating complex legal landscapes and for creating long-lasting change.
Speakers:
Jasmin Lilian Diab, Director of the Institute for Migration Studies – Lebanese American University
Imane El Hayek, Advocacy Officer, Anti-Racism Movement
Lynn Kseibi, Policy, Research and Advocacy Officer, Sawa for Development and Aid
Moderator: Watfa Najdi
Panel 2: Humanitarian Refugee Responses and NGOization
In this panel, we will engage further with localized refugee responses and how these interact with broader structures that are associated with humanitarian aid. Humanitarian responses to forced displacement are often critiqued for their short-term and temporary focus, their invasive tendencies and their interplay with already structurally unequal power relationships.
Localization has been seen as an important way to counter this. This often goes hand in hand with the NGO-ization of locally led efforts. The term NGO-ization has been used to describe the formalization of other social movements into nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Often, this eventually results in the transformation of collective matters into isolated foreign-funded projects. We will question whether similar critiques apply to the formalization of localized support for refugee rights and what lessons can be learned from this.
Speakers:
Dina Baslan, co-founder Sawiyan Jordan
Mohamad Hajj Khamis, Hemmet Shabab
Elio Gharios, Peacebuilding Advisor, Basmeh and Zeitooneh
Moderator: Mirjam Twigt
Panel 3: Solidarity and Border-Crossing
In response and anticipation of an increasing number of people attempting to cross into Europe by sea from Lebanon, pushbacks and interceptions - carried out by EU member states and Lebanon - are on the rise.
This panel will explore the potentials of mobilizing in support of the safety and rights of people crossing borders. We gather local activists in Lebanon and border activists from other regions.
Sharing knowledge of different border struggles and in response to border violence, this panel will discuss strategies for supporting people on the move and for mitigating the potential backlash from governments and non-state actors.
Speakers:
Mohamad Sablouh, Lawyer
Philémon Mallet, Lebanese Center for Human Rights
Julia Schaefermeyer, SOS Mediterranee
Moctar Dan Yaye, Alarm Phone Sahara
Moderator: Nora Milch