Who We Are
The Asia Pacific is currently home to the largest population of refugees in the world and is the site of some of the world’s most acute and protracted refugee situations. The Asia Pacific is also home to large numbers of torture survivors, trafficked persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons, returnees, people displaced by conflict and other forms of human rights abuse, and other people in need of protection.
The Asia Pacific is characterised by low levels of accession to international refugee and human rights instruments with a severe absence of domestic legal frameworks for refugees and people in need of protection. The increasing deviation from international protection standards by countries in the region that have international commitments to refugee protection adds further complexities and challenges. This undermines the ability to obtain effective protection in host, transit and destination countries. As a consequence of this legal vacuum, refugees and other displaced persons are frequently subject to gross violations of their fundamental rights. They are constantly at risk of arrest and arbitrary detention, deportation, torture and Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV). In addition access to basic services such as food, housing, education and health are very limited. Growing xenophobia and negative perceptions of those fleeing persecution further compound the issue.
APRRN was formed due to the realisation that civil society working with people in need of protection should collaborate and advance the rights of affected populations. Prior to the establishment of the Network, groups worked in isolation, within their in their local contexts, with limited access to specialist training, technical resources. At the heart of our work lies the belief that by strengthening national civil society and building strong regional alliances, we can create a better environment for people in need of protection region-wide. The Network facilitates the exchange of skills and good practices and provides a platform to magnify national concerns at the regional and international levels.
APRRN’s Vision for Regional Protection encapsulates what APRRN believes could be achieved in the Asia-Pacific region within ten to twenty years in relation to refugees and other people in need of protection. This has been informed by extensive consultations with a range of stakeholders, underlining the spirit of partnership, collaboration, accountability and transparency which guides our work.
The Vision for Regional Protection is accompanied by a Plan of Action that sets out what various stakeholders need to do in order for the Vision to be realised and a Research and Consultation Framework to identify challenges, opportunities and good practices and guide research and further consultation. These three documents comprise the APRRN Framework for Regional Protection. This APRRN Strategic Plan includes a four-year roll out and also includes institutional goals for consolidating and strengthening our performance and resilience as a network.