Being a Bird for a Day: Refugee Leaders Across Europe Meet for a Virtual Exchange

Excerpt: In celebration of World Refugee Day, members of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and UNHCR Refugee Teams and advisory boards from Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein came together for a virtual exchange. 

During the icebreaker activity, participating members of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and UNHCR Refugee Teams and advisory boards from Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein were asked which animal they would like to be for a day. Many expressed a desire to be a bird, symbolizing their wish to fly freely across borders. Being a bird for a day: for a few hours on a Tuesday night before World Refugee Day, this dream was at least virtually realized for more than 20 participants. 

Despite residing in different countries, these refugee leaders face similar challenges including accommodation, integration, education, recognition of foreign diplomas, family reunification, and citizenship. Moreover, they share a common goal: to learn how to better organize as RLOs and formulate collective demands to present to policymakers. The meeting, organized by the UNHCR offices in Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, facilitated a meaningful engagement among participants to compare challenges and discuss strategies. 

The session began with a Q&A featuring Haile Kassa Hailu, former Refugee Outreach Coordinator for UNHCR Switzerland and co-founder of the umbrella organization Refugee-Led Organizations Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He shared insights from his work mapping RLOs, highlighting the challenges these organizations face operating on a voluntary basis with limited resources. Haile emphasized the importance of fostering trust between NGOs and RLOs and advocated for small RLOs to unite under an umbrella organization to consolidate resources and amplify their visibility and impact. 

This was followed by a presentation from Husniya Kedr, a member of Migration INC, who discussed her experience with RLOs in the Netherlands developing joint recommendations for policymakers ensuring their lived experiences and voices are included in decision-making processes. She stressed the importance for RLOs to actively engage in the political arena and assert their role in policy decisions. 

Participants then engaged in lively discussions in breakout rooms, exploring how such initiatives could be implemented in their own contexts. Maria Jimenez, a participant from the Netherlands, remarked at the end,

“Here in the Netherlands, UNHCR has given us the opportunity and space to come together and meet each other. Now we have to continue this momentum.” 

By the end of the session, the refugee leaders were inspired and equipped with new strategies to advocate for their communities. It was clear, being a bird for a day was not enough: participants expressed the desire to continue these exchanges more frequently. Many suggested aiming for two exchanges per year instead of the current annual meeting, emphasizing their commitment to ongoing dialogue and collective action.