Driven by affected communities, co-led by »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ Kaldor Centre researcher Dr Tristan Harley, a new draft declaration aims to ensure displaced and stateless people can influence decisions that shape their lives.
For 18 months, a global group of refugee experts and allies has considered how best to embed ‘nothing about us without us’ as a legal and normative right, not just an aspirational goal.
On World Refugee Day, this group released the historic document they developed for public consultation: a draft Independent Declaration on the Right of Refugees and Others Experiencing Displacement or Statelessness to Participate in Decisions that Affect Them. Ìý
This landmark document is a tool for ensuring that participation goes beyond gestures. It complements and reinforces commitments that governments and others have made to advance participation in recent years, including through the Global Compact on Refugees and pledges made at the United Nations Global Refugee Forum.ÌýAiming to provide legal clarity, the draft Independent Declaration offers practical guidance on how States, UNHCR and other authorities must engage displaced and stateless people in decisions that shape their futures.
Now the working group behind the declaration is seeking engagement from refugee communities, civil society, governments and others. Their hope is that this initiative will become co-owned by many more stakeholders around the world.
‘This is a crucial step forward’, said Kaldor Centre Senior Research Associate Dr Tristan Harley, who co-led the global working group.
As the working group kicked off this public consultation process, they released the draftÌýIndependent DeclarationÌý³Ù´ÇÌýread in full (with commentary)Ìýas well as a putting the draft declaration in context.Ìý
The working group will be facilitating online discussions (the first is scheduled forÌý) and accepting feedback byÌýemailÌý´Ç°ùÌýÌýuntil 20 August.Ìý
Input from the public consultation phase will help shape the final version of theÌýIndependent Declaration. Calls for endorsements will follow later this year.
The group hopes this initiative will grow in support and result in much-needed change to the way that decision-making systems work in the lives of refugees and others experiencing forced displacement or statelessness.
â–º Read theÌýDraft Declaration, or get the full context in theÌýDraft Independent Declaration with commentary.
â–ºÌýÌýone of the global virtual consultations.Ìý
â–º Send your thoughts or questionsÌýbyÌýemailÌýor via thisÌýÌýuntil 20 August.
â–º Watch and share the .
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For more, visit theÌý»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.