The consultations are by invitation only, and involve high-level discussions and decision making between the UNHCR and delegations from countries around the world. They take place during a week that also includes the UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), making for a big week of discussions about the global refugee crisis.
UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement: 12–14 June
After a first day that gave participants a snapshot of the state of humanitarian responses to the refugee crisis around the world, day two was a chance to drill down into the some of the issues faced by organisations like SSI on the ground.
The day began with a performance by South Sudanese slam poet Emtithal “Emi” Mahmoud, who received a standing ovation. Emi’s poetry painted challenging scenes of life in South Sudan, telling those in attendance: “Loss is deeply personal, if you speak with hate people respond in kind. If a person speaks to you with humanity, you respond likewise.”
With that poignant start to the day, SSI’s representatives and the other NGO participants split off into groups to take on problems in some specific areas.
In a session on starting or expanding refugee resettlement programs, some key questions stood out: what role does integration play in expanding refugee resettlement, and, how do we measure the success of resettlement programs?
A standout during a panel discussion for a session on how the private sector engages in refugee resettlement was Andrew Vilcsak from accommodation sharing company Airbnb. Mr Vilcsak spoke about a platform the company launched last week for 16,000 properties being offered for free or heavily discounted prices to refugees in the USA.
Another session on community sponsorship programs for refugee resettlement offered some particularly interesting insights into a model currently being developed in Canada. The Global Refugee Sponsorship initiative aims to support other countries considering private sponsorship models, demonstrating the value of sponsorship in building welcoming communities.
Late on the second day attendees discussed the importance of effective communication to increasing public confidence in refugee resettlement. The UNHCR showcased some great, positive media campaigns that have proven to be effective.
The Australian delegates, including SSI, ended the day with a reception with the Australian Ambassador, and a meeting with the UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk.
There has been a lot to take in over the first two days of the consultations. With one day still to go there are sure to be even more opportunities for SSI to learn about how refugee resettlement is happening around the world, and to showcase to the world the work we’re doing here in Australia.
UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs: 14–16 June
After a busy few days at the UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, the SSI delegation in Geneva jumped straight into the second part of the visit: the UNHCR Annual Consultations with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
While the Tripartite Consultations involve high-level discussions and decision making between the UNHCR and delegations from countries around the world, the NGO Consultations are a chance for all NGOs that work with refugees to discuss issues in a global forum.
This year’s NGO Consultations focused on the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, which encourages the UNHCR to work with a broader coalition of partners—the private sector, academia, media, and refugee diasporas themselves—for better outcomes for refugees.
In the opening sessions, before the consultations began to focus in on specific issues, Senior UNHCR officials spoke about the impact the framework is already having on the ways the UNHCR is engaging with refugee NGOs.
Some sessions, for example, looked at improving identification and protection for individuals in vulnerable situations, such as women at risk, unaccompanied and separated children, survivors of trafficking, refugees with disability, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Other sessions turned to ways that the private sector and civil society (i.e. organisations and bodies that don’t represent government or business) have been able to help address challenges like rescue at sea, alternatives to detention, trafficking, and racism and discrimination.
A highlight of the consultations was the theme of refugee voices in the response to the global refugee crisis. Leaders from Australia, such as Najeeba Wazefadost from the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Aarash Bordbar from the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, were inspiring voices in the discussion.
It has been refreshing to see the UNHCR increasingly recognising the importance of refugees themselves being involved in part of the solution.
As part of that theme, one stand-out session looked at the global refugee work of women and girls. Australians were again well represented in the discussion, with Tenneh Kpaka from the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women giving an eloquent presentation on the need to prioritise the voices of refugee women and girls.
Muhammad Younis enjoyed CIty2Surf so much last year he can’t wait to run again in 2017.
It’s not just for personal health and wellbeing; it also gives a community something to be proud of and provides opportunities for building friendships and connections with other community groups.
It’s an opportunity denied the minority Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar, where the United Nations says they are arguably the most persecuted peoples in the world.
According to the UN, the Rohingya people are denied basic rights, including citizenship, despite the fact they have lived in the Buddhist majority country for generations. They have been made stateless by government decree, systemic discrimination has erupted into violence against them and now hundreds of thousands of Rohingya are living as refugees across Southeast Asia.
In addition to being treated like illegal immigrants, the Rohingya in Myanmar do not even have the opportunity to run or play sports like football.
“In Myanmar we lack everything,” said Mr Younis.
“No freedom of movement, no access to health. They treat us like foreigners. But my great, great, great grandfathers — my ancestors — were of the land!
“In Rakhine state we were not allowed to play football, not even to be on the ground. So we used the rice fields as soccer courts.”
Mr Younis can barely believe how different things are in Australia, “playing here with my brothers, playing freely — even with lights!”
Not only is he allowed to run on a football pitch, he can also run in huge community events like City2Surf.
After completing the run in 2016 he can’t wait to start preparing for City2Surf 2017.
“Running in the City2Surf, seeing so many people, made me happy. Being part of the crowd of runners made me so happy. It made me feel amazing. It made me run fast. I tried hard. My target was first place,” he said.
Aged 32, Mr Younis considers himself an old man. His wish is to be a good role model in his Rohingya community.
“I want my small community to have a big name,” he said.
“As a captain, I always advise my team to try hard and play for Australia. Imagine if one Rohingya boy could play for Australia! That would be a big success for me.”
Someone definitely following his example is star football player Najib Najib, who this year will be running the City2Surf for the first time.
He was inspired by Mr Younis. “Last year I saw Mohammad after the event and he looked so happy. I thought, ‘I want that happiness too!’”
Follow this link to join the duo on Team SSI, “strong and united”, in City2Surf 2017.
Two of our flagship programs in this area, the Ability Links NSW program and the FutureAbility initiative, were joint finalists of the 2017 Disability Innovation Industry Awards earlier this year. This recognition is fantastic, and it’s been backed up by the recently released FutureAbility Project Report 2016.
The report outlines two years of research undertaken by the FutureAbility initiative, which was established in 2015 by SSI to help prepare people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and the CALD service sector itself, to enter the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The report is well worth a look. For example, the research found that while having similar levels of disability as the general population, people from CALD backgrounds with disability are noticeably under-represented in existing disability service and support systems in Australia. This has major implications for the rollout of the NDIS. If a cornerstone of the scheme is truly person-centred service delivery and support, it must be able to meet the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of people with disability.
Key to achieving that aim will be a range of access and equity strategies to ensure real choice and control for people with disability from CALD backgrounds. Cultural sensitivity and competency will be a critical part of that
As the NDIS rolls out in NSW, we need to seize this opportunity to support and strengthen the CALD service sector to deliver culturally appropriate services to people from CALD backgrounds with disability, their families and their carers. I’m proud to say this is what the FutureAbility team are working on behind the scenes. Every day on the ground our 60 SSI Linkers support participants from CALD backgrounds and work alongside communities to help them become more inclusive. So while there’s still a long way to go before the disability sector is able to meet the needs of CALD communities, I believe we’re on the right track.
Beyond the FutureAbility report, this month’s newsletter is filled with positive stories. From the Syrian family who arrived as refugees and have settled in Sydney’s Northern Beaches with SSI Housing, to the Shared Table Project promoting peace-building and fostering dialogue, or the story of Ignite-supported client Rassul Zahrouni, who has established his own grocery business in Farifield Heights.
We can certainly say it’s been another busy, productive and rewarding month at SSI. We hope you enjoy it.
A box made by a member of the Girls Group during an exercise on strengths, identity
and their “outside” and “inside” selves.
During adolescence, girls continue to develop very important skills in learning and living.
Teenage girls love to belong to communities, both at school and with their families.
Belonging to communities can, however, be challenging as well. Schoolwork can be stressful and new experiences and expectations can be daunting.
After school each Wednesday afternoon in April, IMS and Anglicare ran a Girls Group for young women aged 12-16
The aim was to help the young women from refugee backgrounds develop skills to enable them to face challenges, solve problems and seek support from family and others.
To develop these skills, the Girls Group provided opportunities for participants to spend time with other young women their own age, exploring and identifying personal and group strengths, hopes and values.
The Girls Group was facilitated by three adult women trained and qualified to work with adolescents.
Using what was learned about the participants after the four-week program, organisers hope to continue the Girls Group and modify its mode of delivery based on the strengths, interests and needs of the young women.
SSI clients help prepare Jewish and Iraqi meals during the Shared Table Project
A project of the Jewish Board of Deputies, the Shared Table brings together women of different cultures to cook, talk, and share stories, traditions, heritage and family heirloom recipes.
On May 1 the SSI women shared the traditional customs of the Sabbath, or Shabbat dinner, and baked fresh challah, the braided bread their Jewish hosts eat each week.
Shabbat is a festive day when Jewish people exercise their freedom from the regular labours of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family.
The next week the SSI visitors helped prepare an Iraqi meal.
Project director Melissa Port said in her blog, “All these women have arrived into Australia in the past three to six months and have shared with us their enormous struggle to be here today.
“We are always amazed at the strength and courage of these families, who have fled terrorism for a better life for themselves and their children.”
On May 15 the SSI guests learned about some Jewish traditions, including customs when a baby boy is born, arranged marriages in the religious community, other customs when getting married, and the history relating to each celebration.
The following week the women received certificates for their participation in the program.
In 2013, however, he was forced to leave behind everything he knew because of persecution based on his Mandean faith.
Mandeans in Iran face discrimination and exclusion, and are restricted from fully participating in civil life.
“I was happy to come to Australia because I know that Australia is multicultural and I would be free to practice my religion here,” Mr Zahrouni said.
Mr Zahrouni came to Australia with his wife, two children and extended family in 2013 in search of safety.
“My first impression of Australia was that it was safe and calm.”
In Sydney, after working for 18 months in a food warehouse, Mr Zahrouni felt confident to start his own small business again.
He was introduced to SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative — a self-funded start-up initiative that facilitates business creation for new entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds.
An Ignite Facilitator assisted Mr Zahrouni with an interpreter to help to liaise with the real estate agent and local council, and provided contacts for a suitable accountant and solicitor. With support from Ignite, Mr Zahrouni was able to set up a grocery business.
“I would not have established my business without the help of Ignite,” Mr Zahrouni said.
“They have been beside with me every step of the way.”
Mr Zahourni now has a shop in Fairfield Heights selling general and specialist Middle Eastern groceries. For more information, visit the Ignite Business Directory and look for Nadiri Fine Food.
SSI is a founding member of Sydney Alliance — a coalition of civic organisations from the union, faith, education and community sectors working together on issues of the common good.
The recent assembly with Minister Roberts, which followed three hard years of campaigning with various political stakeholders, was an opportunity for Sydney Alliance to share real stories about how the housing affordability crisis is affecting peoples’ lives.
Around 300 people attended the assembly, including Professor Bill Randolph of UNSW, a British and Australian affordable housing expert.
“Affordable housing as we know it is a very complex problem but we know that our planning system has failed to deliver anything in the area of housing affordability. Inclusionary zoning is a way to share the uplift in a parcel of land that results in a change of use from a planning decisions,” he said.
“It’s only reasonable to assume that there should be a public benefit from that publicly accountable decision.”
At the end of the night, Minister Roberts agreed to meet with Sydney Alliance and the Greater Sydney Commission, which has been tasked with revitalising areas of the city.
Sydney Alliance is campaigning to have those revitalisation plans include stronger commitments for affordable housing and access to public transport. The Alliance wants to see a 15—30 per cent inclusion of affordable housing commitment in the proposed plans. For more information, click here.
By SSI Housing Services Program Manager Charles Rich
Over the past year, close to 200 people involved in SSI initiatives have woven these stories of healing into a tapestry-covered couch, creating a work of art that will be displayed as part of the New Beginnings Festival’s Singular/Plural art exhibition.
Many of the stories have been gathered from people involved with the Friendship Garden — an inclusive community gardening project where people from all walks of life bond over the shared experience of gardening.
In developing ideas for the couch, gardeners who are still in the process of seeking asylum in Australia told stories about healing together: moments where their worries melted away, seeing things grow, sharing food, playing football, picking blueberries.
Social designer Tasman Munro, who co-facilitated the couch project as part of his PhD, said: “The aim of the project was to hold space for people to spend time with stories of healing that were gathered from the community. Telling and retelling these stories, while physically building up imagery around them within people’s hands.
“During the project, we were also surprised to see how healing the making process was in itself. People become lost in the craft, and told us it was like meditation.”
As one participant put it: “I have lived through war and very difficult things in my life. I need to do this at home, it makes all the bad memories disappear.”
Tapestry artist Sayd Mahmod generously shared his expertise in the creation of a couch. Originally from Afghanistan, Mr Mahmod has honed his craft for 30 years and happily passed these skills along to contributors in a series of workshops at SSI’s Community Kitchen.
Amid the hubbub of the fortnightly multicultural lunch for refugees and people seeking asylum, Mr Mahmod sat down with small groups to teach them the art of tapestry and work on a design that Friendship Garden members created together to illustrate stories of healing.
Artist Jane Theau, who also co-facilitated the project, said Mr Mahmod tapestry technique was meditative, leaving space for conversations to grow.
“Initially, this was two separate community projects, one art-based, the other teaching woodworking skills in the garden.,” she said. “These were merged into what has proved to be a powerful collaboration involving hundreds of Community Kitchen attendees of all nationalities, young and old, men and women.”
People from the Syrian, Tamil, Rohingya, Afghan, Iraqi, Hazara, Persian, Vietnamese and Nepalese communities are among many contributors who sat together sharing their stories while learning this unique tapestry process from Mr Mahmod.
“If people want to see tangible evidence of how to communicate despite not sharing a language, how to create a thing of beauty through collaboration and compromise, and the importance of community projects, they should view this exhibition — from the comfort of this tapestry couch,” Ms Theau said.
SSI Arts & Culture Coordinator Carolina Triana, who is producing the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week, said the couch would be displayed with work from other artists from refugee backgrounds, along with more established Australian artists. Curated by Denise Thwaites, the Singular/Plural exhibition will be on display at 107 Projects from June 21 to July 2.
“Exiled artists, filmmakers and craftspeople have made significant contributions to the Australian creative industries. This festival is a chance for Sydneysiders to experience art, film, installations and more, while also learning about the cultural heritage and artistic practices of some of our newest community members,” she said.
“We hope to facilitate creative exchanges between refugee and non-refugee communities. Getting to know someone through their art makes us focus on their creativity and potential — labels are no longer relevant.”
The New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week is the first component of SSI’s New Beginnings: Refugee Arts & Culture Festival, which involves a number of creative events throughout 2017.
Redfern’s premier creative hub 107 Projects will host the Refugee Week events from June 21 to July 2, inspiring creative conversations through a mix of visual arts, film, installations and workshops.
However, these three budding businesspeople have chosen to dedicate part of their spare time to something that makes them stand out from the crowd. They are using the knowledge gained from their degree to help people of migrant and refugee backgrounds start their own business by interning for Ignite Small Business Start-ups.
Ignite is an SSI initiative that facilitates business creation for people of migrant and refugee backgrounds who are keen to establish a small business or expand an existing one.
“From the moment we started university, teachers had been telling us how competitive the working market is and how important it is to have something that differentiates your resume from the rest,” Ms Sahrulazizi said.
“So, doing an internship wasn’t compulsory, but I decided to do it to get a good job.”
Mr Bahar, from Miranda, had an interest in the not-for-profit sector and chose to do his internship at Ignite after being offered a few possibilities by the university student placement office, he said.
“We’ve helped some of the clients here at Ignite to create business, marketing and finance plans for their projects,” Mr Bahar said. “It’s been far more challenging than any other subject I’ve had before, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”
For Mr Hu, an international student from China, interning at Ignite has also been an opportunity to learn about Australian workplace culture and get local experience, he said.
The three students have supported several Ignite entrepreneurs, including Yarrie Bangura from Sierra Leone, who sells a handmade bottled ginger drink to Iman and his team, who provide lighting and signage solutions.
“Interning at Ignite has been a great opportunity for all of us,” Ms Sahrulazizi said. “Besides learning the ins and outs of how businesses operate, we’ve also learned about the passion one needs and the struggles to overcome to be successful in establishing your own business.”
“Also, during our internship at Ignite, we’ve learned that refugees don’t just arrive in Australia and sit down, waiting to be offered help. They work very hard, and in many cases, like the ones supported by Ignite, they contribute very positively to the economy.”
However, it had been three years since she and her family moved to Australia and she was still homesick. In fact, since her arrival she had felt extremely lonely, a situation that, she said, dragged her into a permanent state of depression and anxiety.
One day Mina met an SSI Linker, Rizwana, at a community event where she was doing a presentation about Ability Links NSW (ALNSW), a program that supports people with disability, thier family and carers in achieving their goals.
SSI delivers ALNSW through its Linkers, who have extensive knowledge of their local communities and provide a locally-based, first point of contact for people who want to access support and services in their community.
After the presentation, Mina was handed a brochure, which she read and kept in her bag. After days of hesitation, she gathered the courage to call the phone number and arranged a meeting with Rizwana.
Mina told her Linker about her passions and dreams and how she wanted to feel useful again, as she did back in Pakistan. After assessing her situation, Rizwana linked her with a support group in her local area.
Slowly, Mina started socialising again and getting her confidence back, to the point she began to volunteer in the group’s activities as an organiser.
This was the first step that led her, with the help of her Linker, to apply and eventually get a job as bicultural health educator at South Western Sydney Local Health District.
“She is very happy now and has become an active member of the community as a bi-cultural health educator facilitating women’s health sessions in Urdu and Hindi,” said SSI Linker Rizwana.
To find your nearest SSI Linker, call (02) 8713 9200 or email abilitylinks@ssi.org.au.