Introduction

Refugees International (RI) is a non-profit advocacy organization that provides emergency aid and protection to refugees and displaced persons worldwide. Since its establishment in 1979, the organization has been committed to empowering refugees and displaced persons to rebuild their lives and pursue long-term solutions to displacement. RI’s programs are guided by a human rights and dignity-based approach, prioritizing the needs and voices of displaced persons. This article will explore RI’s history and mission, the scope of its work, and its impact on the lives of refugees and displaced persons worldwide.

History and Mission

Refugees International was founded in response to the Indochina refugee crisis, which displaced millions of people after the Vietnam War. The organization’s co-founders, Diane Lawson and Richard Fairbanks, traveled to Southeast Asia to assess the needs of refugees and advocate for their rights. Their advocacy efforts led to critical policy changes in the United States and other countries, including the admission of over 1.2 million refugees between 1975 and 1980. Since then, RI has expanded its mandate to address a wide range of displacement crises worldwide.

RI’s mission is to advocate for the rights and protection of displaced persons worldwide, by providing lifesaving assistance, conducting information-gathering missions, and engaging policymakers and communities to effect change. RI envisions a world in which all displaced persons are able to access safety, shelter, and basic human rights, and are empowered to rebuild their lives and communities. RI’s core values include human dignity, transparency, accountability, and independence, which guide its approach to programming and advocacy.

Scope of Work

Refugees International conducts research and advocacy missions in over 20 countries worldwide, where displaced persons are in urgent need of assistance and protection. The organization’s programs are divided into four key areas: conflict and displacement, climate displacement, humanitarian response, and protection.

Conflict and Displacement

RI works to address displacement caused by armed conflicts and other forms of violence, by advocating for protection of civilians, access to humanitarian assistance, and long-term solutions to displacement. In areas such as Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan, RI has conducted missions to assess the needs of displaced persons and promote accountability for human rights abuses. RI works closely with local organizations and communities to understand the root causes of displacement and advocate for policy changes that address those underlying issues.

Climate Displacement

As climate change accelerates, the displacement of people due to natural disasters and environmental degradation is increasing. RI conducts research and advocacy missions to address these issues, advocating for the rights and protection of climate refugees and promoting policies that mitigate the effects of climate change. In Bangladesh, for example, RI has worked to provide assistance and advocacy for displaced persons affected by climate change-induced flooding.

Humanitarian Response

RI’s humanitarian response programs focus on providing lifesaving assistance to displaced persons in crisis situations. This includes providing emergency shelter, food, and medical assistance, as well as advocating for increased funding and access for humanitarian assistance. In the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, RI worked to provide emergency aid and to advocate for the rights and protection of refugees.

Protection

RI’s protection work focuses on advocating for the protection of displaced persons’ rights and dignity. This includes addressing issues such as gender-based violence, child protection, and access to legal and administrative support. In Colombia, for example, RI has advocated for the right of displaced Afro-Colombians to return to their land, and for increased support for their resettlement.

Impact

Refugees International has had a significant impact on the lives of displaced persons worldwide, both through its direct assistance programs and its advocacy efforts. The organization’s research and advocacy efforts have resulted in policy changes and increased protection for refugees and displaced persons, and its partnerships with local communities and organizations have helped build capacity and promote sustainable solutions to displacement.

Policy Impact

RI’s advocacy efforts have led to numerous policy changes that benefit refugees and displaced persons. For example, in 2019, RI worked to secure funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides critical assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees. In 2020, RI advocated for a temporary halt to deportations of refugees and asylum seekers from the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and secured a policy change that granted temporary reprieve for some individuals.

Direct Impact

RI’s direct assistance programs have helped provide lifesaving aid and protection to thousands of displaced persons worldwide. In 2020 alone, RI provided emergency assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia. Additionally, RI has worked to address critical protection concerns for displaced persons, such as supporting the protection of women and girls from gender-based violence in refugee camps.

Sustainability Impact

RI’s partnerships with local communities and organizations have helped build capacity and promote sustainable solutions to displacement. In Colombia, for example, RI worked with Afro-Colombian leaders to promote sustainable land tenure practices, advocating for their right to return to their land and access to resources for resettlement. This approach helped build local ownership and resilience, and promoted long-term solutions to displacement.

Conclusion

Refugees International has been instrumental in advocating for the rights and protection of refugees and displaced persons worldwide. Through its research and advocacy efforts, the organization has helped bring attention to critical issues affecting displaced persons, and has secured policy changes that benefit their rights and wellbeing. Additionally, RI’s direct assistance programs have provided critical lifesaving aid to thousands of displaced persons worldwide, while its partnerships with local communities and organizations have helped promote sustainable solutions to displacement. As conflict, climate change, and other factors continue to displace millions of people worldwide, RI’s advocacy and assistance are more critical than ever before.

Refugees International is an organization focused on assisting refugees spread throughout the world. In general, Refugees International has the goal of helping these displaced individuals to move into some kind of stable form of existence.

Refugees International sees as one of the most important dilemmas facing its success the fact that many refugees are currently within a legal hole, wherein they are not technically citizens of any particular country, as their home countries are either in a state of flux or have disavowed those citizens, and no other country has yet granted them asylum. Refugees International thus attempts to help these individuals by moving them out of refugee camps and into homes where they might actually be able to start lives.

Refugees International operates in many countries throughout the world, including the Congo, Sudan, Colombia, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Djibouti. Refugees International claims as one of its successes that the United States has provided additional funding for refugees in Colombia, and that the United States provided additional funding to the UN Refugee Agency’s Iraq programs, as a result of lobbying from Refugees International.

An organization that bears some similarity to Refugees International, but is mostly a United Kingdom organization, is the Refugee Legal Centre, now known as Refugee and Migrant Justice. The former Refugee Legal Centre was devoted to bringing legal assistance to those refugees who needed it, in order to best protect and serve those refugees under United Kingdom law. Now, the former Refugee Legal Centre continues to offer the same services, giving legal advice to any refugees who cannot afford to pay for other legal counsel.