Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table

The project is implemented by R-SEAT (Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table) on an international level. It began in April 2021 and is currently ongoing. 

R-SEAT is committed to enhancing the effectiveness of the global refugee response system by co-designing mechanisms that amplify refugee leadership ecosystems and increase refugee participation at state levels in meaningful, sustainable, and transformative ways. We collaborate with government officials, international policymakers, civil society actors, academics, refugee-led organizations (RLOs), and refugee leaders to ensure that refugee perspectives and experiences are integrated into decision and policy-making spaces from idea to implementation.

R-SEAT also works to enhance capacity within the global refugee leadership ecosystem by connecting refugee leaders and RLOs with relevant stakeholders, including policy makers, foundations, and other non-profit organizations. R-SEAT is dedicated to engaging, amplifying, and connecting international refugee leadership ecosystems.

Project aims

R-SEAT's mission is to enhance refugee responses through harnessing the power of meaningful refugee participation. This can be realized through the commitment of 20 Member States of UNHCR’s Executive Committee, encompassing host, resettlement, and donor nations. R-SEAT collaborates closely with refugee leaders and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) within each unique national context to co-design these participatory mechanisms, while facilitating dialogue and consensus-building with governmental authorities.

At R-SEAT, we believe meaningful refugee participation occurs when refugees from diverse backgrounds have sustained influence in all fora where decisions, policies, and responses that impact their lives are being designed, implemented, and measured in a manner that is accessible, broad, informed, safe, free, and supported. Meaningful participation requires actors to listen to refugees, and for refugees to have tangible influence over the priorities and outcome of the policy process. We work to further this emergent norm across the global refugee regime.

Main activities of the Good Practice

R-SEAT’s core work involves bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders — bureaucrats, civil society actors, academics, politicians, refugees, and RLOs— to integrate the expertise and lived experience of refugee experts into decision-making spaces nationally and internationally. Through these mechanisms, refugee participation becomes meaningful by supporting a process for engaging these perspectives throughout each step of the decision-making and implementation process. Additionally, R-SEAT seeks to further the norm of meaningful refugee participation and elevate the role of the global refugee leadership ecosystem. To do this, R-SEAT amplifies the work of our refugee partners by building relationships, sharing resources, promoting funding opportunities, and facilitating introductions. This approach ensures our connections benefit others.

Elements which helped facilitate the implementation of the good practice

R-SEAT was founded on robust research and mapping which indicated support for meaningful refugee participation by certain states within the global refugee regime. After the inclusion of a refugee advisor to the Canadian Delegation at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2019, the process was institutionalized in Canada through the formation of the Refugee Advisory Network of Canada (RAN Canada).  This model has since been adapted by other countries, including the United States (United States Refugee Advisory Board), New Zealand (New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel), Germany (the Germany Refugee Advisory Board), and Australia (Australia Refugee Advisory Panel), where R-SEAT has supported the co-creation of these respective advisory mechanisms. These efforts have established a strong foundation for institutionalized meaningful refugee participation, expanding this practice globally and demonstrating the effectiveness of including refugee voices in decision-making processes.

What challenges were encountered in delivering the project and how were they overcome?

Challenges

R-SEAT operates as an initiative with a narrow mandate. As a refugee-led organization that is working to perpetuate a new form of mechanized meaningful refugee participation, proving the value of this concept and tailoring the blueprint to specific state contexts has been our central challenge.

How they were overcome

By proving this concept in Canada, R-SEAT was able to offer a successful model to other countries which could be adapted in partnership with key refugee-led organizations in these national contexts to fit their specific policy landscape.  This success has enabled new partners to see the effectiveness of our approach, allowing for broader adoption.

Results of the Good Practice

R-SEAT has seen significant growth in the norm of meaningful refugee participation thanks to this work. We have seen this progress through the increased presence of refugee advocates at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023, the establishment of further national mechanisms, and the commitment from further states to create mechanisms domestically. Each mechanism has further created its own successes in their own contexts.

In what way does the good practice meet one or more of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees?

Objective 1: Ease the pressures on host countries

R-SEAT facilitates connections between donor and host countries in line with Paragraph 34 of the Global Compact on Refugees.

Objective 2: Enhance refugee self-reliance

By incorporating refugee perspectives into decision-making, R-SEAT indirectly enhances programming that leads to increased self-reliance for refugees.

Objective 3: Expand access to third-country solutions

R-SEAT’s work fosters better dialogue between global North and South countries via refugee leaders and diasporic groups which leads to more effective advocacy and improved solutions.

Next steps

R-SEAT’s foundational research identified 20 countries as ideal candidates for our model, and we are currently active in 16. We plan to expand our efforts to the remaining countries and continue the project as conditions allow.

Are there areas in which support would be required to continue and/or scale up your good practice?

We seek more partners committed to our mission of proliferating the norm of meaningful refugee participation. We also require multilateral advisory support within each country to contextualize our model, as well as funding to cover the costs of establishing these mechanisms in new countries. Our partnerships are dynamic, with our partners playing a vital role in shaping the scope of our work.