Refugee rights

Displaced people across the world lack agency. Upinion combines methods to connect with people on the move, enabling it to follow the journey of refugees and migrants and to provide them with a space to share their experiences and recommendations regarding their new environment. Upinion believes in a holistic approach to engagement, bringing together insights from all displacement-affected populations, including the host communities.

The online community and Upinion and its partners have co-created advocacy strategies for enhanced refugee and migrant rights, fought against the forced and premature return of refugees to their home countries before conditions are in place, and strengthened social cohesion in Lebanon, Türkiye, Mauritania, Libya, and Greece.

  • Policy Brief – Assessing the Current Status of Syrian Refugees in Türkiye

    Policy Brief – Assessing the Current Status of Syrian Refugees in Türkiye

    Yesterday marked the first round of the 2023 General Elections in Türkiye, providing citizens with the chance to exercise their democratic right to vote. The political discourse leading up to the elections has taken a concerning turn, with Syrian refugees being scapegoated and even subjected to forced deportations to gain political points and direct voting…

  • Putting Syrian Refugees Centre Stage – Refugee Protection Watch

    Putting Syrian Refugees Centre Stage – Refugee Protection Watch

    📣 New publication-alert! A recent online conversation with the refugee community highlights that despite the aim of UNHCR to “employ participatory methodologies” and “promote feedback and response systems”, a majority of Syrian refugees in Lebanon do not feel or only feel somewhat included in decision-making processes and feedback mechanisms. Together with partners of the Refugee…

  • Refugee Protection Watch’s Call to Action: Making ‘Accountability to Affected Populations’ Reality in Humanitarian Response

    In response to persistent criticism regarding the limited agency of affected populations, the notion of “Accountability to Affected Populations” (AAP) has risen to the forefront of reform efforts in the humanitarian sector. Consequently, it has been outlined in various agreements in recent years, including the 2015 “Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability”, the “Participatory…

  • Refugee Protection Watch’s Call to Action: Making ‘Accountability to Affected Populations’ Reality in Humanitarian Response

    Refugee Protection Watch’s Call to Action: Making ‘Accountability to Affected Populations’ Reality in Humanitarian Response

    Despite increasing commitments and standards to the notion of ‘Accountability to Affected Populations’, its implementation has been proven challenging for the aid sector’s prominent actors. This is no exception for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as Upinion’s engagement with Syrian refugees in Lebanon clearly illustrates a disconnect between people’s perceptions and the humanitarian organisation’s intentions to…

  • HNPW 2023: Real-time engagement of Upinion’s community members

    HNPW 2023: Real-time engagement of Upinion’s community members

    We are excited that our Syrian community from Lebanon has the chance to participate real-time during the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) and have a seat at the table about this urgent matter. We are looking forward to a meaningful participation! Let this be one of many to come ✨More information on the event…

  • Resisting the Narrative: Syrian Refugees Challenge the Push for Return

    Resisting the Narrative: Syrian Refugees Challenge the Push for Return

    The narrative of Syria being safe for refugees to return is gaining traction, fueling anti-refugee sentiments and leading to dehumanizing policies and practices, despite clear evidence that the country is not yet safe to return. In response, Upinion, in its partnership with the Refugee Watch Coalition, published its third annual report on the conditions inside…

  • Resisting the Narrative: Syrian Refugees Challenge the Push for Return

    Growing narratives that depict Syria as safe and ready for return are gaining traction across Syrian refugee-hosting countries. A new discourse has emerged that does not only fuel anti-refugee sentiments; it also encourages governments and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency dedicated to saving lives and protecting the rights of forcibly displaced communities, to develop and…

  • Hidden Hardship: 1 Year Living in Forced Displacement for Refugees from Ukraine

    Hidden Hardship: 1 Year Living in Forced Displacement for Refugees from Ukraine

    “One year on and with no end in sight to this conflict, it is the policies that are laid down now that will determine the future of refugees and the communities who host them in neighbouring countries,” said Carlo Gherardi, NRC’s Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe. Upcoming Friday marks one year since the…

  • Alarming situation for Afghan refugees in Türkiye

    One year after the Taliban’s violent take-over in Afghanistan, Upinion and its partner 11.11.11, the Belgian umbrella organization of International Solidarity, show in a new report that the situation of Afghan refugees in Türkiye is alarming and requires immediate attention by the international community. References to the findings of the Upinion conversation were made in…

  • Put a halt to forcible returns of Syrian refugees from Türkiye

    Put a halt to forcible returns of Syrian refugees from Türkiye

    Since 2011, the political and economic situation in Türkiye has undergone drastic changes, which has resulted in an increasingly hostile public opinion against refugees. 11.11.11 and Upinion conducted an online conversation with 944 Syrian refugees in Türkiye to gauge their perception on existing pressures and their living conditions in the country.