{"id":25671,"date":"2024-04-30T11:00:34","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ci\/?page_id=25671"},"modified":"2024-04-30T11:00:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T15:00:34","slug":"raising-refugee-voices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ci\/our-story\/raising-refugee-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"Carleton\u2019s Leadership in Forced Displacement Solutions and Raising Refugee Voices"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Madeline<\/a><\/div>
James Milner’s first meeting as co-chair of GAIN with Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR. From left to right, Madeline Garlick (UNHCR), Liliana Lyra Jubilut (Universidade Cat\u00f3lica de Santos), Triggs, and Milner. Photo credit: Ana Carolina Pinto Dantas, UNHCR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A<\/a><\/div>
James Milner at the Dignity Kwanza offices in Tanzania, with Nadiya Ismaeva, LERRN Senior Partnership Coordinator (bottom right), Janemary Ruhundwa, Executive Director, Dignity Kwanza (middle), Mwajabu Khalid, Legal Services and Advocacy Manager, Dignity Kwanza (green blouse), and student interns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A<\/a><\/div>
James Milner with the Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT) team in Geneva. Photo credit: Aryan Barzani.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"James<\/a><\/div>
James Milner with Rez Gardi, Co-Managing Director, R-SEAT (left) and Stephanie L\u00f3pez Villamil, Lead Regional Researcher \u2014 Latin America, LERRN (right). Photo credit: Aryan Barzani.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

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by Nathaniel Whelan<\/h4>\n

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According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 110 million people worldwide<\/a> were forcibly displaced from their homes by mid-2023 due to persecution, violence, human rights violations, political instability, economic hardships, and climate change.<\/p>\n

As levels of forced displacement continue to rise, Carleton is contributing to improved responses through partnered research, teaching and training, and community engagement on a global scale.<\/p>\n

Central to this action is Dr. James Milner<\/a> from the Department of Political Science, who is using his position as co-chair of the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) and as project director of the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) to amplify the voices of refugees and lead better research practices and policies.<\/p>\n

Refugee Advocacy and the Role of Higher Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dr. James Milner has been an associate professor at Carleton since 2008.<\/p>\n

His commitment to addressing displacement issues goes back to the early 1990s when he was a volunteer in Malawi at a time it was hosting a million refugees from Mozambique \u2013 an impactful gesture from a country of only 9 million people.<\/p>\n

While in Malawi, he assisted in food distribution. This firsthand experience showed what was possible when refugees and host communities are supported, contrasted with the forced returns from Tanzania to Rwanda and the establishment of large, isolated refugee camps during the same period.<\/p>\n

Emboldened to take action, Milner pursued his graduate studies at the University of Oxford and later found work with UNHCR in South Asia, West Africa, and at their headquarters in Geneva. This blend of academic inquiry and practical involvement led him to Carleton, where he continues to champion human rights initiatives.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the ways in which the higher education sector can support refugees, Milner said:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur research can develop and test new approaches. Our teaching can provide new tools to the actors involved in finding solutions and inspire a new generation to engage in this critical work. And our institutions can leverage programs to provide educational pathways to permanent legal status and support the meaningful integration of refugees who arrive in our communities.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Advancing Solutions Through Global Engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In November 2023, Milner was appointed co-chair of the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network<\/a> (GAIN), a group of 213 university members from countries around the world, formed from the Global Compact of Refugees<\/a> (GCR), a framework for international cooperation affirmed by the UN General Assembly back in 2018.<\/p>\n

This network is designed to advance the global response to the growing and complex topic of forced displacement and statelessness. Together with UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders, it facilitates research, training, and scholarship opportunities, as well as ensures regional diversity and expertise from a broad range of subject areas.<\/p>\n

As co-chair, Milner\u2019s role is to connect the work of its members, especially from major refugee-hosting states in the Global South, and with policy practitioners at the global level. This appointment was formalized in December with a Memorandum of Understanding between Carleton and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.<\/p>\n

Throughout his initial 3-year team, Milner will work alongside his counterpart Professor Liliana Lyra Jubilut<\/a> from the Universidade Cat\u00f3lica de Santos in Brazil.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving James as co-chair of GAIN is a privilege and a joy,\u201d Jubilut said. \u201cI\u2019m sure during his tenure that the network will thrive and is best placed to succeed in the implementation of the Global Compact for Refugees.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As new partners, Milner and Jubilut have identified a set of goals that support the objectives of the GCR to carry them through to 2027. Priorities include:<\/p>\n