{"id":10034,"date":"2025-02-21T10:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/?post_type=cu_people&#038;p=10034"},"modified":"2026-04-28T10:40:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:40:35","slug":"rez-gardi","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/people\/rez-gardi\/","title":{"rendered":"Rez Gardi"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"mb-6 cu-pageheader cu-component-updated md:mb-12\">\n    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 pb-5 after:w-10 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px\">\n                    \n             \n                \n            <\/h1>\n\n    \n    <\/header>\n\n\n\n<p>Rez Gardi is an international human rights lawyer, advocate, and a trailblazer in the global refugee leadership movement. Born stateless and as a refugee to survivors of genocide, she has dedicated her career to advancing justice for marginalized communities and addressing systemic inequalities through both legal expertise and grassroots advocacy. Her work bridges law, policy, and lived experience, driving systemic change for those most affected by displacement and persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rez is the Co-Managing Director of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), a global refugee-led organization pushing for more effective refugee responses worldwide by challenging top-down governance and advocating for refugee co-leadership in decision-making. Based in New York, she works to connect refugee realities with the global refugee regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rez is a Harvard-educated lawyer admitted to the bar in New York and New Zealand, and holds degrees in international relations, politics, and peace and conflict. Her past roles include working for the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, as a lecturer on international law and human rights, and serving as a Harvard Human Rights Fellow in Iraq, building cases for the prosecution of ISIS for their genocidal campaign against the Yezidis. She also co-founded the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland and founded Empower, a refugee-led organization focused on increasing access to education for refugee youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has been recognised with numerous honours, including being named Young New Zealander of the Year in 2017 and appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"publications\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n    \n\n\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                \n\n\n\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white cu-section--cards ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\" data-attributes=\"&#x7B;&quot;numberOfPosts&quot;&#x3A;3,&quot;orderBy&quot;&#x3A;&quot;date&quot;,&quot;moreButton&quot;&#x3A;&quot;loadmore&quot;,&quot;blockType&quot;&#x3A;&quot;cards&quot;,&quot;contentType&quot;&#x3A;&quot;post&quot;,&quot;currentPage&quot;&#x3A;1,&quot;blockBackground&quot;&#x3A;&quot;white&quot;,&quot;numberOfColumns&quot;&#x3A;3,&quot;showImages&quot;&#x3A;true,&quot;showDates&quot;&#x3A;true,&quot;showTimeToRead&quot;&#x3A;true,&quot;showExcerpts&quot;&#x3A;true,&quot;showFilter&quot;&#x3A;false,&quot;taxName&quot;&#x3A;&quot;category&quot;,&quot;categories&quot;&#x3A;&quot;533&quot;,&quot;tags&quot;&#x3A;&quot;&quot;&#x7D;\" data-page=\"2\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n                \n                \n        <div class=\"cu-loading hidden text-center mx-auto h-6 w-6 animate-spin rounded-full border-4 border-solid border-current border-r-transparent align-[-0.125em] motion-reduce:animate-[spin_1.5s_linear_infinite]\" role=\"status\">\n    <span class=\"!absolute !-m-px !h-px !w-px !overflow-hidden !whitespace-nowrap !border-0 !p-0 ![clip:rect(0,0,0,0)]\">\n        Loading&#8230;\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n                                        \n        <p class=\"cu-no-posts hidden\">\n            No\n            category\n\n            posts are available.\n        <\/p>\n\n                <div class=\"cu-column cu-component not-contained mx-auto grid max-w-5xl md:grid-cols-3 gap-6 md:gap-10\">\n                        \n                    \n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n            <figure class=\"mb-2 overflow-hidden rounded-t-lg\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/250\/1770496207905-1-600x400.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/>\n        <\/figure>\n    \n    \n        <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n        <div class=\"flex flex-row w-full gap-1\">\n                        <time datetime=\"2026-02-10T19:00:00-05:00\" class=\"block italic text-sm text-cu-black-600\">\n        February 11, 2026\n    <\/time>\n\n                    <\/div>        \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        LERRN Congratulates Rez Gardi on Appointment as Special Assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n            <div class=\"flex flex-col px-6 dark:text-white\">\n            <p class=\"text-base text-cu-black-700 dark:text-white \">\n                LERRN extends its warmest&nbsp;congratulations to Rez Gardi as she begins her new role as Special Assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Rez\u2019s courage,\n                                    &#8230;\n                            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto md:pt-5\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/2026\/mustafa-alio-appointed-interim-co-director-of-lerrn-2\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n            Read news\n            <span class=\"sr-only\">\n                post\n                LERRN Congratulates Rez Gardi on Appointment as Special Assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees\n            <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/footer>\n<\/div>\n\n            \n                    \n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n            <figure class=\"mb-2 overflow-hidden rounded-t-lg\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/250\/Website-Thumbnail-UNHCR-at-75-Challenges-and-Opportunities-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/>\n        <\/figure>\n    \n    \n        <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n        <div class=\"flex flex-row w-full gap-1\">\n                        <time datetime=\"2025-12-02T19:00:00-05:00\" class=\"block italic text-sm text-cu-black-600\">\n        December 3, 2025\n    <\/time>\n\n                    <\/div>        \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        Event Report: Towards a New Response to Forced Migration\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n            <div class=\"flex flex-col px-6 dark:text-white\">\n            <p class=\"text-base text-cu-black-700 dark:text-white \">\n                On the 12th of September 2025, a panel discussion titled \u201cTowards a New Response to Forced Migration through Local Engagement Refugee Research Network\u201d concluded the\n                                    &#8230;\n                            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto md:pt-5\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/2025\/event-report-towards-a-new-response-to-forced-migration\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n            Read news\n            <span class=\"sr-only\">\n                post\n                Event Report: Towards a New Response to Forced Migration\n            <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/footer>\n<\/div>\n\n            \n                    \n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-card rounded-lg @container md:max-w-xl flex flex-col gap-3 bg-white shadow-lg shadow-cu-black-100 group duration-300 ease-in hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-cu-black-200\">\n\n            <figure class=\"mb-2 overflow-hidden rounded-t-lg\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/250\/Website-Thumbnail-LERRN-Launches-Landmark-Partnership-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/>\n        <\/figure>\n    \n    \n        <header class=\"flex flex-col gap-3  px-6 first:mt-6\">\n        <div class=\"flex flex-row w-full gap-1\">\n                        <time datetime=\"2025-11-27T19:00:00-05:00\" class=\"block italic text-sm text-cu-black-600\">\n        November 28, 2025\n    <\/time>\n\n                    <\/div>        \n        \n    \n    <h2 class=\"line-clamp-3 text-lg font-semibold text-cu-black @sm:md:text-xl leading-6 @sm:md:leading-8\">\n        LERRN Launches Landmark Partnership to Reimagine Global Responses to Forced Migration\n    <\/h2>\n\n            <\/header>\n\n\n            <div class=\"flex flex-col px-6 dark:text-white\">\n            <p class=\"text-base text-cu-black-700 dark:text-white \">\n                From 11 to 12 September 2025, the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) hosted a multi-day event marking the official launch of its new SSHRC\n                                    &#8230;\n                            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <footer class=\"px-6 pt-3 mt-auto md:pt-5\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/lerrn\/2025\/lerrn-launches-landmark-partnership-to-reimagine-global-responses-to-forced-migration\/\" class=\"cu-button cu-button--red cu-button--small\">\n            Read news\n            <span class=\"sr-only\">\n                post\n                LERRN Launches Landmark Partnership to Reimagine Global Responses to Forced Migration\n            <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/footer>\n<\/div>\n\n                    \n        <\/div>\n        \n                                            <button aria-label=\"Load More\" class=\"loadMore cu-button not-prose cu-button--dark-grey cu-button--center \" type=\"button\">\n    <div class=\"block load-more-button\">\n        Load More\n    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<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10036,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cu_people_first_name":"Rez","cu_people_last_name":"Gardi","cu_people_initials":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_people_type":[543,511,458,521,549,526,509,506,459,485],"cu_people_expertise":[],"class_list":["post-10034","cu_people","type-cu_people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_people_type-advocacy-training-leads","cu_people_type-members-categories-of-displacement","cu_people_type-idrc-webinar-lessons-learned-from-the-grf","cu_people_type-members-policy-dialogues-knowledge-translation-and-mobilization-working-groups","cu_people_type-mentorship-programs","cu_people_type-members-policy-processes","cu_people_type-members-power-and-knowledge-production","cu_people_type-research-working-groups","cu_people_type-speaker-idrc-webinar-lessons-learned-from-the-grf","cu_people_type-towards-a-new-response-to-forced-migration"],"acf":{"cu_people_job_title":"Co-Managing 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