Advancing refugee protection in a divided world: UNSW hosts key conference

• Policymakers, legal experts and researchers, including people with lived experience of displacement, unite to tackle global refugee crises
• Speakers will address global uncertainty, misinformation and polarisation
• The 2025 Kaldor Centre Conference is on Thursday 23^rd October at UNSW Sydney

Australia is expected to soon welcome its one millionth refugee since World War II - a milestone that underscores the profound contribution refugees have made to the nation.

Yet this comes at a time when refugee protection is under intense pressure worldwide - with political divides deepening, funding shrinking and misinformation on the rise. Recent moves by the Trump administration to ‘reframe’ the global asylum system, alongside plans for a record low refugee admissions cap in the U.S., underscore the urgency of the moment.

In this critical context, expert voices are essential to shaping real and lasting solutions for refugee policy and practice. The 2025 Kaldor Centre Conference, Building bridges: Advancing refugee protection in a divided world, will bring together global and local policymakers, scholars and civil society, including people with lived experience of displacement, to debate the hard questions, share ideas and build practical outcomes.

Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law Professor Daniel Ghezelbash said Australia and the world face a pivotal moment for refugee protection.

“In this climate where dubious and divisive global narratives scapegoat refugees and paint them as threats, it’s little surprise we’re also confronting ‘reform’ proposals that would erode core legal protections,” Prof. Ghezelbash said.

“Now more than ever it is essential to build bridges - across politics, communities, sectors, and borders - so that we can find a principled way forward. We can together defend rights, reaffirm common values, and ensure protection for people forced to flee their homes.”

Across several keynote speeches and panel discussions, this event will explore principled insights on how to sustain refugee protection amid funding crises, counter misinformation and bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality in refugee participation.

Speakers and panellists include:

• Professor Daniel Ghezelbash, Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law
• Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission
• Mohammed Naeem, Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy at Refugees International
• Najeeba Wazefadost, Executive Director of Asia Pacific Network of Refugees
• Kylea Tink, Ambassador, Community Independents Project

Full program and list of speakers available here.

Media welcome to attend:

Time: 8:30am arrival for 9:00am start Thursday 23^rd October 2025

Location: John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Sydney (G19 Library Rd, Kensington)

For interviews and/or media passes. Please contact:

Ashleigh Steele

Communications Officer, UNSW

0421 208 805

[email protected]