Publications
Navigating Humanitarian AI: Lessons Learned from Building a Chatbot Proof-of-Concept
This new report reflects on RSN's exploration of Large Language Models (LLMs) to power chatbots aimed at enhancing access to critical legal information for asylum-seekers. The report examines core concerns with AI implementation in humanitarian contexts such as factual inaccuracies, algorithmic bias, and privacy issues. It also includes preliminary findings from the prototype chatbot, underscoring both the potential benefits and significant investments needed to responsible use AI technologies in sensitive settings.
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Considering the Protection Needs of Afghan Refugees in a Regional Context: Pakistan, Iran and Turkey
For more than four decades, forced displacement from Afghanistan has had a profound impact on the countries’ neighbors and along corridors of human mobility in the broader region stretching from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. This event report outlines the outcomes of a May 2022 convening, highlighting challenges to effective legal protection for Afghan refugees in these contexts while identifying key areas of opportunity and potential future collaboration among civil society and advocates working across this region.
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Reuniting Families: Opportunities and Challenges for Refugees in Turkey
Forced migration takes a heavy toll on families, frequently separating parents from their children, spouses from their loved ones, and siblings from one another. However, with refugee families often spread across international borders, the complexity of reuniting families often prevents advocates from offering assistance.
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Undoing Precarity: Elevating Positive Practices for Refugee Protection in South and South East Asia
The Global South–and in particular South and Southeast Asian states–shoulder major responsibility in hosting displaced communities–distinctly Rohingya and Afghan refugee populations. Notably, most of these states are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention and many do not have domestic legislative frameworks governing matters of refugee reception, status determination, nor protection.
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Beyond Refuge: Advancing Legal Protections for Rohingya Communities in Bangladesh
Researched and written as part of a multi-year research project with partner Bangladesh Legal Aid & Services Trust (BLAST), this report examines relevant national laws and policies and outlines how they may be applied to improve the current situation of Rohingya refugees (and in some instances of other non-citizen groups).
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Joint Policy Brief on Strengthening Mexico’s Asylum System
In collaboration with the Baker Institute’s Center for the Middle East at Rice University, RSN co-authored a policy brief, “Strengthening Mexico's Asylum System,” examining the role of civil society actors in emerging countries of asylum, with a specific focus on Mexico.
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What’s in My Legal Backpack? An Information Booklet for Unaccompanied Minors
RSN and partner Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) prioritize Access to Information Initiatives for refugees in Turkey. One specific group that RSN and RRT take great care to assist are unaccompanied and separated minors (children under the age of 18).
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RSN Co-Authors Article in Prestigious Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law
RSN and the Open Society Justice Initiative co-authored a scholarly article in the Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law (APJHRL) that examined policies and practices related to refugees, migrants, and stateless persons in six major host countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bridging Refugee Rights in Turkey & Mexico
RSN and partners Sin Fronteras IAP and Refugee Rights Turkey jointly held a series of events in Mexico City in October 2019 aimed at exchanging comparative knowledge on refugee protection in emerging host states. The Turkish and Mexican asylum and migration contexts share many important similarities. The field report highlights a first exchange in ongoing triangular cooperation that explored joint strategies and future collaboration opportunities to address common challenges.
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The Potentials of Pro Bono Partnerships in Turkey for Securing Refugees’ Access to Rights
RSN and partner organization RRT engaged in a pilot project with two private law firms in Turkey for the provision of information and counseling for refugees. The pilot afforded the organizations an opportunity to make a number of observations and recommendations on the potential for such pro bono partnerships to help secure refugee protection in Turkey and beyond.
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Access to State-Funded Legal Aid Services by Asylum-Seekers and Migrants in Turkey: Challenges and Opportunities
RSN's sister organization, Refugee Rights Turkey, conducted an evaluation of the state-funded legal aid system in Turkey (Adli Yardim) and how it has thus far served the roughly 4 million refugees in the country. The report is released as part of a RSN-RRT project collaboration. RSN and RRT make available the English version in order to share efforts being undertaken to secure access to justice in the world's largest refugee host country.
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Pro Bono for refugee protection: A practical guide for pro bono partnerships in emerging refugee host states
In December 2017, RSN published an original report detailing the ways NGOs and legal service-providers in refugee host states can harness the potential of pro bono partnerships to support refugee rights. The report is a first-of-its kind guide for practitioners in host countries lacking an established culture of pro bono.
Detention of Asylum-Seekers in Bulgaria
Over 2017-2018, RSN collaborated with the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law and Sofia-based NGO Center for Legal Aid - Voice in Bulgaria to investigate detention practices and conditions.
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2017 Bulgaria Field Report
This report details RSN's visit to Bulgaria in winter 2017, and presents our findings regarding the state of refugee actors in the country.
Advocacy Statements
RSN Statement on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants
In September 2016, as a member of civil society RSN issued a statement regarding the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.
RSN Comment in opposition to proposed regulation limiting the right to asylum in the US
RSN joined thousands of others in submitting a comment in opposition to a proposed new regulation on Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Review. The proposed regulation includes procedural changes to how asylum cases would be evaluated, as well as to substantive changes to what kinds of claims would be viable. RSN believes that this regulation would cause significant harm to individuals seeking asylum, both in the United States and around the world.
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Reports
RSN Annual Report 2023
We are proud of the accomplishments we had in 2023, while noting a number of significant changes that the organization experienced. RSN has looked inward and made several strategic decisions that began in 2023 but will be reflected in the years to come.
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Impact Assessment Report | RSN-RRT Partnership
This report outlines the impact of RSN and RRT’s partnership in key areas (including access to information, legal service provision by RRT and by other legal assistance actors, and organizational capacity) and ultimately demonstrates the two organizations’ approach to partnership and localization.
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RSN Annual Report 2022
Conflict and unexpected events in early 2022 helped highlight global gaps, challenges, and inequities facing different groups of refugees. This allowed RSN to hone our response to the situation in Afghanistan and to the plight of the Rohingya. Floods in Pakistan in mid-2022, served to remind us of our fragile condition in the face of environmental change.
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RSN Annual Report 2021
As we entered the second year of a global pandemic, borders began to reopen, and dependable vaccines began gaining approval. Despite the incredibly complex challenges we confronted throughout 2021, we rose to the occasion—supporting communities often overlooked.
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RSN Annual Report 2020
2020 will always be remembered as the year in which a global pandemic brought the world to a halt. View our annual report to learn more about how we adapted and remained committed to helping some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
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RSN Annual Report 2019
To learn about the activities and the impact of our work in 2019, view our Annual Report. We thank the individual and institutional supporters that help make our work possible.
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RSN Annual Report 2018
2018 was a year of challenges and opportunities. Learn more about RSN's work over the course of the year through our visual report.
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RSN Annual Report 2017
RSN’s Annual Report for 2017 is available here, documenting our activities from the year.
RSN Annual Report 2016
RSN had an exciting year over 2016. Learn about our work and the refugees we served in our Annual Report.