JN Joniad

In late June, I had the honour of joining the Canadian delegation to the Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP) conference in Geneva. As a refugee advisor, it was deeply moving to witness a growing global shift, one where refugee leaders are no longer just invited to observe but are beginning to shape the very policies that impact our lives.

“We are facing total genocide now. Our brothers, sisters, and parents are in grave danger in Rakhine State,” said Rohingya protesters who gathered last month on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They urgently demanded that the Canadian government intervene decisively to protect Rohingya lives in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

“When the Taliban took over, everything changed. I was forced to leave my university and job and lived in constant fear of being kidnapped,” says Shaima Karimi, a Hazara women’s rights advocate in Toronto. “At the time, I was pursuing my master’s degree at a private university while working with the transport minister.