Swiss News

Progressive lawmakers fear the European Commission’s deregulatory ‘omnibus’ is becoming unstoppable

Ein amerikanisches Wettermodell sagt für Februar 2026 Temperaturen bis zu 3 Grad über dem Klimamittel voraus. Gegenüber Blick erklärt ein Meteorologe, dass er diese Prognose kritisch sieht. Was nicht bedeutet, dass der Winter bisher normal verläuft.

Am Dienstagmorgen ist ein E-Bike-Fahrer in Oberembrach bei einem Verkehrsunfall lebensgefährlich verletzt worden. Der Velo-Fahrer kollidierte mit einem Auto und wurde auf die Strasse geschleudert.

In today's edition: Grid sovereignty, fast fashion, internal combustion engine ban

Bei der Darts-WM verliert Cameron Menzies die Beherrschung nach einer überraschenden Niederlage. Der Schotte schlägt sich die Hand am Tisch blutig und wird von der Bühne verwiesen. Menzies entschuldigt sich später und erwähnt den kürzlichen Tod seines Onkels.

Le représentant du ministère public près la chambre pénale de la Cour d’Annaba a requis, dans la soirée d’hier, une peine de dix (10) ans […]

L’article Il a détourné des milliards : un greffier écope d’un lourd réquisitoire est apparu en premier sur .

Die Ruag soll vier F-35 zum Fliegen bringen– dadurch wird alles teurer. Volkswirtschaftlich bringt es nichts, wie das VBS intern zugibt. Schon jetzt ist die Ruag mit der Wartung der F-18-Flieger überfordert.

Europe’s SMEs say the EU must finally make “Think Small First” a reality, as Brussels promises a sweeping simplification drive to cut administrative burdens and unlock competitiveness.

Dans moins d’une semaine, l’Assemblée populaire nationale (APN) examinera en plénière une proposition de loi qui pourrait marquer un tournant dans la mémoire nationale, la […]

L’article L’APN sur le point d’examiner une loi historique : voici ce que la France doit à l’Algérie est apparu en premier sur .

MEPs and the Council will now seek to agree on a final text during negotiations scheduled for Wednesday

European Council, MEP budget jobs, rebates

Sahrawi refugees walk near the Awserd Refugee Camp in the Tindouf Province of Algeria. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By Umar Manzoor Shah
SRINAGAR, India, Dec 16 2025 (IPS)

The global refugee system is entering a period of deep strain. The delivery of protection and assistance is undergoing a transformation due to funding cuts, institutional reforms, and shifting donor priorities.

Against this backdrop, a new Global Synthesis Report titled From the Ground Up highlights the many issues faced by refugees in the Middle East and Africa.

Regional Perspectives on Advancing the Global Compact on Refugees has highlighted a rare, refugee-centered assessment of what is working, what is failing, and what must change. The report draws on regional roundtables held in East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, followed by a global consultation in Geneva, to feed into the 2025 Global Refugee Forum progress review

According to the report, refugee-led and community-based organizations are increasingly taking on responsibilities, but they are not receiving power, funding, or legal recognition. As international agencies scale back under what is being called the Humanitarian Reset and UN80 reforms, refugees are expected to fill widening gaps without the authority or resources required to do so safely and sustainably.

The East Africa roundtables, held in Kampala with participation from refugee organizations in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, highlight a region often praised for progressive refugee policies. Countries here host millions displaced by conflict, hunger, and climate stress from South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Laws and regional frameworks promise freedom of movement, inclusion in national systems, and meaningful participation. The lived reality, however, remains uneven.

Education emerged as a central concern. Refugee children are enrolling in schools at higher rates, especially where they have been integrated into government-aided systems. Yet access remains unequal. Refugee students struggle to have prior qualifications recognized.

Many are treated as international students at universities and charged higher fees. Refugee teachers, often qualified and experienced, receive lower pay than nationals or are excluded from formal recognition. Language barriers and lack of psychosocial support further undermine learning outcomes. Refugee-led groups are already stepping in with mentorship, counseling, and bursary support, but they do so with fragile funding and limited reach.

Documentation and freedom of movement form another critical fault line. Uganda is widely cited for its rapid issuance of refugee IDs and settlement-based approach. Kenya and Ethiopia have made progress through new refugee laws and policy reforms. Still, gaps between policy and practice persist. Refugees in urban areas remain undocumented in large numbers. Identity documents often have short validity, forcing repeated renewals.

Travel documents are difficult to obtain, especially in Ethiopia, limiting cross-border movement, livelihoods, and participation in regional or global policy forums. Without documentation, refugees face arrest, harassment, and exclusion from services. For refugee organizations, lack of legal registration means operating in constant uncertainty.

Access to justice, described in the report as one of the least discussed yet most pivotal issues, cuts across all others. Refugees cannot claim rights or seek redress without functioning justice pathways. Language barriers in courts, xenophobic profiling, and lack of legal aid remain common.

Refugee-led organizations already provide mediation, paralegal support, and court accompaniment, often acting as the first point of contact between communities and authorities. Yet their work is rarely formalized or funded at scale.

These findings came alive during a webinar held at the launch of the report, where refugee leaders from different regions spoke directly about their experiences. One participant from East Africa reflected on repeated engagement in international forums. This event was his third such process, following meetings in Uganda and Gambia. He noted that participation was no longer symbolic. Governments and institutions were beginning to listen more closely.

He pointed to concrete differences across countries. In Kenya, refugees do not require exit visas. In Ethiopia, they do. Sharing such comparisons, he argued, helps governments rethink restrictive practices and adapt lessons from neighbors.

From the Middle East and North Africa, the discussion shifted to documentation and access to justice. A Jordan-based lawyer explained that civil documentation is not mere paperwork. It is the foundation of rights and accountability. Without birth registration, children cannot access education.

Without legally recognized marriages, women and children remain unprotected. Many Syrian refugees arrived in Jordan without documents, having lost them during flight or lacking legal awareness. Over time, Jordan introduced measures such as fee waivers, legal aid, and even Sharia courts inside camps like Zaatari to facilitate birth and marriage registration. Civil society groups have provided thousands of consultations and legal representations, bridging gaps between refugees and state systems.

The webinar also highlighted language as a structural barrier. In Jordan, Arabic serves as a common language for Syrians, easing communication. In East Africa, linguistic diversity complicates access to justice and services. Uganda hosts South Sudanese, Sudanese, and Congolese refugees, each with distinct languages, while official processes operate in English and Kiswahili. Governments have made efforts to provide interpretation, but gaps remain, particularly in courts and police interactions.

In Ethiopia, where Amharic dominates official institutions, refugee organizations often rely on founders or leaders who speak the language fluently, limiting broader participation.

As the conversation turned to the future of the humanitarian system, the tone grew more urgent. Participants acknowledged that funding cuts have already halted programs and exposed vulnerabilities. One speaker stressed that legal aid and documentation cannot be seen as optional sectors.

Without sustained support, entire protection systems risk collapse. Empowerment, he argued, goes beyond providing lawyers. It means building refugees’ confidence and capacity to navigate legal systems themselves.

Another participant addressed donors and UN agencies directly. Localization, he said, will fail if refugee organizations are treated only as implementers of predesigned projects. Power must shift alongside responsibility.

Refugee organizations should help design programs, raise resources, and make decisions based on community priorities. Otherwise, localization becomes another layer of outsourcing rather than a genuine transfer of agency.

The speaker’s final intervention starkly highlighted the stakes involved. With funding shrinking and uncertainty growing, refugees may soon have no option but to rely on themselves. Investing in refugee-led organizations, the speaker said, is not a luxury. This represents the final line of hope for refugees on the ground.

The MENA roundtables echo many of these concerns but in a more restrictive political context. Civic space is tighter. Legal recognition for refugee organizations is often impossible or risky. In Jordan, refugees cannot legally register organizations. In Egypt, civil society laws limit advocacy.

In Türkiye, registration is technically possible but bureaucratically daunting. Despite this, refugee-led initiatives have multiplied, filling gaps in education, protection, and livelihoods as international actors retreat.

The report warns of a dangerous paradox. Localization is advancing by necessity, not design. International agencies withdraw. Local actors step in. Yet funding, decision-making, and protection remain centralized. Refugee organizations absorb risk without safeguards. Participation is often tokenistic. Refugees are present in meetings but absent from real influence.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Excerpt:

A new global synthesis report and refugee voices from East Africa and the Middle East warn that reductions in humanitarian footprints risks breaking the refugee protection system.

Mauvaise nouvelle pour les demandeurs de visas Schengen vers la France : les centres Capago en Algérie (Alger, Oran, Constantine, Annaba) seront fermés à cette […]

L’article Visas France : annonce importante de Capago Algérie pour décembre est apparu en premier sur .

La direction générale des Impôts (DGI) a annoncé, dans un communiqué, la prolongation du délai de paiement du dernier acompte de l’Impôt Forfaitaire Unique (IFU). Initialement […]

L’article Bonne nouvelle pour les contribuables : la DGI assouplit le calendrier de paiement est apparu en premier sur .

Parcours impressionnants, dynamique empreinte de responsabilité et d’un engagement sans commune mesure au service du continent, capacité à transformer leur domaine avec un impact fort : voici quelques femmes africaines inspirantes qui ont marqué l’année 2025.

Am Dienstag verlieh Parlamentspräsidentin Metsola in Straßburg den Sacharow-Preis 2025 an Vertreter des in Belarus inhaftierten Journalisten und der in Georgien inhaftierten Journalistin.
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten
Entwicklungsausschuss
Unterausschuss Menschenrechte

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

L’université algérienne s’apprête à entrer dans une nouvelle ère. Hier, le président de la République, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a reçu le Professeur Elias Zerhouni, éminent scientifique […]

L’article Révolution dans un secteur vital : le Pr algéro-américain Zerhouni présente un projet inédit à Tebboune est apparu en premier sur .

Le sélectionneur de l’équipe du Maroc A’, Tarik Sektioui, a rendu un bel hommage aux Algériens à l’occasion de la qualification de son équipe pour […]

L’article Coupe arabe FIFA 2025 : le bel hommage du sélectionneur du Maroc aux Algériens est apparu en premier sur .

Der FC Luzern steckt mit drei Niederlagen in Folge in einer Krise. Trainer Mario Frick steht unter Druck, erhält aber Rückendeckung vom Sportchef. Vor der Winterpause hofft das Team auf Punkte gegen Basel und Lausanne.

Klare Worte: Darum ist der Zürcher Sicherheitsdirektor Mario Fehr nie verlegen. Am Dienstag teilte er an einer Medienkonferenz gegen Bundesrat Beat Jans aus. Fehr sieht Baustellen im Asylbereich, die von Bern nicht – oder nur zu zögerlich angepackt werden.