The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) participated in the high-level Global Refugee Forum 2025, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 14 to 17 December, as a regional actor upon invitation from the Independent Diplomat. The organization was represented by its Legal Advisor, Attorney Rami Quwader.
ARDD´s participation reflects its institutional efforts of moving beyond short-term humanitarian responses toward sustainable intervention models grounded in the rule of law, strengthened national legal systems, and the integration of legal protection with social and economic empowerment and social protection.
The Forum featured a series of high-level bilateral meetings with donors, policymakers, and regional and international actors, as well as meetings with members of the Jordanian government delegation and press interviews. These discussions focused on strengthening strategic partnerships, advancing rights-based policies, and supporting the localization of humanitarian action as a practical pathway for translating international pledges into sustainable national impact.
Quwader attended the Forum’s main plenary and spoke in several specialized side sessions, including “MENA Frontline Perspectives – What’s Working and What’s Not,” which offered a candid assessment of the limitations and effectiveness of current responses in the region.
In his interventions, Quwader emphasized that civil documentation, access to justice, and legal protection are not separate sectoral pathways, but rather form an essential legal infrastructure for any sustainable solution in refugee contexts.
He also highlighted the Jordanian experience as a model that has gradually evolved since 2011 from an emergency response into a more integrated approach linking legal protection, social policies, and institutional capacity building through complementary partnerships between government institutions, national civil society organizations, and international partners. He stressed that legal protection and access to justice constitute the foundation of social protection systems, as economic or social empowerment cannot be achieved without recognized legal identity, effective remedies, and a legal framework that guarantees equality and non-discrimination.
Quwader noted that civil documentation and access to justice are among the most measurable and accountable tracks within the Global Refugee Forum, where international commitments are translated into tangible national actions. Investment in these systems, he underscored, is a strategic choice to protect human dignity, strengthen social protection, and support informed decision-making, including in the context of safe and voluntary return.
Within this framework, he reaffirmed ARDD’s commitment to the “One Refugee – One Rights” approach, grounded in the principles of equality before the law and non-discrimination. The organization provides legal and rights-based services to all refugees regardless of nationality, through an approach centered on the rule of law, individual empowerment, and legal awareness.
Finally, Quwader warned that the growing decline in sustainable funding represents one of the most serious structural challenges facing legal protection systems in the region, directly affecting the continuity of documentation and legal aid services and the ability of national organizations to act as both implementing and knowledge partners. He concluded that long-term investment in these systems is essential to achieving the objectives of the Global Refugee Forum in a rights-based manner that is nationally grounded and responsive to real protection needs.
