Umbrella Refugee Committee

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Umbrella Refugee Committee

✊🏼 Refugees Empowering Society in Belgium
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14/06/2026

🌍 Community Festival for World Refugee Day 2026🌍

At a time when debates on migration are becoming increasingly restrictive, showing up and showing solidarity matters more than ever.

World Refugee Day is a moment to come together. A moment to create space for encounter, to centre the voices and experiences of refugee communities, and to affirm that connection, solidarity and belonging remain at the heart of our shared humanity.

Join us!
🗓️ Saturday 20 June 2026
🕐 13:00–18:00
📍 Place du Béguinage, Brussels

🎶 Live performances
🎨 Workshops
🍲 Food
🧵 Traditional crafts
🌍 Cultural activities
💙 Kids activities

Entrance is free!

🔗https://www.wereldvluchtelingendag.be/brussel

Organised with Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, House of Compassion, Amitié Sans Frontières / Vriendschap Zonder Grenzen & Plateforme Citoyenne -BelRefugees- Burgerplatform.

08/06/2026

“We have normalised the abnormal.” - Dr, Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar.

Just ahead of the full application of the EU Pact on June 12th, our refugee-led movement sent a clear message at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) must be the absolute guiding principle.

Human lives must be viewed through the lens of protection rather than security, which is why we stood alongside civil society to express our concerns regarding the EU Pact and the Return Regulation.

We highlighted the dangerous, dehumanizing risks facing the asylum system, including the expansion of systematic detention, the erosion of legal safeguards, and the push for offshore “return hubs.” Such measures risk treating human lives as security threats to be managed rather than people to be protected.

This vital focus on human dignity was also central to the workshop on “Protecting the Right to Family Unity.” Our President, Wali Ahmad-Yar, joined the panel to highlight the immense value of keeping families together and urged the removal of the administrative barriers that currently keep loved ones apart.

And we reiterated the obvious: conversations affecting refugees cannot happen without refugees.

Our experiences are vital institutional expertise and not just stories. We bring immense value to our host communities because we work, pay taxes, start businesses, and build vital lines of trust when welcoming new asylum seekers. The EU and policymakers need to actively engage refugee-led organizations to build a system based on trust and bottom-up solidarity.

Thank you to ECRE and all the participating organizations for driving this necessary, enriching exchange.

Universal human rights must remain the cornerstone of any migration policy.

26/03/2026

🇺🇳 Meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The URC and our Refugee Committees had the honour of meeting the 12th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih. His displacement background brought a constructive perspective to the exchange, underscoring the importance of lived experience in shaping inclusive responses.

During the meeting, we:
- Presented the work of the URC and partner committees.
- Shared the concerns and the forced displacement realities of our communities.
- Discussed the current challenges faced by our Refugee Committees.
- Engaged in a solutions-oriented dialogue where we agreed on the urgent need for more direct funding for refugee-led organisations, and for more meaningful and structured refugee participation from the earliest stages of policy design.

We also aligned on strengthening collaboration between UNHCR and refugee-led organisations to raise funds and support their work, and on promoting initiatives such as the Umbrella as a model of good practice across Europe.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the High Commissioner and UNHCR Belgium for convening this fruitful conversation and for reaffirming a shared commitment: that refugees are key partners in shaping initiatives that affect their lives.

18/03/2026

🎓VUB Community Service Learning Session

On 6 March, we welcomed VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel students to the URC Community Centre for a Community Service Learning session as part of the Migration and Diversity course at the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG).

🤝 This course is taught in partnership between VUB and the Umbrella Refugee Committee, allowing students to engage directly with refugee-led organising and advocacy in Belgium. The session was a true example of mutual learning: students bringing fresh perspectives and skills, while our community offered first-hand insights into what bottom-up migration governance really looks like.

🌍At URC, we believe refugee voices must not only be heard, they must also be meaningfully included. Exchanges like this create spaces where academic knowledge and lived experience can meet and enrich one another.

A big thank you to all the students who joined with open minds, curiosity, and genuine commitment. We look forward to continuing this collaboration.

09/03/2026

🏃‍♂️ URC is running the 20km de Bruxelles!🏃‍♂️

On 31 May 2026, we’re bringing together a team of runners to take on the 20km de Bruxelles / 20km door Brusselto run for solidarity, participation, and belonging in Brussels.

Our team includes refugees, asylum seekers, and supporters running side by side.

💛 Want to support the run?
Donate here: https://www.solidaireactie.be/project/umbrella-refugee-committee/donate

🫴🏽 Where will your donation go?
• Covering the race registration fees for refugee and asylum-seeker runners
• Supporting our refugee-led mobile patrols
• Funding our educational and cultural workshops

🎁 Bonus: Donations of €40 or more are eligible for a 30% tax deduction.

Help us run for a more welcoming Brussels. Every step is a reminder that everyone deserves a place in the community.

26/02/2026

Hi everyone! 👋

💻 We’re excited to launch our Digital Workshops for young people starting in March! ✨

📅 Every Wednesday | 4:00–5:00 pm
📍 Rue de la Loi 89, 1040 Bruxelles
🆓Free entry & refreshments provided.

🔗 Register here: https://forms.office.com/e/6JhfaZUwT6⁠�

21/02/2026

❄️ Snowy Streets. Human Warmth.

🚇 As the cold and the snow hit Brussels, our refugee-led patrols walked the streets and metro stations to bring warmth and support to people experiencing homelessness.

🫴 Take a look at the work of our patrol from last Sunday and keep helping us support others by donating through this link:
🔗 https://donate.stripe.com/cN201Nbgpg2549ybII

🙏 Thank you to:
- Everyone who contributed to the Winter Solidarity Campaign, for allowing us to distribute your generous donations of clothing and emergency materials.
- IOM - UN Migration for the support through the 2025 Incentive Fund.
- Fedasil for the financial support provided through the Conex project.
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for the support through the Refugee-led Innovation Fund.

20/02/2026

Hello there!🌍

🗞️Have you heard about our New Umbrella Refugee Newsletter?
A space for updates, powerful stories, and collective action.

⤵️ Subscribe through the link and keep an eye on your mailbox!
🔗 https://refugee-committee.beehiiv.com/

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Site Web

http://refugee-committee.org/

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