In recognition of the global need for meaningful and recognized self-advocacy and leadership of refugees and their communities, DIME’s Welcoming Communities program has officially inaugurated the Council for Refugees in Mexico. The Council is led by students from our Higher Education for Refugees program and is the first body of its kind in Mexico and Latin America for the self-advocacy of refugee students and, in the future, the wider refugee community in Mexico.

People affected by displacement of any kind have been excluded for too long from decisions that affect them; The work of the Council for Refugees in Mexico therefore aims to make the voices of young refugees heard and provide them with a platform to meaningfully participate in decision-making processes. Moreover, this move follows a number of significant and inspiring global movements by refugee-led organizations, such as Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R- SEAT).

The Council is governed by democratically elected members who represent the plurality and interculturality of the body. On the day of the ceremony, these were: Silva Namo (Syria) and Fausto John (Venezuela) as joint chairs of the Council, Yulian Banguero Torres (Colombia) as Communications Coordinator, and José A. Madrid (Venezuela) as Logistics Coordinator.

During the touching ceremony, valuable speeches were delivered by the two co-presidents, as well as representatives of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and R- SEAT.

DIME congratulates the members of the Council for Refugees in Mexico and strongly believes that this is a critical first step in promoting direct and empowered representation of refugee voices.

Only in this way we can create meaningful and enriching diversity in which all people have the opportunity to flourish, express themselves, and, most importantly, be heard.