Hallie Westlund
Policy Officer - Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) at The Refugee Hub - Ottawa, ON, US
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Washington, District of Columbia, United States
The Refugee Hub
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The Refugee Hub was founded at the University of Ottawa in 2012. Our mission is to foster justice and human rights for refugees at local, national, and international levels through innovative research, programs and partnerships.The Refugee Hub consists primarily of three ongoing programs: Research, Policy, and Law (RPL)The Research, Policy, and Law portfolio at The Refugee Hub contributes to scholarship of refugee policies. Our growing knowledge hub advances cutting-edge research on a range of refugee protection and migration topics and supports the strengthening of the evidence base underlying our policy and programmatic work on refugee sponsorship, resettlement, and complementary pathways.Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI)The Refugee Hub is a founding partner of the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative. Launched in 2016, the GRSI is mandated to a) increase and improve global refugee resettlement by engaging private citizens, communities, and businesses in resettlement efforts; b) strengthen local host communities that come together to welcome newcomers; and c) improve the narrative about refugees and other newcomers.The Refugee Hub joins the UNHCR; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; Open Society Foundations; The Giustra Foundation; and The Shapiro Foundation as partners in the GRSI. As of 2021, 16 countries around the world have launched community sponsorship programs.Refugee Law Research Team (RLRT)The uOttawa Refugee Law Research Team (RLRT) is a volunteer group of leading law students, alumni, and professionals in the refugee law area who provide legal research, analysis, and strategic support to high-level domestic and international refugee advocacy initiatives.The RLRT has supported several Supreme Court interventions and numerous briefings for prominent refugee organizations including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL).