@IFRC Global Migration & Displacement Coordinator. Non-resident Fellow @GUMigration. Affiliate @KaldorCentre. Views my own.
Joined June 2013
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2 Jun 2025
#FMR 75 on Dangerous Journeys is online.
It is a powerful call to reduce #deaths and #disappearances of #migrants and #refugees.
With insights and ideas from policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and academics.
Take a look. What is your next step?
bit.ly/45AQv2F
28 May 2025
š¢FMR 75 'Dangerous journeys: Saving lives & responding to missing #migrants & #refugees' is now online!
See:Ā fmreview.org/dangerous-journā¦
#Refugees #Displacement #Migration #Asylum
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
May 11
$6m gift to UNSW opens the door to university for refugee students. The HMJ Sassafras Scholarship covers tuition, accommodation and living costs for students from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds. unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/20ā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
At #IMRF2026, the side event āSaving Lives & Missing Migrants: From Recommendations to Resultsā was a clear call: move from commitments to action. šÆļøš¤ Prevent deaths, strengthen search & identification, boost crossāborder cooperation, and engage families. #MissingMigrants #GCM
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
Mar 22
The Evacuations Research Hub @KaldorCentre @UNSWLaw is excited to offer two PhD scholarships in law to examine the role of evacuations in different contexts. Applications due 18 May 2026; details here: unsw.edu.au/law-justice/studā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
Mar 12
āAustralia cannot protect everyone at risk in Iran, but no one is suggesting thatās our role. What we can do is provide at least temporary respite to people whoāve already been approved to work, study or visit family or friends hereā - read our latest post open.substack.com/pub/cheekmā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
Mar 2
Australian citizens stranded in the Middle East are desperate to leave. Is the government required toĀ help? We canvassed this issue last year - and what we wrote then still applies. theconversation.com/australiā¦
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RT @profbensaul: Deeply disturbing Australia supports the illegal US/Israeli aggression against Iran in violation of the UN Charter. This iā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
Jan 18
A very important ruling by a Greek court that rescuing migrants at sea is a humanitarian, not a criminal, act, despite the callous efforts of some governments to say otherwise so as to encourage drowning Ā at sea as a deterrent to migration. trib.al/CUxV9vh
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
27 Nov 2025
@IFRC, together with leading academic experts, hosted high-level webinars on 12 & 18 November to deepen dialogue on the Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons Disasters and the future #DisasterLawTreaty.
disasterlaw.ifrc.org/node/10ā¦
youtube.com/watch?v=rfu2k58oā¦
youtube.com/watch?v=xsxPKl-2ā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
4 Dec 2025
10 years ago, 109 governments endorsed the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda on disaster displacement. In this podcast, Walter Kaelin - Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement - and I reflect on that time and what's happened since climatemobility.unsw.edu.au/ā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
9 Dec 2025
EVENT! Reflecting on a decade of policy & legal progress for #DisasterDisplacedPersons
w/ @Refugees @KaldorCentre @KASonline at UNHCR GRF progress review
š
15 Dec, 12:00 | Geneva
š© RSVP: events@disasterdisplacement.org
š tinyurl.com/3z5say74
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
2 Dec 2025
At the Global Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action today, I shared a simple truth: most of the deadliest disasters were forecast, yet people still suffered. Early warnings only save lives when communities can understand them, trust them and act on them. Thatās why anticipatory action is essential. It closes the gap between āwe knewā and āwe acted.ā
If we want anticipatory action to succeed, we need three things:
1. Trust.
2. Decisions based on data and grounded in reality.
3. And a people-centred approach. Always.
Because a crisis is never about systems.
It is about people.
Anticipatory action remains a top priority for the @IFRC as we work to build a global system that is Local, Everywhere. And we know it works. The response to Hurricane Melissa showed us what is possible.
Together, we can turn warnings into action and protect lives and livelihoods.
Our Anticipatory Action report: bit.ly/3JEnKtb
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
28 Nov 2025
Severe floods are hitting Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Hundreds of thousands displaced, homes submerged, and communities cut off.
Red Cross teams across the region are evacuating families, delivering aid, and supporting relief efforts.
Climate impacts are accelerating and communities need support now.
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
24 Sep 2025
46 million displacements last year were forced by floods, storms, droughts and heatwaves, nearly double the past decadeās average. Climate mobility is no longer a distant threat. Itās now.
Today, at #UNGA80, I joined a discussion on Turning Evidence into Action: Leveraging Climate Mobility Blueprints to Unlock Climate Finance.
Key takeaways:
- No one chooses to flee their homes or communities: we must expand safer, more dignified choices, so people can stay or move on their own terms.
- Communities, local actors and authorities must drive outcomes.
- Resources must reach communities and local actors
- Invest in building climate-smart communities
- Preparedness and early action matters, including early finance: they reduce harm and enable choice.
Let's act on our words.
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
26 Aug 2025
Deeply concerned after Sundayās incident, when the Ocean Viking humanitarian ship was struck by multiple gunshots.
Thankfully, no individuals were physically harmed. However, this serious event has jeopardized the safety and well-being of both our humanitarian personnel and the rescued individuals on board.
Today, humanitarian workers operate in increasingly perilous environments, often putting their own lives at risk to save others. Their mission must be respected and protected at all times.
The Ocean Viking has long been a beacon of hope in a vast, unforgiving sea. Humanitarian operations must always be protected.
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In 2024, disasters and the impact of climate change forced millions of people from their homes across Asia Pacific. Displacement isnāt a future risk, itās here now.
Our new @IFRC report shows the scale of the crisis & the power of local action. Read more: bit.ly/3V5uvqb
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
30 Jul 2025
The @theIPCinfo has issued a stark alert: The worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
Over 20,000 children have been admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July, with more than 3,000 severely malnourished. Families are suffering.
The food crisis in Gaza is no longer a projection, it is unfolding now. Every hour counts.
Once again, we urgently call for full and unhindered access, and the entrance at scale for humanitarian aid. ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/ā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
23 Jul 2025
500 Masterās scholarships available for African refugee and displaced students at 25 universities worldwide rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/rlrh-launcā¦
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
Heavy rainfall in Fonkoi Kunda has led to severe flooding, affecting 18 households with 8 families completely displaced due to extensive damage.
The @GambiaRedCross, through its LRR Branch, is working closely with local authorities to assess the situation & identify urgent needs
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
9 Jul 2025
The IFRC is calling for support to respond to a massive surge in people returning to Afghanistan from Iran, with over 1.2 million crossing the border already this year. Our appeal is underfunded & without more help, @ARCSAfghanistan may have to scale back. bit.ly/44yVGxV
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Sanjula Weerasinghe retweeted
3 Jul 2025
'In its climate Advisory Opinion, the Inter-American Court clearly states that we are in a climate emergency that is undermining the human rights of present and future generations and that human rights must be at the center of any effective response' ciel.org/news/inter-americanā¦.
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