Baqir Bayani

Global Partnerships and Refugee Participation Lead, Asylum Access

Baqir Bayani, guided by his lived experience and a strong commitment to equity, envisions a future where the voices of affected communities are not only heard but recognized as a fundamental human right in shaping decisions that impact their lives. As Global Partnerships and Refugee Participation Lead at Asylum Access, he draws on over a decade of experience working directly with refugee communities, leaders, and diverse stakeholders across national, regional, and global spheres to advance refugee leadership. His work focuses on advancing meaningful participation and equitable partnerships in the sector through strategic convening and collaborations that challenge personal biases and dismantle systemic barriers, creating the conditions for genuine refugee leadership.

Before joining Asylum Access, Baqir founded several impactful refugee-led organizations, including HELP for Refugees, and conducted multi-country research in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia on the critical role of refugee-led organizations as first responders and the challenges they face. He currently advises the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) on their Meaningful Refugee Participation journey and serves as the Secretariat of a newly formed international working group on Meaningful Refugee Participation, where he is helping develop an independent declaration to make refugee participation both a legal and normative right, not just an aspirational ideal.