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The Kaldor Centre Conference is a key meeting point for people working to strengthen refugee protection in Australia and internationally. This year’s program, titled Building Bridges: Advancing Refugee Protection in a Divided World, brings together policymakers, practitioners, civil society, researchers and people with lived experience of displacement for a full day of principled and practical discussion.

The 2025 conference arrives at a moment of deepening political polarisation, growing global displacement, and sharp pressure on multilateral systems. It will offer space to reflect, collaborate and strategise – across disciplines, communities and sectors.

Keynote speakers

The Kaldor Centre is thrilled to welcome Mohammed Naeem to Sydney as the event’s opening keynote speaker. As Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy at Refugees International, he drives the organisation’s engagement with US Congress. A dynamic and insightful speaker, Naeem was the inaugural Chair of the United States Refugee Advisory Board and Representative of UNHCR’s Refugee Advisory Group to the Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Public Issues of the Ad Council, the Advisory Council of Pathways International, and the Board of Directors of Refugee Council USA, while his experience also spans roles at the American Immigration Council and More in Common, an organisation which seeks to address the underlying causes of polarisation and build more inclusive societies.

President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Hugh de Kretser��has for decades played a critical role advancing human rights in Australia, experience he will lend to his closing address to the Kaldor Centre Conference. He was the CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations people in Victoria, and previously de Kretser��led the Human Rights Law Centre where he undertook advocacy and legal action to defend the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Program for a pivotal time

At a time when refugee protection is a crossroads, with more than one billion dollars for essential programs vanishing from the UN Refugee Agency, this year’s program offers an opportunity to engage with fresh, diverse perspectives on how best to meet this moment.

The program’s panel sessions will explore how to:

• Foster dialogue in polarised and populist contexts
• Centre lived experience in shaping refugee policy
• Respond to undeniable pressures on the global protection system

As always, the conference includes time to connect and reflect, with lunch, coffee breaks and a networking reception rounding out the official program. Early bird tickets are now available, for a limited time.

📅 Date: Thursday 23 October 2025
📍 Location: �鶹��madou Sydney (with hybrid attendance available)
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For more information, visit the��Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.

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