Calling all internally displaced persons, refugees and people living in exile

In 2015 Europe faced its biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Millions of people were displaced in Syria and Iraq, as well as in other parts of the world, and many tired to reach Europe, not only because they had hoped to be safe there, but also because of the political rights Europeans enjoy and take for granted: the right to free expression, the right to vote and so forth.

Yet, those few who did make it to Europe found themselves excluded from public life, without political rights and without a voice. To challenge that, we, people displaced by force, together with some NGOs and other stakeholders, started to organise ourselves with a view to creating new democratic structures both locally and internationally, so that in future internally displaced persons, refugees and people living in exile can offer themselves as dialogue partners to local councils, national parliaments, the European Parliament and the UN.

This process is still ongoing. To succeed, we need as much moral and practical support as we can get. Only if we manage to mobilise large numbers of people everywhere will the powers to be begin listening to us. Hence we invite all displaced persons and anyone supporting them to express their solidarity by signing our petition, which demands the creation of a directly elected international committee of internally displaced persons, refugees and people living in exile - a consultative body that can legitimately represents them, because it is made up of and elected by them.

To support this demand and sign our petition here.