One was about resilience. A statement from the forum stayed with me: “Resilience must never become a burden placed on those who already bear the brunt of human rights harms.” It made me think about how often refugees are described through their ability to survive and adapt. In Indonesia, refugees navigate long waiting periods, restrictions on work, limited access to services, and uncertainty about their future. Their resilience is real, but it should not become a reason to accept these conditions as normal. Resilience should not replace responsibility. Institutions also have a responsibility to reduce the barriers that make people vulnerable.  

Another lesson came from discussions about workers and communities. One speaker noted that solutions do not always reflect the lived realities of the people most affected, and that those people are often missing from conversations about the problems being addressed. This felt very relevant to refugee protection. Refugees are often the subject of policies and programmes, but do not always have enough space to shape the decisions that affect their lives. Meaningful inclusion has to go beyond providing services. It also means listening to refugees as rights holders and recognising the knowledge that comes from their own experiences.

The discussions on work also made me think about what happens if refugees are eventually allowed to work in Indonesia. The question should not only be whether they can work, but under what conditions. If protections are not ready, refugees may be exposed to low wages, exploitation, or other forms of abuse. We can start understanding these risks now rather than waiting for a policy change.