Refugees International (RI) is an independent humanitarian organization that advocates for lifesaving assistance, human rights, and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises. It does not accept United Nations or government funding.
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| Founded | 1979 by Sue Morton in Washington, D.C. |
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| Type | Non-profit NGO |
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Area served | Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria |
| Fields | Advocacy, humanitarian affairs, human rights, research (conducted through field missions to locations refugees crises and areas of displacement) |
Key people | Jeremy Konyndyk, President |
| Website | www |
Refugees International was founded by Sue Morton in 1979 as a citizens' movement to protect Indochinese refugees. Sue Morton resided in Tokyo and Singapore in the first vital year of Refugees International. In Washington, D.C., the founding Director of Refugees International was Dianne L. Lawson, who incorporated Refugees International in the U.S. (Washington, D.C.), and oversaw of the first public actions taken by Refugees International, a full-page ad in the Washington Post, July 19, 1979, in which Refugees International requested that the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government act to rescue Vietnamese and Cambodians (Kampucheans) at sea. On the date the ad appeared in the Washington Post, Morton and Lawson were part of a peaceful, candlelit march, led by then Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) and the singer Joan Baez, from the Lincoln Memorial to the north side of the White House. At the end of that march, the crowd sang "Amazing Grace" and, to the crowd's surprise, President Jimmy Carter strode out from the doors of the White House and announced that he had just ordered the U.S. 7th Fleet to pick up all refugees on boats who were fleeing from Southeast Asia for freedom.
Refugees International, powered by only volunteers at its beginning, hired paid staff and expanded its scope beyond Southeast Asia in 1990, advocating for protection for Liberian refugees in Guinea and Kuwaitis in the Iraq-Jordan desert. It now conducts field missions to identify displaced people's needs for basic services such as food, water, health care, housing, access to education and protection from harm. Based on their findings during humanitarian emergencies, the organization appeals to policy makers and aid agencies and promotes the strategic benefits of United States foreign aid.[1][2] The organization is currently focused on displacement crises in and around Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria.
Refugees International does not accept government or UN funding, allowing their advocates to be independent. RI leverages donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
George Soros, Richard Holbrooke and Sam Waterston are former board members.