Building bridges: Advancing refugee protection in a divided world, 2025 Kaldor Conference Keynote

Join us for the opening remarks and keynote address from the 2025 Kaldor Centre Conference, 'Building bridges: Advancing refugee protection in a divided world' held on 23 October 2025 at UNSW Sydney. Speakers Daniel Ghezelbash, Professor of Law & Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney Mohammed Naeem, Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy, Refugees International Timestamp 00:00 Opening remarks, Daniel Ghezelbash, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, 13:23 Daniel Ghezelbash introduces Mohammed Naeem 15:10 Keynote address, Mohammed Naeem, Refugees International 32:33 Audience Q&A with Mohammed Naeem and Daniel Ghezelbash in conversation during question time Why Watch *Understand why the Refugee Convention remains vital—and why implementation, not the law itself, is failing. *Learn how polarization and misinformation threaten refugee protection—and what works to rebuild trust. *Discover why imagination and community-driven solutions are key to designing inclusive, lasting systems. *Hear a powerful call to elevate refugee leadership and show that caring isn’t just moral—it works. Transcripts Daniel Ghezelbash opening remarks: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2025/11/... Mohammed Naeem keynote address: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2025/11/... Speaker profiles Mohammed Naeem is the Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy at Refugees International, where he drives the organization’s congressional engagement. Previously, between roles at the American Immigration Council and More in Common, Mohammed built nationally recognized public advertising campaigns, spearheaded cross-sector partnerships, and socialized signature audience research. He has held several leadership roles, including as 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. Mohammed is a graduate of Stony Brook University and lives in Queens, New York. Professor Daniel Ghezelbash is Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney, and an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow. A globally recognised expert in international and comparative refugee and migration law, his research focuses on improving the fairness and efficiency of asylum procedures through comparative analysis. Daniel has published extensively on the global spread of restrictive asylum policies and is a passionate advocate for using technology to advance access to justice and combat systemic discrimination. He founded the Kaldor Centre Data Lab, pioneering data-driven approaches to legal decision-making in refugee cases, and is a leading voice in legal technology and generative AI in Australia. He is Special Counsel at the National Justice Project, and sits on the boards of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, Wallumatta Legal, and the Access to Justice and Technology Network.