Promoting the voices of refugee and migrant women - Harmony Alliance launched!

The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN) welcomes the launch of the Harmony Alliance, a national coalition that will work to advance the interests of refugee and migrant women in Australia. 

The Harmony Alliance includes as members individuals identifying as women from migrant or refugee backgrounds and delegates of organisations representing and working for the advancement and inclusion of refugee and migrant women in Australia.

The Alliance will draw on refugee and migrant women's broad cultural knowledge, skills, abilities - to advance refugee and migrant women's participation and to amplify their voices on a broad range of issues that affect them.

Launching the new national alliance in Adelaide yesterday, Minister for Women Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said “central to the alliance is the right and necessity of migrant and refugee women to advocate for themselves on issues that impact their safety, well-being and economic empowerment."

The Alliance has identified refugee and migrant women’s access to justice, their health, well-being and safety, and employment and economic participation as priorities. It will begin with a focus on informing policy development and national engagement, communication and coalition building. 

As a member of the Harmony Alliance Council, MYAN are looking forward to working with the Alliance to  influence policy and build strategies to promote the active participation of young migrant and refugee women across Australia.

MYAN are particularly pleased to be supporting the Alliance's establishment of a Young Women’s Advisory Group. Harmony Alliance Council representative and MYAN Chair, Carmel Guerra AO, said yesterday: 

"Young women's voices are integral to the work of the Alliance and this is an exciting initiative that will put young women's perspectives front and centre in international and national conversations and policy development."