Risk Assessment
NFA undertook a risk assessment process to identify the risks of forming a regional coalition and to ensure that the coalition builds on the lessons learned from the experience of the Statelessness Network Asia Pacific (SNAP) and other regional networks and becomes a functional and effective collective. As a part of this process, NFA held bilateral consultations with persons with expertise on statelessness in the region and on operating a functional regional network on statelessness. This group of experts was called the Advisory Group.
Objectives of the Risk Assessment
- Identify the risks for NFA and the regional alliance members while participating in the process of forming the regional alliance.
- Identify the risks of forming a regional alliance on statelessness in the Asia Pacific region.
- Identify the opportunities for NFA and the national CSOs to have a regional coalition.
- Identify the potential challenges of coordinating a regional coalition for NFA
- Identify the potential challenges for regional coalition members to participate in the process of formation of the coalition
Findings of the Risk Assessment
The following risks were identified to form the regional coalition:
- Communication fatigue
- Unequal contributions by members
- External pressures
- Struggle for power
- Gradual diminishment of commitment
- Financial sustainability
- Misalignment of interests
- Lack of transparency and oversight
- Representation of stateless voices
Mitigation Strategy
- Strengthen solidarity among potential members by focusing on team-building and trust-building events and exercises.
- Have extensive consultations with CSOs in the region to receive input from all the concerned stakeholders before forming the coalition.
- Ensure that the formation process is coordinated by a Secretariat that can raise funds and provide oversight to the process.
- Organize sessions and discussions on the importance of meaningful participation of persons with lived experience of statelessness.
Next Steps
NFA then decided to raise resources to organize an in-person consultation with CSOs who expressed their interest in joining a regional coalition.