Forum réfugiés
History and Activities
Forum réfugiés: history and missions of the organisation
Forum réfugiés is a non-profit organisation (established under the 1901 law) that works to protect refugees and the right to asylum.
The Lyon-based association was founded in 1982 under the name CRARDDA (Comité Rhodanien d'Accueil des Réfugiés et de Défense du Droit d'Asile) by several organisations (Secours Catholique, SSAE, Cimade, Fédération de l'Entraide Protestante, Centre Pierre Valdo, Sonacotra) that decided to create an organisation specifically intended for the protection of refugees.
With around hundred employees and a 9.6 million euro budget in 2008, Forum réfugiés is a well-known organization in the field of asylum.
Today, it is an important association in this sector and has strong ties with many public and private partners: ministries, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Prefecture, OFPRA (the French office for the protection of refugees and stateless persons), the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and local government. Forum réfugiés also works with many other organizations, particularly within the framework of the CFDA (Coordination Française pour le Droit d’Asile - French coordination for the right to asylum) and the ANAFE (Nationale d’Assistance aux Frontières pour les Etrangers – national agency for border assistance for aliens).
