Arash Bordbar is originally from Iran and lives in Australia. Arash fled his home at the age of 16 and traveled to Malaysia registering as a refugee with UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur. Arash spent five years in Malaysia where he completed his high school certificate online, before being resettled in Australia at the end of May 2015.
After being resettled, Arash enrolled in university, and in 2016, he was nominated to be the Australian delegate to the UNHCR-led Global Refugee Youth Consultation in Geneva. Through his engagement, the Global Youth Advisory Council, a mechanism ensuring that youth voices are taken into consideration during the UNHCR decision-making process, was established. He also participated at the recent International Refugee Right Conference in Canada, and he has also been chosen as a youth delegate with the Women Deliver Conference that will happen in 2019.
Arash was the recipient of the Young Australian Human Rights Award in December 2016 for his work with young refugees. He was also chosen to be the Australian Ambassador during Australia day. Arash strongly believes in the power of people to change the world. Arash is currently a Youth Representative with the Refugee Council of Australia and the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network of Australia, and the Deputy Chair of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Youth Working Group. Arash is passionate about education, livelihoods, and access to rights, especially for refugees and asylum-seekers. Arash is currently a Youth Transition Support Worker with the Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC).
