Press release
10 December 2025
Asma Faizi Elected President of the Canadian Council for Refugees
The Canadian Council of Refugees is pleased to announce that Asma Faizi was elected President at its Annual General Meeting on November 20th, 2025, as part of this year’s Consultation in Winnipeg. Asma has been actively engaged with the CCR as a past Co-Chair of the Overseas Protection and Resettlement (OPR) Working Group and currently serves on the OPR Steering Committee and the Ancillary Legal Support Group. Asma comes to the CCR Executive from the Afghan Women’s Organization Refugee and Immigrant Services, where she has served as President and Chair of its Board since 2008.
“I am honoured to help lead our collective efforts as President of the Canadian Council for Refugees at a time when global displacement and the need for protection are rising. Over the past few decades, the refugee landscape has shifted dramatically, with growing restrictions and politicization threatening long-standing commitments to those seeking safety. In this moment, CCR and its member organizations play a critical role in helping Canada uphold its humanitarian values and legal obligations,” says Asma Faizi. “As a former refugee from Afghanistan, I know the importance of CCR's voice and advocacy. Along with the CCR team and CCR's members, we will work to strengthen public understanding and support for immigrants and refugees and guard against backsliding. Together, we will advocate for solutions that ensure people fleeing persecution find protection, dignity, and a chance to rebuild their lives.”
Asma Faizi takes over from Diana Gallego, who served as President since November 2023, and will continue to be on the Executive Committee as Past President.
The CCR is also delighted to announce Basel Abou Hamrah’s election as Vice President. For the past three years, Basel served as Co-Chair of CCR’s Inland Protection Working Group. He comes to us from the Newcomer Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, where he serves as Settlement Practitioner specializing in supporting LGBTQIA+ newcomers.
“I am deeply honoured to take on the role of Vice-President of the Canadian Council for Refugees. As someone who arrived in Canada as a refugee, this work is profoundly personal. I understand the challenges, uncertainty, and hope that shape the refugee journey,” says Basel Abou Hamrah. “As Vice-President, I am committed to strong governance, close collaboration within the Executive Committee, and amplifying CCR’s national advocacy and public-awareness efforts. Our members, organizations, advocates, and individuals with lived experience from across the country, are at the heart of this mission. Their voices, expertise, and leadership will continue to guide our priorities and shape our collective impact.”
Biographical notes
For over twenty-five years, Asma Faizi has been an advocate at the national and international level for refugee rights, gender equality, and the inclusion and well-being of newcomers to Canada. Her work has focused on advancing human rights, equity, and community support for all refugees. Asma became a Board Member of the Afghan Women’s Organization Refugee and Immigrant Services in 1998 and has been the President and Chair of its Board since 2008.
Asma brings lived experience as a refugee, having escaped the war in Afghanistan with her family before being resettled in Canada. Asma has been actively engaged with the CCR as a past Co-Chair of the Overseas Protection and Resettlement (OPR) Working Group and member of the OPR Steering Committee and of the Ancillary Legal Support Group of CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee.
Asma is also an immigration and refugee lawyer, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford.
Basel Abou Hamrah is a Settlement Practitioner at the Newcomer Centre, specializing in supporting LGBTQ+ newcomers with complex immigration and settlement needs. Originally from Syria, he arrived in Canada as a refugee in 2015 and went on to help create Rainbow Refuge, Edmonton’s first program dedicated to LGBTQ+ newcomers.
Basel is the co-leader of the LGBTQ+ Newcomer Edmonton Group, which combines his lived experience and professional expertise to build more inclusive services for newcomers. His advocacy has been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Stonewall 2021 and 2025 Newcomers and Refugees Award, and as one of EDify’s Top 40 Under 40 (Class of 2024).
Passionate about helping others live authentically, Basel continues to work toward a community where everyone can feel safe, valued, and at home.
Media contact
Gauri Sreenivasan, Co-Executive Director, media@ccrweb.ca