Dear friends of the Network,
On 12 June 2026, the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum applies across the European Union — accelerating border procedures, expanding detention, and making the "fiction of non-entry" and "safe third country" doctrine the law in all twenty-seven Member States. Implementation will be uneven, but the direction is unmistakable.
The border procedures starting now will produce their first decisions — and the first documented violations of procedural safeguards — across the summer and autumn. That window is when our response matters most.
This is not a moment for despair. It is a moment for organised, practical, sustained solidarity. A law passed is not a debate closed.
Since 1993, UNITED has documented the human cost of Fortress Europe through the List of Refugee Deaths — now more than 70,000 names. This year we turn that long memory into forward motion: equipping activists, NGOs, and frontline workers to keep supporting people on the move, sustaining the demand for fairer borders, and affirming the dignity of those the Pact treats as disposable.
The Campaign Toolkit gives you what you need to respond in your own context — analysis and explainers, a directory of aid and legal support across Europe, educational resources, a media kit for journalists, and burnout support for the people carrying this work. Alongside it, the International Mural Challenge by Aidez Nous à Aider invites you to make border violence and solidarity visible on the walls of our cities.
Take action
- Download the toolkit and start planning.
- Join the launch on 20 June — World Refugee Day.
- Adapt the campaign poster to your language with the editable Canva template. (copy the project and edit as you like)
- Share your action so we can amplify it across the network.
The toolkit is ongoing and it grew out of real needs our network told us about. It pulls together tools, analysis, and resources already produced by the NGOs, activists, and institutions doing the work on the ground, all gathered by our CPG team. For this reason we would be extremely grateful if you could also share with us feedback on what to improve and what to include, to possibly make it an official publication that can support our common work.
The law has changed. The fight has not. Check the campaign page on our website and don't miss the social media campaign starting on June 20th!
Empowered by ACTion Training in Budapest
Apart from our traditional campaign, we are delighted to share with you that we had the privilege to host participants from across Europe in Budapest from 18 to 22 May 2026 for a training on the Theatre of the Oppressed — a methodology developed by Augusto Boal that makes social injustices visible and opens space for new possibilities of action. Together, participants explored how these methods can be applied in educational work with young refugees and people affected by forced migration.
The training is part of Empowered by ACTion – Civic Education Crossing Borders, an Erasmus+ cooperation project we are proud to be part of alongside partners from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. You can learn more by checking out the official website or by getting in touch with us.
News from the Network: Congratulations to Pierrot Ngadi — 2026 Cathaoirleach's Award recipient!
We're delighted to share that Pierrot Ngadi, a longstanding voice within the UNITED network, has received a 2026 Cathaoirleach's Award from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council — among the Council's highest distinctions, recognising an exceptional contribution to community life. The award was presented by Cathaoirleach Cllr Jim Gildea at County Hall, Dún Laoghaire, on 2 June 2026.
From all of us at UNITED: warmest congratulations, Pierrot — and thank you for the impact you keep making.
More to come — stay connected for our upcoming Refugee Campaign, and remember: the EPIC project #MyMILMyRules is still live until July. Don’t miss out! #StayUnited
