Peace and Human Rights
Ratna Omidvar speaks about migration not as an abstract policy issue, but from lived experience. Born in 1949 in India, she grew up in the shadow of the 1947 Partition between India and Pakistan. After studying German in Munich, she moved to Tehran with her Iranian husband. In 1981, following the Islamic Revolution, she fled with her family via Germany to Canada.
This experience continues to shape the question that guides her work today: how to create conditions in which immigrants can unfold their full potential.
Over four decades, she has built and led organisations at the intersection of civil society, policy and research, all aimed at improving access to education and the labour market for immigrants. Her work spans initiatives such as the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), the Global Diversity Exchange and the Maytree Foundation.
From 2016 to 2024, she served as an Independent Senator in the Canadian Senate, chairing the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Widely recognised for her expertise on immigration and integration, she drove legislative reforms that improved educational opportunities and labour market access for refugees, among other achievements.
At the heart of her work is the conviction that immigration is an opportunity for receiving countries like Germany and Canada, which face labour shortages and ageing populations. Supporting integration is therefore not just a service to immigrants, but an investment into the civic society and economic fabric of the societies that receive them.
Ratna Omidvar was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011 and received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2014 in recognition of her work on behalf of immigrants and integration. In 2026, she is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy.
Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship 2026
Reanimating the German-Canadian Partnership on Migration
As a Robert Bosch Fellow, Ratna Omidvar plans to infuse Germany’s and Canada’s cooperation on migration with new energy and joint action. Germany and Canada – both grounded in democratic values and human rights – are facing similar challenges today, she says: ageing populations, labour shortages, rising anti-immigration sentiment and a need to manage both forced and economic migration humanely.
Changing the perspective on migration
Canada’s experience as a multicultural society and Germany’s growing acknowledgment of itself as an immigration country provide grounds for deeper bilateral collaboration, Omidvar argues. She pushes for a changed perspective on migration. “Refugees get labelled in a way that robs them of really important attributes: Refugees are doctors, they are tradespeople, they are cooks, they are wives, they are students. They have competencies which you cannot discover unless you support them getting stabilized.”
Involving civic society for better integration
Building on German-Canadian agreement on migration, Ratna Omidvar is set to explore how the bilateral partnership can be boosted through the exchange of good practices, joint research and innovative partnerships and shared evaluation. In particular, she intends to explore cooperation opportunities between cities, universities and civil society organisations. More citizen engagement is key to integrating migrants and refugees, she says and cites Canadian policies such as government funding to NGOs, citizens co-sponsoring refugees, or provinces choosing their own intake numbers.
Building partnerships in research, innovation and policy
Key questions for her are: Which policy areas – such as labour market integration, credential recognition or forced migration – offer the greatest bilateral potential? And how can political will, administrative coordination and public opinion be mobilised to achieve durable solutions?
Refugees and migrants offer an opportunity for their country that welcomes them, she says. Their determination and stamina to succeed is born out of necessity, she says. “I can tell you story upon story upon story of people who have come to Canada seeking refuge and have made this country a better place, let alone the fact that they have made good lives for themselves. They have made our country a better place.”