"Civilization must be judged and prized not by the amount of power it has developed but by how much it has evolved and given expression to, by its laws and institutions, the love of humanity… For that by which alone man is true can be nourished only by love and justice.” (Rabindranath Tagore). In this book, Remembering 25 Years one would have a glimpse of the lives of women and men, who have given meaning to the expression “the love of humanity.” They gave, and continue to give, witness to the truthfulness of the human person—nourished and nourishing only by love and justice. These 25 years of accompanying, serving and defending the rights of refugees and displaced people is “a sacred history in the drama of human and divine humanity."

In my last blog I commented that “as diplomats we should not forget; that beyond the intellectual and political arguments, what really matters is whether what we do affects people on the ground”.

This week’s meeting on the Ottawa Landmine treaty in Cartagena, Colombia has been an opportunity for those who have been directly affected by these terrible weapons to speak directly to the diplomatic community. And it has been an inspiring and moving experience.

Those of you following me on Twitter will have seen the links to my meeting with Song Kosal a young woman from Cambodia who lost her leg as a child and has become a leading campaigner in the effort to rid the world of these dreadful weapons. Her mix of quiet courage and soft spoken advocacy is inspiring.

Isabel Guterres, a former East Timorese refugee and later a Jesuit Refugee Service team member in Thailand, has paid tribute to the Jesuits while accepting the Australian Catholic University's highest honour, Doctor of the University, at a ceremony in Bacau, East Timor. 'When I had to leave my beloved and troubled country and become a refugee, I was given shelter and food and education by the Jesuit Refugee Service in Thailand,' Isabel told students and guests at the Catholic Teachers' College graduation ceremony, where 55 students received education degrees completed in collaboration with ACU. 'I was just a name and a face, but I was treated like one of them and I saw many other refugees sharing the same experience.'

The award was made in recognition of Isabel's lifetime commitment to justice and service, and, in particular, to refugees.

Isabel fled political persecution in East Timor in the mid 1980s, seeking refuge in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, where she used her experience as a refugee to assist other displaced people. With the help of the Jesuit network, she later arrived in Australia, where she qualified and practised as a nurse, and continued to provide counsel to those who had sought refuge from insecurity and political upheaval.

On 29 September, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, urged the international community to redouble its efforts to ensure forcibly displaced persons receive protection.

Addressing the Sixtieth Session of the Executive Committee of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations, told other government representatives present that more needed to be done to address the root causes of forced displacement. This means, the Archbishop continued, introducing new and equitable development frameworks.

On 21 September, sources from within the immigration services said the country was struggling to deal with an increase in the number of Afghan asylum seekers.

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), nearly 1,400 Afghans have been registered as asylum seekers in the first nine months of the year, a 925 percent increase on 2008. This is believed to be due to the current deterioration in security in Afghanistan. Of this number, UNHCR has recognised 142 Afghans as refugees in Indonesia this year.