LESSONS LEARNED AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The primary purpose of this report is to highlight positive practices adopted by governments and employed by advocates to advance the rights of those in need of international protection in jurisdictions that have mostly not formally recognized them as such. The above compilation of those practices also, however, notes myriad limitations, recognizing that no universal or comprehensive fix exists in the region. In addition to highlighting positive practices and their limitations for inspiration and adoption by policy-makers and advocates, there are a number of lessons to be learned from these experiences. These lessons have been adapted and formulated into the following recommendations. They are by no means exhaustive, but rather serve as a broad point of departure for the way forward. STRATEGIZE WITH DISCRETION IN MIND Local actors interviewed for this study expressed various viewpoints regarding the ramifications of discretion. To some, discretion is preferable to binding rules, because demands for more clarity can lead to more restrictive interpretations, limiting the ability of actors to exercise protectionoriented discretion on a case-by-case basis. Others argued that broad exercise of discretion sacrifices predictability, results in corruption, and while it may result in individual successes, it will usually not have a larger impact. While a lack of firm guidelines certainly runs contrary to the ultimate goal of comprehensive protection codified in law, the flexibility and streamlined manner in which policy can be established may be advantageous for advocates in the region. Advocates may seek to construct strategies that are specifically designed to account for the discretionary authority in their context. In addition to calls for broad reforms or comprehensive measures in line with international standards, advocates at the national level may choose to form relationships with relevant government actors or divisions that possess such discretionary authority and use those relationships to call for changes within that authority. Regional or international advocates may seek to complement such efforts by drawing positive attention to previous discretionary measures and encourage their advancement and codification. In sum, a pragmatic, practical, and constructive approach to discretion may result in favorable and swift action from which broader reform efforts may be embarked upon. 37 UND OING PRECARIT Y: ELE VATING P OSITIVE PR ACTICES FOR REFU GEE PROTECTION IN SO U TH AND SO U THE AST ASIA