30 April 2013

Feature: Mobile Apps

Applications with a forced migration/humanitarian assistance focus are increasingly being developed for smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices.  But it's hard to know what is currently available.  Below is an initial list of apps that I have come across so far, but it's no doubt very incomplete.  If anyone knows of other relevant apps or a useful directory that provides access to apps in our field, please comment!

Books:

In Search of Home (Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting) [info]
- "With reporting by Stephanie Hanes, and photography by Greg Constantine, this interactive book takes you on a journey to visit the stateless people of Kenya, Burma and the Dominican Republic"; voted one of the best tablet/Mobile Delivery projects from the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).  See also related blog post.

Advocacy/raising awareness:

AiCandle (Amnesty International) [info]
- "Show your solidarity with the human rights movement and join our global network of more than 3 million activists, supporters and members."

And Then I Was a Refugee... (Australian Red Cross) [info]
- An app that "highlights some very real scenarios faced by people from refugee backgrounds including hunger and dehydration, tribal links, insecurity, people smuggling and endless queues. Our goal is to demystify the refugee experience and show people that this is a crisis millions of people find themselves in today. To add even more to the authenticity we have included stories and photos of people who have had a refugee experience and are now settled in Australia."

My Life as a Refugee (UNHCR) [info]
- A game that "lets players contemplate the same life-changing decisions refugees make in a true-to-life quest to try to survive, reach safety, reunite with loved ones and re-start their lives."

Refugee Lives (Medill School of Journalism) [info] [access]
- "Northwestern students documented the lives of refugees from three different places in the world – Jordan, Malawi and Namibia — depicting the daily lives of refugees and establishing connections between resettled refugees and those abroad."

Journals/magazines:

Intervention Journal (Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins) [info]
- "An international multi-disciplinary journal of mental health, psychosocial work and counseling in areas of armed conflict" and the official journal of the War Trauma Foundation.

Perspective (Norwegian Refugee Council) [info]
- "The first international foreign affairs magazine published by a Norwegian NGO. The English-speaking magazine focuses on humanitarian assistance and international politics."

News & information:

Global Emergency Overview [info] [access]
- "Provides an easily accessible, updated snapshot of natural disasters and complex emergencies at a global level. This overview is combined with a more in-depth analysis provided through the Disaster Needs Analyses. The GEO provides a more agile manner in which to share the analysis and receive feedback from responders in the field."

Human Rights Watch [info]
- "Delivers the week's most pressing global human rights news as well as the organization's in-depth reports, allowing users to learn more about current challenges and opportunities to create change. The 'latest news' section is regularly updated, ensuring that viewers have the most current information possible."

Humanitarian Response Kiosk (OCHA) [info] [info]
- "One of the challenges faced by humanitarian workers is access to timely, relevant and accurate information. New technology provides an opportunity for humanitarian workers to develop better ways to access and share this information, and get aid to those who need it more quickly and effectively."

*Uhuru [info]
- A "web-based interface that advertises refugee microenterprises—it is a location-based advertisement venue that directs customers to refugee businesses, thereby increasing revenues."

*UNHCR News App [info]
- "With UNHCR's unique content - news and human interest stories, striking photosets and full-screen video reportage - you'll stay up to date with the latest displacement news from around the world, all in three languages (English, French, Arabic). Special sections detail current emergencies, profile our High Commissioner, introduce key documents and show how you can help. Media professionals will particularly appreciate our latest press releases and briefing notes."

Operational support:

Focus Reader (UNHCR) [info]
- "Focus Reader provides quick access to UNHCR’s planning data entered in Focus Client. It offers simple views reflecting the different components of an operations plan such as narratives, indicators, budgets, office and positions structures of a single operation. Focus Reader's main advantage is its simplicity and speed. Users with basic Focus Client knowledge will be able to utilize the tool with minimal guidance. Due to its limited size, Focus Reader functions perfectly in environments with limited internet connectivity."

Global MedAid (U.S. Dept. of Defense) [info] [access]
- "Provides tools and resources to health sector personnel performing humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The App is intended for use by healthcare professionals such as public health officers, medics, nurses or doctors. This innovative app supports personal preparation, enables just-in-time learning and enhances productivity in the field.

iGDACS (UN & European Commission) [info]
- "Provides near real-time information about natural disasters and gives the possibility to send back information in the form of a geo-located image and/or text."

SAFE: Safe Access to Firewood and alternative Energy (Women's Refugee Commission) [info]
- Scroll down to "What are the global guidance documents?"; "the tools included in this app guide humanitarian actors through the various steps and sectors involved in designing and implementing an appropriate cooking strategy and thus contribute to improved access to safe cooking fuel."

UN-ASIGN (UNOSAT) [info]
- "A tool for taking and sharing geo-tagged photos specifically designed to work over low bandwidth. The photos are automatically mapped, thus helping towards overall situational awareness."

Training:

Learn & Connect (UNHCR) [info]
- "The e-learning platform for UNHCR, bringing training opportunities to more than 8,000 staff members and partners worldwide. With this mobile application UNHCR’s Global Learning Centre offers an additional learning opportunity for staff members, allowing them to access bite-size training courses via their mobile devices. These training courses have been designed to offer staff members access to the information they need, when and where they need it, covering a diverse range of topics from Management & Leadership to Emergency & Security."

Note that more web sites are also being optimized for mobile devices.  Here are some examples:

Forced Migration Review (FMR) [access]
- As of issue no. 42, FMR is now in A5 format, in part to make it easier to read on mobile devices.

Oxford Journals [info]
- Adding an "m." at the beginning of a journal's URL will direct a user to the mobile version; see, e.g., International Journal of Refugee Law, the Journal of Refugee Studies, and Refugee Survey Quarterly.

Refugees United [info] [access]

RefWorld [info]

ReliefWeb Mobile [info] [access]

Other app listings:
- Disaster Apps and Mobile Optimized Web Pages [access]
- UN Mobile Applications [access]

Learn more about apps at this upcoming event:

Linking Humanitarian Organizations with Mobile Data Collection Tool Providers, Paris, 15-17 May 2013 [info]

*UPDATED

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools. 



Regional Focus: Africa

Emergency Response to the Mali Situation: Special Appeal (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

*Joint Assessment Mission Report: Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi (WFP et al., Dec. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Opportunities and Risk: Enacting Socio-cultural Transformation in Refugee Camps in Uganda, Oxford, 24 April 2013 [access]
- Podcast of seminar.

"Organization of African Unity and African Union Engagement with Refugee Protection: 1963–2011," African Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 21, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) [full-text via SSRN]

"Refugee Rights in Kenya: Between Theory and Practice," Stichproben: Vienna Journal of African Studies, no. 23 (2012) [open access text]

UNHCR Position on Returns to the Central African Republic (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]
- See also related news story.

*updated

Tagged Publications.  

29 April 2013

New Edition of IDMC's Global Overview

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has published the 2012 edition of its annual Global Overview: People Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence.  The report estimates a record-high total IDP population of 28.8 million last year, due in large part to the conflicts in Syria and the DRC.  Here's more about the contents:
The report’s introduction begins by outlining the scale and impact of internal displacement during the year, and includes a ‘snapshot’ of internal displacement in 2012 before exploring some of the key issues and challenges associated with internal displacement at the national, regional and global level. Five regional summaries are followed by descriptions of internal displacement situations in countries of those regions.

Press releases, maps and infographics in English, French and Spanish are available here.  Previous editions of the Global Overview can be retrieved via my forced migration research guide.

Tagged Publications.  


Thematic Focus: Development-induced Displacement

Displacement: Colombia's Inescapable Burden? (Fletcher Forum, April 2013) [text]
- Note: Photo sourced from this blog post.

Displacement and Resistance: The Ogiek of Kenya (Think Africa Press, March 2013) [text]

The Displacement Decathlon: Olympian Struggles for Affordable Housing from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro (Design Observer Group, April 2013) [text]

Electricity for all but those the Kariba Dam Displaced (IPS, March 2013) [text]

Evicted from Ancestral Lands: Botswana's Basarwa Minority (Think Africa Press, March 2013) [text]

Resettlement Conflicts Follow Mozambique's Mining Boom (IRIN, March 2013) [text]

The World Bank Must Stop Underwriting Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia (TerraNullius, March 2013) [text]
- See also related New York Review of Books blog post and recent statement from World Bank.

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: General

Human Rights and Democracy 2012 (UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, April 2013) [text]

Introductory Remarks at Panel on "International Norm-Making on Forced Displacement: Challenges and Complexity," 106th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, Washington, DC, 28-31 March 2012 [text via SSRN]
- See also info. re. published proceedings; extracts of the various papers presented at the a/m panel are available, pp. 429-443.

Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire? Migration from Fragile States to Fragile States, Working Paper, no. 9/2013 (OECD, Jan. 2013) [text]

"Putting Refugees in Their Place," New Global Studies, vol. 7, no. 1 (April 2013) [open access text]

The Responsibility to Solve, Working Paper Series, no. 3 (Program on Law & Human Development, Sept. 2012) [text]
- Examines the problem of protracted refugee situations.

Salience of Threat: The Effects of Dissident Violence and Ethnic Diversity on Internal Displacement, Paper presented at Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, 11-14 April 2013 [text via SSRN]

Statement by Ms. Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner (Protection) High Level Segment of the 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, 26 February 2013 [text]

Tagged Publications.  

New ETDs

Adapting to Urban Displacement: The Use of Cash Transfers in Urban Areas, Thesis (Sciences Po Grenoble, Sept. 2012) [text]

Analyse démographique des demandeurs d'asile et des réfugiés au Canada (2000-2010), Thesis (Université de Montréal, Aug. 2012) [text]

Assessing the Efficacy of the Application of the New Mexican Law for Refugees and Subsidiary Protection 2011 through the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) in Relation to Asylum Seekers, Dissertation (University of Gothenburg, Roehampton University & University of Tromsø, Spring 2012) [text]

Caught in a Gap? An Examination and Human Rights Assessment of Immigration Detention Laws and Practices in South Africa, Thesis (University of the Witwatersrand, Oct. 2012) [text]

Humanitarian Ambitions-International Barriers: Canadian Governmental Response to the Plight of the Jewish Refugees (1933-1945), Thesis (University of Ottawa, April 2013) [text]

Patchy Law and Return Practices in Europe: On Vulnerable Persons' Human Rights in the Context of the Present and Future Dublin Regulation, Thesis (University of Oslo, May 2012) [text]

Note: Find more open access theses and dissertations via Proquest's PQDT Open.


Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

26 April 2013

Regional Focus: Europe

New campaigns:

Asile! Asile! [French] [English]
- "Chaque fois qu’une personne fuyant la persécution et la guerre n’est pas crue, nous mettons sa vie en danger."  From ECRE and France Terre d'Asile.

When You Don’t Exist [access]
- "Amnesty International’s campaign for the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe and at its borders."

Publications:

"Common European Asylum System: The Real Job Still Needs to be Done," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 26 April 2013 [access]
- Select from list of bulletins.

Frenzied, Decelerating and Suspended: The Temporal Uncertainties of Failed Asylum Seekers and Immigration Detainees, Working Paper, no. 105 (COMPAS, 2013) [text]

Home Affairs Committee Inquiry into Asylum: Written & Oral Evidence [access]
- The inquiry was launched in Feb. 2013, with a deadline for the submission of evidence set for 15 April 2013.  Access both written and oral evidence via the link above.

*Integration in a Divided Society? Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Northern Ireland, Working Paper, no. 91 (RSC, April 2013) [text]

Management of Mixed Migration and Asylum Challenges beyond the European Union's Eastern Border (PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, April 2013) [text]

The Silent Humanitarian Crisis in Greece: Devising Strategies to Improve the Situation of Migrants in Greece (PICUM, March 2013) [workshop report]

*updated

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.


Thematic Focus: Human Trafficking

Opportunity:

CFP: Identification of Trafficking Victims and Subsequent Investigative Measures, London, 6 June 2013 [info]
- Submit an abstract by 30 April 2013.

Publications:

Egypt: Human Trafficking in Sinai (Think Africa Press, April 2013) [text]

Forced and Servile Marriage in the Context of Human Trafficking, Research in Practice, no. 32 (Australian Institute of Criminology, March 2013) [text]

"Modern-day Slavery in Focus," The Guardian (April 2013) [access]
- Special series; read the rationale for it here.

Trafficking in Human Beings (Eurostat, 2013) [text]
- First EU-level report on statistics on trafficking in human beings, with data for 2008-2010; see also related materials.

The Under-subscription of T-1 Visas: A Study on America’s Conceptualization of Human Trafficking Victims, Undergraduate Honors Thesis (Duke University, Dec. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Syria

*Syria: Humanitarian Needs Overview (OCHA, April 2013) [text]

Syria's Humanitarian Crisis Has No End in Sight (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, April 2013) [access]
- Video of expert Q&A.

"Syria's Refugees: Birth and Life in Zaatari Camp – in Pictures," The Guardian, 22 April 2013 [access]

Syrian Refugees and Food Insecurity in Lebanon: Secondary Literature and Data Desk Review (WFP, March 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- See also the previous review conducted for Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.

Syrian Refugees in Urban Jordan: Baseline Assessment of Community-identified Vulnerabilities among Syrian Refugees Living in Irbid, Madaba, Mufraq, and Zarqa (Care, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Turkey: National Authorities and the International Community Must Act in Partnership to Meet the Needs of Syrian Refugees (Amnesty International, April 2013) [text]

Za'tari Camp: A Snapshot of a Simmering Crisis (Dawn Chatty's Blog, March 2013) [text]

*updated

Tagged Publications.  

25 April 2013

Regional Focus: Australia

Boat Arrivals on the Mainland: What Difference Does it Make? (FlagPost, April 2013) [text]

Deterring the 'Boat People': Explaining the Australian Government’s People Swap Response to Asylum Seekers, Working Paper, no. 103 (COMPAS, 2013) [text]

Human Rights Standards for Immigration Detention (Australian Human Rights Commission, April 2013) [text]

More Questions about Australia's Record in Rescuing Boat People at Sea (Refugee Council of Australia, April 2013) [text]

The Resettlement of Refugees in Australia: A Bibliography (Australian Policy Online, April 2013) [text]

Tell Me About: Bridging Visas for Asylum Seekers (Australian Human Rights Commission, April 2013) [text]

"Use of Term 'Illegal' is Ignorant or Mischievous," The Age, 22 April 2013 [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Climate Change/Natural Disasters

This year's Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition focused on a case concerning the "Alfurnan migrants" and a sinking island scenario (see my earlier post).  The competition is now over and the official results are available on the ILSA web site.  The champions hail from the National Law School of India University.  Photos and a chronology of the various rounds can be found on the Jessup White & Case Facebook page.

Publications:

"Change, Sea Level Rise and Protecting Displaced Coastal Communities: Possible Solutions," Global Journal of Comparative Law, Forthcoming 2013 [eprint via SSRN]

The Climate Displacement Gap (Refugees International Blog, April 2013) [text]

Earthquakes, Cyclones, Tsunamis, Floods and Volcanoes – Assessing the Human Impact of Each (Speaking of Medicine Blog, April 2013) [text]
- Links to five papers recently published in PLOS Current Disasters that undertake historical reviews of events and systematic literature reviews of the human impact of different types of natural disasters.

"Kiribati: A Nation Going Under," The Global Mail, 15 April 2013 [text]

Lifeline to "Climate Refugees"? (IRIN, April 2013) [text]

Migration and Environment Newsletter, no. 1 (March 2013) [full-text via EMN Belgium]
- New newsletter from ICMPD.

Moving Stories: The Sahel (UKCCMC, April 2013) [text]

Trends in Natural Disaster Response and the Role of Regional Organizations, Washington, DC, 22 April 2013 [access]
- See also related UpFront blog post.

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Asia

Events & opportunities:

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Burmese Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand and Malaysia [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 21 May 2013.

Bhutanese Refugee Re-settlement Workshop, London, 22-23 May 2013 [info]
- Free event but registration is required.

Publications:

Afghanistan: The World's Most Dangerous Place for Aid Workers (IRIN, April 2013) [text]

Complexities and Challenges in Afghan Migration Research and Policy, Brussels, 8-9 April 2013 [info]
- Read this blog post for a brief overview of the event.

Emergency Return of Bangladeshi Migrants from Libya, NTS Working Paper Series, no. 9 (Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, April 2013) [text]

The Search for Common Ground: Civil–military Relations in Afghanistan, 2002–13, HPG Working Paper (ODI, April 2013) [text]

Waves of Life: A Study of Radio in Bhutanese Refugee Camps in Nepal, Bachelor's Thesis (Duke University, 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

24 April 2013

Thematic Focus: Assistance and Protection in Urban Areas

A study on The Implementation of UNHCR's Policy on Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas has just been released.  Its findings are "based on a detailed survey that was sent to the agency’s 24 programs with urban refugee programs that numbered more than 5,000 according to UNHCR’s 2011 statistics. The survey sought to gauge the rate of implementation for each of the 24 UNHCR operations against the twelve protection strategies set forth in the policy. By doing this we hoped to provide a baseline for future implementation measurements, and, to identify good practices and specific challenges concerning urban refugees."

Other recent publications include:

Accessing Services in the City: The Significance of Urban Refugee-Host Relations in Cameroon, Indonesia and Pakistan (Church World Service, Feb. 2013) [text]

Adapting to Urban Displacement: The Use of Cash Transfers in Urban Areas, Thesis (Sciences Po Grenoble, Sept. 2012) [text]

Understanding the Nature and Scale of Urban Risk in Low- and Middle-income Countries and its Implications for Humanitarian Preparedness, Planning and Response (IIED, March 2013) [text]

Events & opportunities:

Engaging Violent Cities: Operational Challenges for Humanitarian Action in Urban Areas, Online, 25 April 2013 [info]
- Note: If you miss this webcast, you will be able to access a recording of the event after the fact.

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Urban Refugees in Egypt [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 1 May 2013.

Course: Addressing Global Trends: Psychosocial and Mental Health Interventions for Refugees Living the Urban Context, Cairo, 16-20 June 2013 [info]
- Apply for a scholarship by 19 May 2013, otherwise by 22 May 2013.

Urban Humanitarian Emergencies Course, Cambridge, MA, 26-28 July 2013 [info]
- Register by 1 June 2013 for discounted rate.

Past events:

Improving Humanitarian Action in Urban Areas: An Action-oriented Roundtable, London, 5 Dec. 2012 [text]

Learning from the City: Humanitarian Action in Urban Areas, London, 19 April 2013 [info]
- Follow some of the discussion that took place on #UrbanLearning.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe

The Forgotten Victims of the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict (Refugees International Blog, April 2013) [text]

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Country Update, 1 January-31 March 2013 (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

Greece Must Curb Hate Crime and Combat Impunity (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, April 2013) [text]
- Report includes recommendations regarding addressing shortcomings in Greek asylum law and practice.

Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on Asylum: Submission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

Into the Fire [access via PICUM]
- Documentary about mistreatment of refugees and migrants in Greece.

A Question of Credibility: Why so Many Initial Asylum Decisions Are Overturned on Appeal in the UK (Amnesty International & Still Human Still Here, April 2013) [text]
- See also related Huffington Post comment.

UNHCR Comments and Recommendations on the Draft Modification of Certain Migration-Related Legislative Acts for the Purpose of Legal Harmonisation (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

23 April 2013

Regional Focus: Americas

Opportunity:

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs benefiting Colombian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in FY 2013 [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 16 May 2013.

Publications:

The Case for Mexican Asylum Seekers Fleeing Cartel Violence (ExpressO, 2013) [text]

Ecuador's Frontiers: Recommendations for Border Management within a Human Rights Framework (Duke University, April 2013) [text]

Key Measures in Immigration Bill that Would Advance U.S. Values (Human Rights First, April 2013) [text]

Refugee Status Determination in Latin America: Regional Challenges and Opportunities - The National Systems in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico (Asylum Access Ecuador & USCRI, Jan. 2013) [text] [exec. summ.]

Researching Rural Refugees (IowaNow, April 2013) [text]

"Somali Bantus in a State of Refuge," Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, vol. 12 (2012) [full-text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Detention

Events: 

A Future without Immigration Detention?, London, 26-27 April 2013 [info]

The Politics of Detention, York, UK, 1 July 2013 [info]

Publications:

Assessing the U.S. Government’s Detention of Asylum Seekers: Further Action Needed to Fully Implement Reforms (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, April 2013) [text]

Fractured Childhoods: The Separation of Families by Immigration Detention (Bail for Immigration Detainees, April 2013) [text via Migrants' Rights Network]

"Over-detention: Asylum-seekers, International Law, and Path Dependency," Brooklyn Journal of International Law, vol. 38, no. 1 (2012) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 451.

UK's Scale of Immigration Detention 2010-2012 (Detention Forum, March 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Events:

Getting Where Needed: Overcoming Aid Access Obstacles, London, 29 April 2013 [info]
- Live coverage via #AidAccess.

MapAction: Geospatial Support for Humanitarian Disasters, Oxford, 30 April 2013 [info]

Resources:

Engineering’s Place In Humanitarian Work (KERA, April 2013) [access]

The High Commissioner's Structured Dialogue on NGO-IFRC-UNHCR Partnership: An Initiative to Improve Partnership between UNHCR and NGOs in 2012 and Beyond (UNHCR, Jan. 2013) [text]

Innovation to the Rescue: New Ideas, Partnerships, and Technologies for Helping Refugees (Policy Innovations, March 2013) [text]

Let's Hear it for the Monolith (ALNAP Blog, April 2013) [text]

Scoping Study: What Works in Protection and How Do We Know? (Global Public Policy Institute, March 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Health

Event:

National Day of Action, Canada, 17 June 2013 [info]
- Organized by Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care.

Publications:

Access to Healthcare in Europe in Times of Crisis and Rising Xenophobia: An Overview of the Situation of People Excluded from Healthcare Systems (Médecins du Monde, April 2013) [access]

"Discourse on Malaria Elimination: Where Do Forcibly Displaced Persons Fit in These Discussions?," Malaria Journal 12:121 (April 2013) [open access text]

"Family Therapy Sessions with Refugee Families: A Qualitative Study," Conflict and Health 7:7 (March 2013) [open access text]

"A Framework and Methodology for Navigating Disaster and Global Health in Crisis Literature," PLOS Currents Disasters (April 2013) [open access text]

Refugee Health Care: Impacts of Recent Cuts (Canadian Council for Refugees, Feb. 2013) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

"Vitamin D Status of Refugees Arriving in Canada: Findings from the Calgary Refugee Health Program," Canadian Family Physician, vol. 59, no. 4 (April 2013) [free full-text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

22 April 2013

Events & Opportunities: Last Minute April/More May 2013

Opportunities and Risk: Enacting Socio-cultural Transformation in Refugee Camps in Uganda, Oxford, 24 April 2013 [info]
- First seminar in new Trinity Term series.

Vacancy: Head of the Policy & Research Department, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre [info]
- Apply for this Geneva-based position by 29 April 2013.

Center for Forced Migration Studies' Summer Institute: "The Refugee Status Determination Process," Evanston, IL, 2-9 June 2013 [info]
- Schedule is now available; register by 2 May 2013 for reduced rate.

Vacancy: Part-time Communications Assistant, Refugee Studies Centre [info]
- Apply by 9 May 2013 for this job in Oxford.

Summer Short Courses, Cairo, 2-27 June 2013 [info]
- Four courses are being offered - International Refugee Law; From Arab Winter to Arab Spring: Refugee and Migration Movements in the Middle East and North Africa; Addressing Global Trends: Psychosocial and Mental Health Interventions for Refugees Living the Urban Context; and International Migration and the State System - with various application deadlines ranging from 10 May to 22 May 2013.  Follow the link for more details.

CFP: Journal of Internal Displacement [info]
- Special issue on "Forced Migration and Displacement in Somalia and Somali Inhabited Territories"; submission deadline extended to 15 May 2013.

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Colombian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in FY 2013 [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 16 May 2013.

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Burmese Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand and Malaysia [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 21 May 2013.

Regional Protection Programmes: An Effective Policy Tool?, Brussels, 30 May 2013 [info]
- While an agenda is not yet available, registration is open for this event.

Related posts:
- Even More Events & Opportunities: April 2013
- Events & Opportunities: May 2013

Tagged Events & Opportunities.  

Regional Focus: Syria

Appeal by Heads of Leading UN Humanitarian Agencies for the People of Syria (OCHA et al., April 2013) [text via ICMC]

A City that's not a City – Inside a Syrian Refugee Camp (Poverty Matters Blog, April 2013) [text]

Is Turkey's Approach to Syrian Refugees Sustainable? (IRIN, April 2013) [text]

Palestinian Refugees from Syria in Lebanon (PRRN Blog,k April 2013) [access]

Promised Aid Funding for Syria Reaches Half-way Point (IRIN, April 2013) [text]

Security Council Informed that Humanitarian Needs in Syria are Growing Rapidly (UN, April 2013) [access]
- See also remarks from OCHASRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, and UNHCR.

Syrians Don't Belong in Camps (The Atlantic, April 2013) [text via Brookings-LSE Project]

[Map credit: "Syria: Numbers and Locations of Syrian Refugees," U.S. Dept. of State, April 2013]


Tagged Publications.  

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

A new statelessness determination procedure came into effect in the United Kingdom in early April 2013.  UNHCR noted that this development provides "a positive example to other countries that are parties to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons but which have not taken steps to implement the Convention...."   For more information about the procedure, read the briefing note prepared by Asylum Aid, as well as various related blog posts here, here, and here.

Opportunity:

Legal Officer (Statelessness), Geneva [info]
- Apply by 16 May 2013 (external candidates).  (Note: If link above is invalid, go to the "International Professional Staff" page, select "Click Here to Apply," and enter the code to access a list of available positions.)

Publications:

Half Stateless (Refugees International Blog, April 2013) [text]
- Brief report on the Conference for the Stateless in Kuwait, 15-16 April 2013.

Protecting Stateless Palestinian Refugees: The EU Court of Justice Opens a New Chapter (ENS Blog, April 2013) [text]
- Discusses recent El Kott judgment.

Stateless People and Microfinance Institutions (Statelessness Programme Blog, April 2013) [text]

Surprise! A Simulation on Statelessness (Active Learning in Political Science, April 2013) [text]

*UNHCR Statement Relating to Bill C-425, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (UNHCR, March 2013) [text]

Without a Legal Home: Statelessness in the Bahamas (HR Brief Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

*updated

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Africa

Armed Violence and Stabilisation in Western Equatoria: Recovering from the Lord's Resistance Army (Danish Refugee Council & Danish Demining Group, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Évaluation approfondie sur la sécurité alimentaire en situation d'urgence dans les camps de réfugiés maliens et villages hôtes au Burkina Faso (World Food Programme, March 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

I Am a Refugee, and I Have Rights (Refugees International Blog, April 2013) [text]

"Refugees, Ransoms and Revolt: An Update on Eritrea ," Middle East Report, vol. 43 (Spring 2013) [text] [text]

Stranded in the Desert (MSF, April 2013) [text]
- See also related IRIN news story.

Upper Nile Refugee Crisis: Avoiding Past Mistakes in the Year to Come (Oxfam, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.  

19 April 2013

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 are now available on the U.S. Department of State web site.  As with last year, visitors can either go directly to a country overview of interest or build a customized report by selecting specific thematic sections to display from individual country chapters.  For example, Section 2D is "Freedom of Movement, Internally Displaced Persons, Protection of Refugees, and Stateless Persons," while Section 6 includes "Trafficking in Persons."

Reports from previous years can be found here.

Tagged Publications.  

Law/Policy Items

Genuine Improvement or Paying Lip Service? Conquering the Communication Complexities in Protection Assessments, Legal Studies Research Paper, no. 13/30 (Sydney Law School, April 2013) [text]

Important Guidance on Medical Evidence in Asylum Cases (Free Movement, April 2013) [text]

Refuge from Inhumanity: Enriching Refugee Protection Standards through Recourse to International Humanitarian Law - Conference Report, Oxford, 11-12 February 2013 [text]

Répertoire de jurisprudences (Equipe droits européens et migrations) [access]
- Provides access to European and Belgian asylum case law.

Summary Conclusions of the Roundtable on the Future of Refugee Convention Supervision, Cambridge, 28-29 September 2012 [text via Opinio Juris]

Tagged Publications. 


New RSD Report

Asylum Access Ecuador and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) have released a new report entitled Refugee Status Determination in Latin America: Regional Challenges and Opportunities - The National Systems in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico.  Here is part of the description:
The report "provides a review of national frameworks centering attention on due process, access to information, appeals mechanisms and abbreviated RSD procedures. The study of experiences and national legislations in these countries creates an opportunity to discuss best practices and challenges in national systems that could benefit a regional dialogue. The recommendations included in the report focus on guaranteeing protection for refugees and due process, while encouraging discussions over regional standards and including regional and international commitments in national legal instruments and practices."

A Spanish-language version is also available.

Tagged Publications.  

16 April 2013

Accessing Journal Articles

A comment was left on my last post which expressed frustration about not being able to access journal articles "without paying substantial sums."  I've been posting a lot recently on the Open Access (OA) movement which seeks to redress this very situation.  But since the bulk of scholarly literature does not yet fall under the OA model, what options do researchers have at their disposal right now for retrieving the full-text of academic journal articles?

Here are several suggestions:

1. Visit an academic library to use its journal article databases.  Even if you are not a student or faculty member, academic libraries will often let community members or researchers search their subscription databases while on-site.  Generally, the only cost involved is for the printouts.  Or if a library subscribes to the print version of a journal, you can always make a photocopy.  Use WorldCat to locate the nearest library that carries the journal you want to retrieve.

2. Search on the title of the article of interest in Google Scholar.  This is Google's scholarly literature search engine.  Just below an entry's listing in the search results, there will often be a link to "All x versions," which directs users to the various places online where they can find either a citation to the article or even a PDF.  Here is an example of the various "versions" available for an article I wrote back in 2000 that was published in Libri Journal.  (Caveat: It's always a good idea to proceed with caution when confronted with unfamiliar URLs!  If a web site address looks suspicious, one way to check it out is via Norton's Safe Web search feature.)

3.  Contact the author of an article directly.  Usually, s/he will be happy to share a copy with you.


Tagged Publications.   


12 April 2013

Finding Resources

A quick head's up to let you know that I have just added a tab to the top of my blog labeled "Where Can I Find... ."  It's essentially a directory to the various resources I have developed over the years that facilitate access to forced migration information and research.  So a central starting point of sorts... .

The other three tabs on my blog lead to research guides on refugees, IDPs and stateless people - all of which have recently been updated.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Regional Focus: Europe

Upcoming event:

"A City Says Yes!" Welcoming Resettled Refugees in Europe, Brussels, 8 May 2013 [info]
- Register by 17 April 2013.

Publications:

Decision Making in Asylum Cases and Appeal Process: Situation, Relevant Issues and Recommendations for Lithuania (IOM, 2013) [text]

Europe's Forced Returnees Claim Abuse (IRIN, April 2013) [text]

Evaluering av advokatordningen for asylsøkere = Evaluating the legal aid provided to asylum seekers (Oxford Research, Oct. 2012) [text in Norwegian]
- An Executive Summary in English is provided on pp. 15-21.

Frontex: Human Rights Responsibilities (PACE, April 2013) [text]

UNHCR Welcomes Turkey's New Law on Asylum (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Middle East

"Do not send us so we can become refugees again" -  From "Nationals of a Hostile State" to Deportees: South Sudanese in Israel (African Refugee Development Center & Hotline for Migrant Workers, Feb. 2013) [text]

Funding Gap Threatens Refugee Response in Lebanon (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]

Joint NGO/UN Briefing of the Current Shortfalls in Aid and Ability to Meet Humanitarian Needs of Refugees from Syria in Jordan (ICMC et al., April 2013) [text]

Palestinian Refugees from Syria in Lebanon (ANERA, April 2013) [text]

Palestinian Refugees from Syria in Lebanon: A Needs Assessment (ANERA, March 2013) [text]

Syrian Refugee Crisis: The View From the Turkish Border (Refugees International Blog, April 2013) [text]

UAE: Don’t Deport Tamil Refugees to Sri Lanka (Human Rights Watch, April 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.