Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items - Pt. 2

Journal articles:

"Addressing Internal Displacement in Peace Agreements, 1992–2023: Global Trends and Implications," Refugee Survey Quarterly, Advance Articles, 30 July 2026 [open access]

"Authoritarian borders? Turning authoritarian international law inside-out," International Journal of Migration and Border Studies (Forthcoming, 2026) [open access]

"Editor’s Introduction: Global Mobility Law - Rethinking the Role of Law in Movement Across Borders," International Journal of Migration and Border Studies (Forthcoming, 2026) [preprint]

"Freedom of movement, sovereignty, and the Third World in postwar international law (1948-1968)," International Journal of Migration and Border Studies (Forthcoming, 2026) [open access]

"'Humanity Washed Ashore': Can Migrants and Refugees Constitute a Collective Civilian Population in the Sense of Crimes Against Humanity?," Journal of International Criminal Justice, Advance Articles, 29 July 2026 [open access]

"An Intergenerational Right of Return: Addressing the Historical Displacement of Diasporic Communities," LSE Law Review, vol. 11, no. 3 (2026) [open access]

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 108, no. 931 [open access]

- Special issue on "Upholding Humanity in War." 

"Life-Making Under Humanitarian Law," Annual Review of Law and Social Science, vol. 21 (2025) [open access]

Refugee Survey Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 2 (June 2026) [contents]

- Special issue on "Caught between Justice and Injustice: Interactions and Frictions between International Criminal Law and International Refugee Law."

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items - Pt. 1 (20 Aug. 2026)

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items - Pt. 1

Opportunity:

CFP: Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, volume 30 [info]

- Contributions sought for a special thematic forum that examines "the structure, functioning, and evolution of the diverse institutions and entities that comprise the wider United Nations (UN) system, including subsidiary organs, specialised agencies, related organisations, and other components of the broader UN-centred multilateral framework." Submit abstracts by 28 August 2026.

**See also this earlier listing of opportunities; several have a legal focus.

Short pieces:

The Externalisation of the Refugee System and the Risk of Refoulement for Asylum Seekers Regarding the ‘Safe Countries of Origin’ in the Asylum Procedures Regulation (RLI Blog, Aug. 2026) [text]

Must States Control Their Borders? The Ceuta Crisis and International Law (EJIL: Talk Blog, Aug. 2026) [text]

Reports:

Declaration on the Foundations and Renewal of the International Protection for Forcibly Displaced Populations (IDRC Research Chairs on Forced Displacement, July 2026) [access]

- Available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. In addition, the a/m link directs readers to a recording of the launch event. Also provided is a Plan of Action for advancing this Declaration, in English, French and Spanish.

Position paper on non-refoulement and the prohibition of torture (Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, July 2026) [text]

- See also related press release.

Multimedia:

The Refugee Convention at 75: An Important Legacy, an Uncertain Future, Forced From Home Podcast Series, no. 9 (Refugees International, Aug. 2026) [access]

Related posts:

- Call for inputs: UNHCR's Handbook on Refugee Law Project (4 Aug. 2026)

- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items (28 July 2026)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 2

Journal articles & book chapters:

"Aiding Peace or Conflict? The impact of USAID cuts on violence," Science, vol. 392, no. 6799 (May 2026) [preprint]

"Dirty Work and the Domestic Politics of Aid," International Organization, vol. 80, no. 3 (Aug. 2026) [open access]

"Humanitarian Aid: Coloniality, Compassion, and Planetary Solidarity," Chapter in Palgrave Handbook on Decolonizing International Affairs (Palgrave Macmillan, Aug. 2026) [open access]

"The humanitarian–development–peace (triple) nexus: a typology and critical reflections," Disasters, vol. 50, no. 4 (Oct. 2026) [open access]

"Humanitarianism under structural strain: fragmentation and the reconfiguration of humanitarian governance in contemporary crises," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 11:19 (Aug. 2026) [open access]

"Localisation beyond the international–local divide: paternalism and politicisation in humanitarian response in Dominica and Turkey," Disasters, vol. 50, no. 4 (Oct. 2026) [open access]

"Protecting at Home or Providing Abroad: Refugee Policy in Civil Conflicts," International Organization, vol. 80, no. 3 (Aug. 2026) [open access]

Multimedia:

Error and trial: What really makes the humanitarian system change? (Rethinking Humanitarianism Podcast Series, Aug. 2026) [access]

Resource:

USAID Archive (AidData) [access]

- An archive of USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC). Includes "~4,500 English-language performance and impact evaluations published between 2000 and 2023." Read this blog post for more details.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1 (19 Aug. 2026)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance - Pt. 1

Opportunities:

Call for applications: Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action, Online, Fordham Univ. [info]

- Applications are considered on a rolling basis.

Report launch: The State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) Report 2026: Online launch, 15 September 2026 

- Session 1 [info]

- Session 2 [info]

Short pieces:

When kidnapping kills more than bullets: operational lessons from civil–military coordination in humanitarian crises (ODIHPN, July 2026) [text]

World Humanitarian Day 2026: Aid workers under fire as armed drones transform war-making (OCHA, Aug. 2026) [text]

- World Humanitarian Day is commemorated every year on August 19th, the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. Learn more on OCHA's WHD26 page.

**For more updates on developments in this area, sign up for one or more of The New Humanitarian's various newsletter options, as well as IHSA's weekly selection of humanitarian blog posts.

Reports:

 

Aid Worker Security Report 2026 – When the threat is the state: Detentions of humanitarian workers (Humanitarian Outcomes, Aug. 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

- See also related Figures at a Glance, LinkedIn post and IRC press release.

Beyond good intentions: Closing the duty of care divide (Humanitarian Advisory Group, Aug. 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

- See also Gaza and Myanmar case studies.

Beyond Vigilance: Embodied self-regulation as a foundational competency in humanitarian contexts, HADRI Global Development Working Paper,  no. 3 (Western Sydney Univ., 2026) [text]

High-Impact Solutions in Humanitarian Response: Proven Interventions That Deliver Maximum Results Per Dollar (International Rescue Committee, May 2026) [access]

- Follow link for brief and report.

Humanitarian Access Overview: Access Conditions in Crisis-affected Countries (ACAPS, July 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

Impacts of the conflict in the Middle East (ACAPS, July 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

The State of Logistics and Supply Chain in the Humanitarian Context: Global Survey Findings (HELP Logistics, May 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

Strengthening Interoperability and Collaboration in Humanitarian Supply Chains (HELP Logistics, May 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

UNHCR Use of Flexible Funding: January to June 2026 (UNHCR, July 2026) [text]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (10 July 2026)

Regional Focus: MENA

Opportunities:

Call for registration: 54th Online Course on International Refugee Law (Arabic), 15 September–15  October 2026 [info]

- Register by 4 September 2026.

CFP: "Displacement Beyond the Archive: Creative Practices, Affective Memory and Palestinian Survival" [info]

- Contributions sought for a forthcoming special issue with potential publication in the Journal of Conflict Transformation and Security. Submit abstracts by 15 September 2026.

Short pieces:

Lebanon: More than 850,000 displaced return to areas of origin but crisis remains far from over (UNHCR, Aug. 2026) [text]

Return Without Protection: Afghan Refugees and the 2026 U.S.-Iran War (USCRI, Aug. 2026) [text]

UNHCR’s Salih urges global solidarity as Syria reaches pivotal moment for return and recovery (UNHCR, Aug. 2026) [text]

New book:

Overseas: Young Migrant Voices from Lebanon, Libya, and Tunisia (International Center for Transitional Justice, 2025; posted July 2026) [full-text]

- "This book features testimonies of young migrants originally from or currently residing in Lebanon, Libya, or Tunisia who left their home countries for political or socioeconomic reasons. The authors all took part in ICTJ’s 2023 writing contest titled 'Overseas'. The contest aimed to encourage participants to reflect on the reasons for leaving their home countries and to explore how marginalization, exclusion, inequality, and conflict shaped their decisions." See also related press release. Available in English, Arabic and French.

Reports:

Accounting for Missing Persons in Libya: Applying Global Good Practice (International Commission on Missing Persons, Feb. 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

Research on Syrian refugees’ perceptions of return (Syrian Civil Administration Dev. Center, Aug. 2026) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Focuses on Türkiye.

Journal articles:

"The assemblage of IDP governance in Iraq: The politics of camp closures and (non-)returns,"Migration Studies, vol. 14, no. 3 (Sept. 2026) [open access]

"From Crisis to Gains in the Gulf  ?: Decentralized Migration Management, COVID-19 Pandemic Diplomacy, and the Emirati State," Chapter in Healthcare, Migration and Politics in the Middle East: The Covid-19 Pandemic in Local Contexts (Palgrave Macmillan, April 2026) [preprint]

"Harm reduction among refugees and displaced populations in Lebanon: a systematic review," Harm Reduction Journal, OnlineFirst, 23 July 2026 [open access]

"Heat and Dust Impacts on the Health of Refugees in Zaatari Refugee Camp," GeoHealth, vol. 10, no 7 (July 2026) [open access]

"Litigating Slow Violence: Deprivation in Gaza, Humanitarian Aid, and the Limits of International Humanitarian Law," Harvard International Law Journal, vol. 67, no. 2 (Summer 2026) [full-text]

Related post:

- Regional Focus: MENA (24 July 2026)

Thematic Focus: General

Opportunities:

Call for applications: International Online School in Forced Migration, Univ. of Oxford [info]

- Two sessions will be offered in 2026-2027 academic year: 7-11 December 2026 & 21-25 June 2027. Applications are considered on a rolling basis and places are limited, so early application is strongly encouraged.

Job announcement: Academic Content and Facilitation Manager, Refugee-Led Research Hub, Refugee Studies Centre [info]

- Apply by 19 August 2026.

Short pieces:

As migrants surge into Ceuta, do restrictive immigration policies work? (Northeastern Univ., July 2026) [text]

Global Trends in Forced Migration: A Critical Annual Review (2026) (IASFM Blog, June 2026) [text]

Reports:

2025 Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World (European Union, Aug. 2026) [access]

Global Overview of Migration Routes (January-April 2026) (IOM, Aug. 2026) [access]

Global Survey of Operations 2025 (IOM, Aug. 2026) [access]

- Note: Provides link to related interactive dashboard.

Population Aging Is Here. Immigration Can Offer Half an Answer (Migration Policy Institute, July 2026) [text]

Refugee camps: current practice and historical perspectives (ODI, July 2026) [access]

Journal articles:

"Nothing About Us Without Us: Rethinking Positionality and Power in Refugee Research," Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 21 July 2026 [open access]

"Processes of Migration Returns and Reintegration: A Comparative Perspective," Special collection in International Migration (2024-2026) [access]

"Refugees in the City: How Humanitarian Migration Transforms Urban Areas," Migration Information Source, 22 July 2026 [text]

"Survey Article: Refugees and Location in International Law and Morality," Political Philosophy, vol. 3, no. 2 (2026) [open access]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: General (17 July 2026)

Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality

Short pieces:

Challenge to citizenship refusal under section 3(1) by stateless children refused for lack of supporting evidence (Free Movement Blog, Aug. 2026) [text]

- Focuses on the UK.

The State That Survives, the Citizen Who Doesn’t (RLI Blog, July 2026) [text]

- Discusses ramifications of the ICJ's recent Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change.

Spotlight series: Statelessness (Global Voices, August 2026) [access]

- Posts in this series have continued into August.

Status Stripped: Current and Potential Abuse of the U.S. Denaturalization Process (Oxford Human Rights Hub, July 2026) [Part I] [Part II] [Part III] 

UNHCR Welcomes Portuguese Law to Strengthen Protection for Stateless Persons (UNHCR, Aug. 2026) [text]

- *See also related ENS news story.

You can’t go back to a country that doesn’t exist (The Hill, July 2026) [text]

- Focuses on the US. See also related WRC blog post.

Reports: 

Birthright Citizenship and Pregnant Immigrant Women: Ensuring Access to Citizenship After Trump v. Barbara (Women's Refugee Commission, July 2026) [text]

From Interpretation to International Law-Making? A Legal Assessment of UNHCR’s Mandate, Practice and Authority relating to Statelessness, Dissertation (KU Leuven, Aug. 2026) [abstract]

- Note: Access to the full-text is embargoed until 27 Aug. 2027. 

Update on statelessness, including the Global Alliance, 96th meeting of the Standing Committee, UN Doc. No. EC/77/SC/CRP.11 (Executive Comm. of the High Commissioner's Programme, June 2026) [text]

- See also related remarks.

Journal articles:

"Bureaucratic Blindspot: The Deportation of Stateless Bhutanese," Journal on Migration and Human Security, OnlineFirst, 21 July 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on the US.

"Proportionality of terrorism-based deprivation of citizenship under the ECHR," International Journal of Human Rights, Latest Articles, 3 Aug. 2026 [open access]

"Statelessness and Regional Responsibility: The Rohingya Crisis, Thailand's Role, and ASEAN's Response," Modern Academic Development and Promotion Journal, vol. 4, no. 4 (2026) [open access]

"What is wrong with denationalization: Citizenship revocation and social equality," European Journal of Political Theory, OnlineFirst, 30 July 2026 [open access]

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality (24 July 2026)

Opportunities: More August 2026 & New September 2026

Call for expressions of interest: IOM Research Partners Panel [info]

- No deadline indicated.

CFP: "The Governance Rationalities of 'Transit States': Toward a Typology" [info]

- Contributions sought for a forthcoming special issue to be published in a yet-to-be-decided journal. Submit abstracts by 30 August 2026. 

Call for applications: Terms of Reference for Conducting the Study on the Development of a Specific Legal Framework for the Protection of Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa Due to Climate Change, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights [info]

- Submission deadline is 31 August 2026.

CFP: International Review of the Red Cross [info]

- Contributions sought for a special issue on "Protection of Civilians and International Humanitarian Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." Submit proposals by 1 September 2026.

Call for registration: Statelessness Essentials - Child Rights Edition, Online, 22 September–1 December 2026 [info]

- Registration opens 1 September 2026. No deadline indicated.

Call for registration: 54th Online Course on International Refugee Law (Arabic), 15 September–15  October 2026 [info]

- Register by 4 September 2026.

Call for registration: 9th Online Course on Advocacy for Protection, 19 October–13 November 2026 [info] 

- Register by 6 September 2026.

Call for registration: 2º Curso virtual sobre el Derecho internacional de la migración, 21 de septiembre–16 de octubre de 2026 [info]

- Register by 7 September 2026.

Call for registration: 5th Online Course on Climate Change and Forced Displacement, 12 October–6 November 2026 [info]

- Register by 8 September 2026.

CFP: Humanities and Social Sciences Communications [info]

- Contributions sought for a special collection on "Forced displacement and migration." Submit manuscripts by 11 September 2026.

Call for inputs: UNHCR's Handbook on Refugee Law Project [info]

- Submissions must be received by 15 September 2026.

Call for submissions: Migration Politics Open Track [info]

- Submit proposals by 15 September 2026.

Call for registration: 3rd Online Course on Mixed Movements: Protection Along Routes, 2 November–4 December 2026 [info]

- Register by 22 September 2026.

Call for registration: 20º Curso virtual sobre el Desplazamiento interno, 26 de octubre–20 de noviembre de 2026 [info]

- Register by 28 September 2026.

Book discussion: Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa, Houston, Texas/Online, 29 September 2026 [info]

Call for registration: Migration Governance and Migrant Masculinities International Academic Workshop, Toronto/Online, 29 September 2026 [info]

CFP: Comparative Migration Studies [info]

- Contributions sought for a special issue on "Durable Solutions in Motion: Rethinking Return and Belonging from a South-South Perspective." Submission deadline is 30 September 2026.

Tagged Events & Opportunities

New Issues of APMJ, Hum. Alt., ICRC Rev., IJMBS, Intl. Migr., IMR, JEiE, JEMS, JIRS, Mig. & Dev., Soc. Analysis

*Reminder: Postprints of articles published in the journals below that are marked with an asterisk can be archived/deposited in a repository immediately after publication (like the Forced Migration Research Archive) - i.e., there is no embargo period! This allows authors to provide open access to their scholarly journal articles without having to pay costly publication fees. Please refer to this earlier blog post for more information. 

Authors of open access articles in these journals are also encouraged to deposit their work in the Forced Migration Research Archive (FMRA). The submission form and guidelines are available on FMRA's website.

__________________________________________________________________

*Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, vol. 35, no. 2 (June 2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles. 

Humanitarian Alternatives = Alternatives Humanitaires, no. 32 (July 2026) [Eng. full-text] [Fr. full-text]

- Issue theme is "Artificial intelligence: uses, tensions and issues = Intelligence artificielle : usages, tensions et enjeux." See also this related Forum post.

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, vol. 9, no. 1 (2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles. 

International Migration, vol. 64, no. 4 (July 2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with nine that are open access.

*International Migration Review, vol. 60, no. 3 (Sept. 2026) [contents]

- Features a special collection on "Routine Irregularities: The Contested Governance of Irregular and Forced Migration in Asia" and includes sub-sections on "Human Rights, Citizenship, and Migrant Protections," "Street-Level Bureaucracies? The Role of Intermediaries and Institutions in Migrants' Lives," and "Migrant Families and Reproduction." Ten book reviews are freely available.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 108, no. 931 (April 2026) [open access via CUP] 

- Special issue on "Upholding Humanity in War."

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 52, no. 13 (2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with six that are open access.

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 24, no. 3 (2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with six that are open access.

Journal on Education in Emergencies, vol. 11, no. 1 (July 2026) [open access]

- Special issue on "Mobilizing an Effective, Equitable, and Just Data and Evidence Ecosystem for Education in Crisis and Conflict Contexts."

*Migration and Development, vol. 15, no. 1 (June 2026) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with four that are open access.

Social Analysis, vol. 70, no. 1 (2026) [open access]

- Special issue on "Beyond the Suffering Subject in Migration Research."

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: Children & Families

Short pieces:

"Small Texas law firm set to receive $150M to represent unaccompanied migrant children," NPR, 5 Aug. 2026 [text]

The Status That Was Always Meant to Bend: Germany’s Second Suspension of Family Reunification (RLI Blog, Aug. 2026) [text]

Ukrainian refugee children in UK risk losing mother tongue, study warns (Univ. of York, July 2026) [text]

Reports:

Consequences of Growing Up Displaced: Evidence from Displaced Children in Colombia, Policy Research Working Paper, no. 11429 (World Bank, July 2026) [text]

Data Analysis of Asylum Applications by Unaccompanied Minors in 2025, Fact Sheet, no. 46 (EU Agency for Asylum, Aug. 2026) [text]

Practical Tool for Guardians (EU Agency for Asylum, June 2026)

- The asylum procedure

- Introduction to international protection

Journal articles:

"Between a Bloc and a Far Place: ‘Humanitarian’ Child Placement and Human Rights amid Greece’s Transition to a Long-Lasting Democracy," Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, Ahead-of-print, 1 July 2026 [open access]

"Death Anxiety and Trauma in Forcibly Displaced Children in the Gaza Strip: A Critical Review of Emerging Research, 2024–2025," Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 28, no. 1 (Dec. 2026) [open access]

"In Its Second Term, Trump Administration Quietly Expands Family Separation," Migration Information Source, 30 July 2026 [text]

"The stranglehold of asylum: the dim violence of bureaucracy in the lives of young unaccompanied exiles," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 18 July 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Switzerland.

"To Exclude or Protect: Unaccompanied Minors and the Failures of Immigration Law," Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Ahead of Print, 30 June 2026 [abstract]

- Note: This article is slated to be published under the subscribe to open access model (S2O) in the last quarter of the year.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Children & Families (15 July 2026)