26 February 2006

Finding Out about New Pubs. from UNHCR

UNHCR makes many of the documents it produces available in full-text either on its web site or its REFWORLD cd-rom (available thru. subscription). Not every addition is advertised or highlighted, though, making it difficult to keep track of new resources. The web site does provide a "What's New" section, although it is an incomplete listing. However, it did inform me that three new working papers had been added to the New Issues in Refugee Research series, as of 24 Feb. 2006:
- An exploration of the livelihood strategies of Durban Congolese refugees, by Baruti Bahati Amisi
- Getting back home: Impact on property rights of the Indian Ocean earthquake-tsunami 2004, by Shaun Williams
- La définition de « réfugié » dans les législations africaines : une analyse comparative critique, by Cristiano d'Orsi

Another way to find out about new protection-related resources is through the Protection Information Section's email alerts; send a request to hqpr12@unhcr.org to be included. Recent alerts have pointed to the following legal opinions/guidelines:
- Advisory Opinion from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the Scope of the National Security Exception Under Article 33(2) of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (6 Jan. 2006)
- UNHCR Guidelines on the Application in Mass Influx Situations of the Exclusion Clauses of Article 1F of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (7 Feb. 2006)
- UNHCR's Position on Sudanese Asylum-Seekers From Darfur (10 Feb. 2006)

The alerts also highlight country reports, such as:
- Japan: Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Writenet report by Meryll Dean (Feb. 2006)

Other "publications" sub-sections within UNHCR's web site to check for new resources:
- Publications
- Partnership Guides (especially for operational handbooks)
- Protection Publications (for handbooks, commentaries, training materials)
- Legal and Protection Policy Research Series (for refugee law papers)

Posted in Publications and Web Sites/Tools.