Human Rights Watch World Report 2008

Human Rights Watch released its 2008 report today. The introductory essay focuses on the "democracy charade": "The established democracies are accepting flawed and unfair elections for political expediency..." (news release).

Chapters summarizing human rights issues in more than 75 countries can be accessed by regional drop-down menus. Also available are essays, audio commentary, and photographs.

Previous world reports can be accessed here.

Posted in Publications.

Publications: Children, Darfur, Forced Migration/Africa, Freedom, Iraqi Refugees, Libyans/UK,

"The Changing Manifestations of Forced Migration: Africa in Denial of its Migrant History?," Part 1, Refugee Insights, no. 12, pp. 18-20 (Refugee Consortium of Kenya , 2007) [access]

Displaced in Darfur: A generation of anger (Amnesty International, Jan. 2008) [access]

Freedom in the World 2008 (Freedom House, Jan. 2008) [access]
- Report findings, tables, and map currently available.

The Iraqi Refugee Crisis: The Need for Action (Migration Policy Institute, Jan. 2008) [text]

Libyan Nationals in the United Kingdom: Geo-political considerations and trends in asylum and return, Compas Working Paper no. 58 (Dec. 2007) [text]

The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival (UNICEF, Jan. 2008) [access]

Posted in Publications.

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)

After 25 years of work in the human rights arena, the IHF was forced to shut its doors in early December 2007 when the embezzlement committed by the organization's former financial manager caused the organization to file for bankruptcy.

The IHF's records and documents will be transferred to the Open Society Archives (OSA) at the Central European University in Budapest where they will eventually be made available for research purposes. In the meantime, the OSA is continuing to operate the IHF web site. Earlier incarnations of the site are also available via the Internet Archive.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Resources for Health-related Research

The Information on Treatment and Healthcare Accessibility in Countries of Origin (ITHACA) project recently teamed up with ECOI.net to provide information on the medical situation in countries of origin in support of the asylum process. Their focus is particularly on basic health care services and HIV/AIDS treatment.

Other resources that can assist with research into forced migration and health issues include:

CultureMed [access]
- "A web site and a resource center of print materials promoting culturally-competent health care for refugees and immigrants."

Global Health Library [access]
- A virtual platform that allows users to search across multiple health information resources simultaneously.

Health for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Portal (HARPWEB) [access]
- Facilitates access to health-related research and information sources.

PubMed [access]
- Biomedical literature database that is freely searchable.

ReliefWeb, Policy and Issues by Theme: Health [access]
- Variety of reports on health-related topics.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Periodicals: AWR, Conflict & Health, Conflict Trends, Dev. in Practice, IJMHSC, JEMS, JPR, Torture

AWR Bulletin, no. 3/2007 [contents - scroll down]
- Mix of articles with several focusing on asylum in the EU.

Conflict and Health (Dec. 2007) [full-text]
- Three new articles in Dec. 2007.

Conflict Trends, no. 3/2007 [full-text]
- Theme is "Peace Agreements."

Development in Practice, vol. 18, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 3, no. 3 (Nov. 2007) [contents, sample article]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 34, no. 2 (2008) [contents]
- Theme is "Africa<>Europe: Transnational Linkages, Multi-Sited Lives."

Journal of Peace Research, vol. 44, no. 6 (Nov. 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Torture Journal, vol. 17, no. 3 (2007) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Posted in Periodicals.

More on Monitoring Conferences through Podcasts

As reported earlier, the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) recently held its 11th conference in Cairo. In the past, those who were not able to attend normally would have to wait for the rapporteur report to be published in the Journal of Refugee Studies in order to learn what was discussed. (The report for IASFM 10, held June 2006, appeared in the September 2007 issue of JRS.)

Happily, Forced Migration Online (FMO) is planning to release a series of podcasts recorded at the conference over the next several weeks. In the interim, they have made a video available that "features participants reading quotes which were originally spoken by others during the conference" and was produced by IASFM rapporteur John Nassari.

Posted in Events and Web Sites/Tools.

February Conference Deadlines

The First World Conference of Humanitarian Studies is not slated to take place until 4-8 February 2009. However, the deadline for panel submissions is 1 February 2008. (The deadline for paper abstracts is 1 September 2008.) Meeting participants will, among other objectives, "take stock of the current theory, debates, and issues of humanitarian studies."

The International Peace Research Association's 22nd conference is scheduled for 15-19 July 2008. The extended deadline for proposals is 15 February 2008. One of the goals of the meeting is to "discuss the state of the art of peace research." Proposals relating to forced migration are encouraged.

Posted in Events and Opportunities.

Publications: Afghan Returnees, COI, IDPs, Livelihoods/Uganda, Older Refugees/UK, Statistics

Angering Akujů: Survival and Suffering in Karamoja (Feinstein International Center, Dec. 2007) [text]
- Focuses on livelihoods and human security in the Karamoja Region of Uganda.

Country Information in Asylum Procedures: Quality as a Legal Requirement in the EU (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Dec. 2007) [text]

Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IASC, Dec. 2007) [text via Refworld]
- Provisional edition.

Older refugees in the UK: A literature review and interviews with refugees (Refugee Council, Jan. 2008) [text]
- Re-issue of two earlier reports.

Second generation Afghans in neighbouring countries - from Mohajer to Hamwatan: Afghans return home (Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, Dec. 2007) [text via Eldis]

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2006: Trends in Displacement, Protection and Solutions (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Refugee Law Reader

The fourth edition of the Refugee Law Reader is now available. It includes updated reading lists that reflect the most recent and relevant publications as well as updated legal instruments. A fifth edition is already in the works and is due to be issued in late 2008. As noted in the introduction of the syllabus, this next edition

"will introduce new regional legal sections focusing on Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Alongside the English language publication, adapted language editions will be launched in French, Russian, and Spanish. The Editorial Board hopes that with these new developments, the Reader can move towards an effective regional approach to refugee legal education that will overcome language and geographical barriers and can effectively serve a larger community of asylum experts worldwide."

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

New Blogs

International Aid Workers Today [access] [RSS feed]
- Intended to be a meeting place for those interested in international humanitarian work. Currently, most postings are news items.

Lifeline for Iraqi Refugees [access] [RSS feed]
- Part of the Human Rights First campaign to raise awareness of the Iraqi refugee issue and advocate for a comprehensive response.

MSF Bloggers [access] [RSS feed]
- Read postings from MSF field workers based in a variety of different countries.

RefBlog [access] [RSS feed]
- RefBlog combines ICAR's two previous blogs, PolicyBlog and MediaBlog, along with the weekly Asylum Update and presents the content in one unified blog.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Child Asylum-Seekers, Climate Change, Detention, Humanitarian Personnel, Property Rights, Resilience, Statelessness

Applying the Lessons of Bosnia in Iraq: Whatever the Solution, Property Rights Should be Secured (Jan. 2008, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement) [text]

The conditions in centres for third country national (detention camps, open centres as well as transit centres and transit zones) with a particular focus on provisions and facilities for persons with special needs in the 25 EU member states (Dec. 2007, European Parliament) [text via Statewatch]

Kazakhstan: Neglecting Refugees, Engendering Statelessness (Dec. 2007, Refugees International) [text]

Kyrgyz Republic: Powerful Neighbors Imperil Protection and Create Statelessness (Dec. 2007, Refugees International) [text]

Like any other child? Children and families in the asylum process (Jan. 2008, Barnado's) [text]

Making Sense of Climate Change, Natural Disasters, and Displacement: A Work in Progress (Dec. 2007, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement) [text]

Resilience in Humanitarian Aid Workers: Understanding Processes of Development (Jan. 2008, London South Bank University) [text via ReliefWeb]

Posted in Publications.

Newsletter: Women's Asylum News

The latest issue (no. 71) of Women's Asylum News from the Refugee Women's Resource Project (RWRP) is now available on Asylum Aid's web site. The lead article is entitled "Safe to Return? Pakistani women, domestic violence and access to refugee protection." Previous issues are available through the publications library.

Posted in Periodicals.

Newsletters: COI, Conflict, Human Trafficking, Humanitarian Assistance, Peace

Global Eye on Trafficking, no. 1 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From IOM.

Monthly Newsletter, no. 22 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From the Programme on Conflict and Peacebuilding at the School for a Culture of Peace.

PeaceWatch, vol. 13, no. 4 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The Researcher, no. 8 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- Published by the Refugee Documentation Centre, Ireland.

VOICE Out Loud, no. 6 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- Focus is on "Advocacy in the humanitarian field."

Posted in Periodicals.

Safety of Journalists/Aid Workers

Two headlines reflecting on 2007 highlight the security realities confronting both humanitarian personnel and journalists who work in conflict situations.

The ICRC recently held a meeting on "media safety and international humanitarian law in war reporting." This summary of the discussions includes links to relevant web sites. Other related ICRC resources are available here.

Relevant guides include:

- Live News Africa: A Survival Guide for Journalists (International News Safety Institute &
International Federation of Journalists Africa Office, July 2007) [text]

- On Assignment: A Guide to Reporting in Dangerous Situations (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2003) [text]

- Practical Guide for Journalists (Reporters without Borders, 2002) [text]

- Reporting for Change: A Handbook for Local Journalists in Crisis Areas (Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 2004) [text - scroll down to see chapters]

- Reporting Human Rights and Humanitarian Stories: A Journalist's Handbook (International Centre for Humanitarian Reporting, 1997) [text via ReliefWeb]

Humanitarian personnel are frequent targets in insecure environments. This study and its companion briefing paper provide a quantitative analysis of the "changing security environment for civilian aid operations" (p. 1). This ICRC web page provides resources for protecting aid workers under international humanitarian law.

Relevant guides include:

- ECHO Security DVD [access] [alt. version via AidWorkers Network]

- Protection Manual for Human Rights Defenders (Front Line, 2005) [text]

- Security Manual for NGOs Working in Insecure Environments (CWS, 2000) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Staying Alive: Safety and Security Guidelines for Humanitarian Volunteers in Conflict Areas (ICRC, Jan. 2006) [text via ReliefWeb]

Posted in Publications.

New Pubs: Afghan Asylum Seekers, Asylum Decisions, Civilian Protection, Colombia, IDPs/Angola, Jewish Refugees/Denmark, West Africa

22nd ALNAP Biannual Meeting, Papers [access]
- Papers are available in English and French. The theme of the meeting was "Compounding crises: combinations of vulnerabilities, risks and hazards in West Africa."

Angola: Former IDPs share the common challenge of recovery and reconstruction (IDMC, Dec. 2007) [text via Refworld]

Between war and peace: Land and humanitarian action in Colombia, HPG Working Paper (ODI, Dec. 2007) [text]

Protective action: Incorporating civilian protection into humanitarian response, HPG Report no. 26 (ODI, Dec. 2007) [text]
- See also the related web page.

"Refugee Roulette: Disparities in Asylum Adjudication," Stanford Law Review, vol. 60, no. 2 (2007) [text]
- See also the related web site.

UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Afghan Asylum-Seekers (Dec. 2007) [text]

Welfare, refugees and rescue: Denmark and the 'Jewish Question' from 1933 to 1945, DIIS Working Paper no. 2007/31 (DIIS, Dec. 2007) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Slovenian Presidency of the EU

Slovenia has assumed the EU presidency for the period January to June 2008. You can read more about its migration-related priorities in the "Home Affairs" policy section of its web site. Both UNHCR and ECRE recently submitted memoranda to the Slovenian presidency outlining their views on and recommendations for EU action on refugee and asylum matters.

Posted in Publications.

February Meetings

Hosted by the Forced Migration & Refugee Studies Program at the American University in Cairo, the 11th IASFM conference starts Sunday and continues through the 10th. The theme of the conference is "Refugees and Forced Migration at the Crossroads: Forced Migration in a Changing World."

Looking ahead, several meetings are scheduled in February:

ICVA Conference 2008: The Essential Humanitarian Reforms, 1 February, Geneva [site] [programme/registration]
- Will focus on how to make the humanitarian community more effective.

ELENA International Course on Cessation and Exclusion Clauses, National Security and Non-Refoulement, 22-24 February, Athens [flyer]
- The "course will examine the exclusion and cessation clauses in the EC Qualification Directive in light of International Refugee and Human Rights law as well as recent developments in relation to the principle of non-refoulement. ..."

Dispossession and Displacement: Forced Migration in the Middle East and Africa, 28-29 February, London [site]
- "The conference will assess research on refugees and forced migration from Afghanistan in the East to Morocco in the West as well as Sudan to the South."

Posted in Events and Opportunities.