New Issues of IJRL, JRS

International Journal of Refugee Law, vol. 19, no. 4 (Dec. 2007) [contents]
- Article titles include: "Assessing Testimonial Evidence in Asylum Proceedings: Guiding Standards from the International Criminal Tribunals," "Shadows in Paradise – Exploring Non-Refoulement as an Open Concept," "International Law and Detention of US Asylum Seekers: Contrasting Matter of D-J- with the United Nations Refugee Convention," "Redundant or Essential? How Politics Shaped the Outcome of the 1967 Protocol," and "Starting a Movement of Refugee Legal Aid Organizations in the South."

Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 21, no. 1 (March 2008) [contents]
- Article titles include: "Theoretical Perspectives on Post-Migration Adaptation and Psychological Well-Being among Refugees: Towards a Resource-Based Model," "EU–Libya Cooperation on Migration: A Raw Deal for Refugees and Migrants?," "Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: Not All Refugees, Not Always in Pakistan, Not Necessarily Afghan?," "Dislocated Masculinity: Adolescence and the Palestinian Nation-in-exile," "Involuntary Resettlement as an Opportunity for Development: The Case of Urban Resettlers of the Three Gorges Project, China," "Mediated Communication with Minors in Asylum-seeking Hearings," and "Giving Silence a Chance: The Importance of Life Stories for Research on Refugees."

Posted in Periodicals.

Publications: Children & Conflict, Climate, Minority Groups, Public Health, Repatriation/Rwanda, Weak States

Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: Addressing Vulnerabilities and Harnessing Opportunities - Background Paper (IOM & Greek Chairmanship of the Human Security Network, Feb. 2008) [text]

Getting it Done and Doing it Right: A Global Study on the United Nations-led Monitoring & Reporting Mechanism on Children and Armed Conflict (Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, Jan. 2008) [text]

Index of State Weakness in the Developing World (Brookings Institution, Feb. 2008) [access]
- "Tool for analyzing and understanding the world's most vulnerable countries."

Peoples under Threat 2008 (Minority Rights Group, Feb. 2008) [text]

Public Health Facility Toolkit: Tools for Assessing, Monitoring and Evaluating the Quality of Public Health Services Supported by UNHCR (UNHCR, Jan. 2008) [text]

Repatriation and Reconciliation in Divided Societies: The Case of Rwanda’s ‘Ingando’, RSC Working Paper, no. 43 (RSC, Jan. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

The Minority Rights Group has launched an online version of the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. The database provides access to profiles of some 700 minority and indigenous groups by region, country, or group. Entries for individual countries provide an overview of the environment, people, history, and governance of the country, as well as a summary of the current status and treatment of minority and indigenous groups with links to more detailed profiles of individual groups. Lists of relevant organizations and additional reading materials are also provided.

The database's predecessor, the World Directory of Minorities, was formerly published in 1990 and 1997 as a print encyclopedia.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Newsletters: Conflict, Human Security, Humanitarian Assistance, Refugee Rights, UN

Human Security Research, no. 38 (Feb. 2008) [text]
- Reviews recent studies on human security-related topics.

Monday Developments, vol. 25, no. 12 (Dec. 2007) [info.]
- Focus is "Tackling Accountability"; online version coming soon.

Programme on Conflict and Peacebuilding Monthly Newsletter, no. 23 (Jan. 2008) [text]
- Includes feature article on Kenya.

Refugee Rights News, vol. 4, no. 1 (Jan. 2008) [text]
- Includes feature article on Kenya.

UN Chronicle, vol. XLIV, no. 3 (2007) [text]
- Focus is on racism and racial discrimination; includes an article on asylum.

Posted in Periodicals.

New Issues of Dis. Prev. & Mgmt., Disasters, EJML, HRQ, JEMS

Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 17, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on learning the lessons of disasters from the past 105 years.

Disasters, vol. 32, no. 1 (March 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on IDP women in Colombia.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 9, no. 4 (2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 1 (Feb. 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on human trafficking.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 34, no. 3 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on asylum-seekers and refugees in the UK.

Posted in Periodicals.

Publications: Children, Climate Change, Destitution, Gender Issues, IDPs/Darfur, Refugee Education

Climate Change and its Implications for Human Migration and Health (International Centre for Migration and Health, Feb. 2008) [text]

Living on the edge of despair: destitution amongst asylum seeking and refugee children (The Children's Society, Feb. 2008) [text]

OI Policy Compendium Note on Gender Issues in Conflict and Humanitarian Crises (Oxfam International, Dec. 2007) [text]

Protecting Darfur’s Internally Displaced (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Feb. 2008) [text]

Tertiary Refugee Education Impact and Achievements: 15 Years of DAFI (UNHCR, Nov. 2007) [text]

UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report 2008 (UNICEF, Feb. 2008) [text via ReliefWeb]

Posted in Publications.

Working Papers: Asylum/Europe, Palestinians, Return Migration, Timor-Leste, Voluntary Repatriation/Afghanistan

Bialczyk, Agata, "‘Voluntary Repatriation’ and the Case of Afghanistan: A Critical Examination," RSC Working Paper, no. 46 (Refugee Studies Centre, Jan. 2008) [text]

Bitar, Maher, "Unprotected Among Brothers: Palestinians in the Arab World," RSC Working Paper, no. 44 (Refugee Studies Centre, Jan. 2008) [text]

Gonzalez Devant, Sara, "Displacement in the 2006 Dili Crisis: Dynamics of an Ongoing Conflict," RSC Working Paper, no. 45 (Refugee Studies Centre, Jan. 2008) [text]

King, Russell and Anastasia Christou, "Cultural Geographies of Counter-Diasporic Migration: The Second Generation Returns ‘Home’," Sussex Migration Working Paper, no. 45 (Sussex Centre for Migration Research, Jan. 2008) [text]

Maas, Wies Maria, "Fleeing to Europe: Europeanization and the Right to Seek Refugee Status," ISS Working Paper, no. 454 (Institute of Social Studies, Jan. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking

The Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking began today and will run through 15 February. Sessions will look at what makes people vulnerable to being trafficked; the impact of human trafficking on individuals, communities and economies; and the available instruments and tools that can be used to better protect people and fight human trafficking. An IOM-led session will be held tomorrow that focuses on "Communities in Crisis." Specifically, it "will address the human and social consequences of conflict, post conflict and natural disasters, such as the vulnerabilities related to child exploitation, child soldiers and refugees."

A number of background papers are available on the Forum's web page, along with a draft handbook in English and French for parliamentarians on the appropriate legal responses to combating trafficking in persons.

Published in Events and Publications.

New Library Acquisitions

(updated)

The following lists provide updates on the latest acquisitions to several library collections:

"Recent acquisitions in the RDC library," The Researcher, vol. 2, no. 4, Dec. 2007, p. 21 [text]

Refugee Council Archive at UEL, Accessions List, Nov. - Dec. 2007 [text]

Refugee Studies Centre Library, Accessions List, Oct. - Dec. 2007 [text]

UNHCR Library Highlights, Dec. 2007 [text], Jan.-Feb. 2008 [text]

Posted in Publications.

EU Asylum Law and Policy

The Statewatch European Monitoring & Documentation Centre on Justice and Home Affairs in the EU (SEMDOC) recently launched its newly updated and re-organized web site. It monitors EU Justice and Home Affairs policy, including measures relating to migration and asylum. Much of the information posted is available for free, but portions of the site require a subscription to access.

Other information resources relating to EU law and policy as it relates to asylum and refugee issues include:

Justice and Home Affairs, EU

- The European Union Policy towards a Common European Asylum System (EUROPA, Justice and Home Affairs) [access]
- Towards a common European asylum system (EUROPA, Justice and Home Affairs, Virtual Documentation Centre) [access]

Comments on EU Asylum Law and Policy

- Amnesty International, EU Office [access]
- ECRE [access]
- JRS Europe [access]
- UNHCR [access]

New Developments

- ECRAN Weekly Updates [access]

Statistics

- Asylum levels and trends in industrialized countries (UNHCR) [access]
- Population and Social Conditions (EUROSTAT) [access] (expand the population tree to "asylum" under the "data" and "tables" tabs)

Web Resources

- Eurasylum [access]

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Assistance/Africa, COI, Humanitarian Reform, IDPs/Colombia, Iraqi Displacement, Reintegration Policy

Advisory Panel on Country Information, Papers from Ninth Meeting, 2 October 2007 [access]

Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa, A/RES/62/125 (UNGA, 24 Jan. 2008) [text via Refworld]

Colombia: IDP Response Requires Greater Local Action and Accountability (Refugees International, Jan. 2008) [text]

ICVA Conference, "The Essential Humanitarian Reforms," Meeting Documents (1 Feb. 2008) [access]

The Iraqi Displacement Crisis (Refugees International, Jan. 2008) [text]

Policy Framework and Implementation Strategy: UNHCR's Role in Support of the Return and Reintegration of Displaced Populations, Informal Consultative Meeting (UNHCR, Feb. 2008) [English text] [French text]

Posted in Publications.

Periodicals: Conflict Trends, Forum refugies, Geo. Immig. LJ, Intl. Mig., ICRC Review, Women's Asylum News

Conflict Trends, no. 4/2007 [text]
- Focus is on peacekeeping in Africa.

Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, vol. 22, no. 1 (Fall 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on the difficulties Iraqis face seeking asylum in the U.S.

International Migration, vol. 46, no. 1 (March 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on hunger among asylum seekers and resettled refugees.

International Review of the Red Cross, no. 867 (2007) [text]
- Focus is on torture.

Le journal de forum réfugiés, no. 41 (janvier 2008) [text]
- Includes viewpoint on "réfugiés climatiques."

Women's Asylum News, no. 72 (Feb. 2008) [text]
- Lead article discusses how to protect trafficked women under the 1951 Convention.

Posted in Periodicals.

Publications: Armed Conflict, Asylum/EU, Children, Climate, Environment/Tanzania, Humanitarian Action, Reintegration/Angola

Better outcomes: the way forward, improving the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UK Home Office, Jan. 2008) [text]

Children and armed conflict: report of the Secretary-General, A/62/609–S/2007/757 (UN General Assembly, Security Council, Dec. 2007) [text]

Climate change and forced migration, New Issues in Refugee Research no. 153 (UNHCR, Jan. 2008) [text]

The Externalisation of EU Asylum Policy: The Position of African States, DIIS Brief (Danish Inst. for International Studies, Dec. 2007) [text]

The impact of environmental degradation on refugee-host relations: a case study from Tanzania, New Issues in Refugee Research no. 151 (UNHCR, Jan. 2008) [text]

An Uncertain Future: Law Enforcement, National Security and Climate Change (Oxford Research Group, Jan. 2008) [text]

When the displaced return: challenges to 'reintegration' in Angola, New Issues in Refugee Research no. 152 (UNHCR, Jan. 2008) [text]

World Economic Forum-OCHA Guiding Principles for Public-Private Collaboration in Humanitarian Action (Jan. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

COE Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings comes into force today, 1 February 2008. This was triggered by the required 10th state ratification on 24 October 2007. A handbook is available for parliamentarians to learn more about how to promote further ratification and application of the Convention by their governments. A complete list of ratifications and signatories is available on the COE's Campaign to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings web site.



Posted in Publications and Web Sites.