Summer Break

This blog will be on hold from Saturday, June 27th to Saturday, July 4th. It's a busy week with both IASFM12 (28 June - 2 July) and UNHCR's Annual Consultations with NGOs (29 June - 1 July) holding meetings. I look forward to learning more about these discussions and presentations via webcast, podcast and/or conference report, and sharing them with you accordingly.

Publications: Attitudes towards Refugees, Climate Change, IDPs/Europe, Irregular Migrants/Return, Pakistan, Right to Asylum & Intl. Law

Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Internal Displacement (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

The Enforced Return of Irregular Migrants: Rules and Practices in Norway, France, Poland and Sweden (ECON, June 2009) [text]

"Foreword," The Right to Asylum between Islamic Shari'ah and International Refugee Law: A Comparative Study (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

Pakistan: Invisible People, Visible Consequences (Refugees International, June 2009) [access]

Protracted Displacement in Europe (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Understanding Public Attitudes: A Review of Existing Evidence from Public Information and Communication Campaigns (Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund et al., June 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.

Resources for Journalists

Refugee Resettlement Reform featured a post about "Finding Refuge," a series on the CPJ blog on how an Iraqi interpreter/journalist became a refugee and found protection in the U.S.

There is little information available specifically for journalists who are forced to flee persecution. Reporters without Borders recently prepared "Guidelines for Exiled Journalists" (June 2009) to provide "information about the procedures and potential obstacles in seeking asylum." More information and resources are available via the Exiled Journalists' Network (EJN).

Assistance is also available for journalists who report on asylum and immigration issues. UNHCR, the National Union of Journalists & the Irish Refugee Council have published "Reporting on Refugees: Guidance by and for Journalists" (June 2009) to promote fairness and accuracy when reporting on refugees.

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of ICRC Review, Intl. J. HR, Mig. Rts. News, Women's Asylum News

International Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13, nos. 2&3 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Protection of Sexual Minorities since Stonewall: Progress and Stalemate in Developed and Developing Countries." Includes three articles on the refugee determination process.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 90, no. 872 (Dec. 2008) [contents]
- Theme is "Direct Participation in Hostilities."

Migrants' Rights Network Newsletter (June 2009) [full-text]

Women's Asylum News, no. 84 (June 2009) [full-text via Refworld]
- Features an update on the status of the Charter of Rights of Women Seeking Asylum.

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Armed Conflict, Development Assistance, Refugee Protection/South Africa, Roma/Kosovo, Uganda Refugees Act

Development assistance and refugees: Towards a North-South grand bargain?, Forced Migration Policy Briefing 2 (Refugee Studies Centre, June 2009) [text]

Kosovo: Poisoned by Lead: A Health and Human Rights Crisis in Mitrovica’s Roma Camps (HRW, June 2009) [text]

Our World. Views from the Field. Opinion Survey, Part 1: The Impact of Armed Conflict (ICRC, June 2009) [access]

Protecting Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Immigrants in South Africa (CoRMSA, June 2009) [access]

Remarks on the occasion of the Launch of the Refugees Act (Refugee Law Project, June 2009) [text]
- See related UNHCR press release.

Tagged Publications.

Blog on "Climate Refugees"

I just learned about yet another new blog that focuses on climate change and refugees: Climate Refugee Advocacy Forum. See also Towards Recognition and Finn Myrstad's blog for news and information on the environmentally displaced. And while this blog doesn't focus solely on climate-related displacement, it is hosting a "Climate Change Refugee Forum."

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Asylum Data/U.S., Capacity-building, Child Trafficking/UK, Human Smuggling/South Africa, IDPs/Afghanistan, International Protection

Breaking the wall of silence: Practitioners’ responses to trafficked children and young people (NSPCC, June 2009) [text]

The Failure to Protect: Battle-Affected IDPs in Southern Afghanistan (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation of NGO Capacity Building Interventions in Conflict Affected Settings (JSI Research & Training Institute, May 2009) [text via RHRC]

Latest Data from Immigration Courts Show Decline in Asylum Disparity (TRAC, June 2009) [text via ImmigrationProf Blog]

Report on Human Smuggling across the South Africa/Zimbabwe Border, MRMP Occasional Paper (FMSP, March 2009) [text via Lawyers for Human Rights]

The Search for Protection: Resettled refugees reflect on seeking asylum in Asia and the Middle East (Refugee Council of Australia, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of CS&D., HR Law. Rev., J. Commonwealth Law, JHA, NQHR

Conflict, Security & Development, vol. 9, no. 2 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Security, development and the nation building agenda in Timor-Leste."

Human Rights Law Review, vol. 9, no. 2 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education, vol. 6, no. 2 (2008) [contents]
- Includes two articles on human trafficking.

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (22 June 2009) [full-text]
- New article posted entitled, "Counting excess civilian casualties of the Iraq War: Science or Politics?"

Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, vol. 27, no. 2 (June 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

World Refugee Day Round-Up

Here is a sampling of what different organizations are doing and saying to commemorate World Refugee Day on June 20th. The official theme for the day is "Real People, Real Needs."

AlertNet, "Refugee Day: Full Coverage Page"

Amnesty International, "World Refugee Day: Lives in danger as governments deny refugees protection in Europe"

BADIL, "Palestinian Refugees: A Wound to the Conscience of Humanity that Gets Deeper With Every Year"

CARE, "Widespread Trauma Among Displaced Pakistanis: Children especially need psychosocial support"

European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), World Refugee Day 2009
- Provides links to member organizations.

Forum Réfugiés, "Journée mondiale du réfugié - 20 juin 2009"

France Terre d'Asile, "Journée mondiale du réfugié"

Human Rights First, "World Refugee Day Must Spark Renewed Commitment to U.S. Protection of Refugees"

International Rescue Committee, "World Refugee Day Quiz"

IntLawGrrls Blog, "Remembering Refugees"

Jesuit Refugee Service, "Welcoming refugees safeguards international protection"

Refugees International Blog, "Guest Blogger: HM Queen Noor Honors World Refugee Day"

Towards Recognition Blog, "June 20th is World Refugee Day"

UNHCR, World Refugee Day Live
- Live streaming video from "Iraq, Pakistan, a refugee camp in Africa and a settlement for the displaced in Colombia."

Women's Refugee Commission, "World Refugee Day 2009: Real People, Real Needs"

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Domestic Violence & Asylum, EU Asylum, IDPs/Pakistan, Iraqis/U.S., Repatriation/Chad, Refugee Protection

Charting the Future Course of International Refugee Protection: A Review of the 8th International Association of Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ) World Conference in Cape Town, South Africa (Centre for Refugee Studies, Feb. 2009) [text via Refugee Research Net]

Iraqi Refugees in the United States: In Dire Straits (IRC, June 2009) [text]

Moving Ahead: Ten Years after Tampere. UNHCR's Recommendations to Sweden for its European Union Presidency (July-December 2009) (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

"Protecting Foreign Victims of Domestic Violence: An Analysis of Asylum Regulations," New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, vol. 12, no. 1 (2008) [text]

The Risk of Return: Repatriating the Displaced in the Context of Conflict in Eastern Chad (HRW, June 2009) [text]

Too Little, Too Slow: Why More Must Be Done to Assist Pakistan’s Displaced Millions (Oxfam, June 2009) [text via Human Security Gateway]

Tracking method for monitoring the implementation of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum (Commission of the European Communities, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Research Directories

The Refugee Research Network announced that its "Researcher Directory" is ready to accept new profiles. Interested (and qualified) individuals can either create an account and enter information directly or they can send their information to an RRN staff member who will enter their details for them.

Directories such as these can be useful tools for networking, collaborating on projects and disseminating information. However, they can be difficult to sustain over time. Unfortunately, there are numerous examples of directories that have been discontinued over the years, including UNHCR’s Refugee Research Network (REFLINK), the ICAR/UNHCR Postgraduate Network, the European Migration Information Network’s Research Directory, and the IDP Research Network, among others. That said, there are examples of directories that work, see e.g., the Global Development Network's knowledge base of researchers. One key factor in ensuring the longevity and utility of a directory is to have someone actively managing it; that might explain GDN's success.

For other information and research networks, check out this listing in my research guide. You can also search in ReliefWeb's Directory of Information Providers or browse through its Communities of Practice pages for networking opportunities.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

World Refugee Survey 2009

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has released its 2009 World Refugee Survey. It includes articles, statistics, refugee rights report cards, and country profiles.

New this year is the "World Refugee Survey Wiki," which allows visitors with accounts to contribute information and feedback on events and country situations.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Humanitarian Organizations' Annual Reports

Recently published reports of activities undertaken by humanitarian organizations during the past year:

• Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement [text]
• ECHO Annual Review 2008 [text]
  
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) [text]
• International Committee of the Red Cross [text]
• International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) [text]
• International Save the Children Alliance [text]
  
• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) [text]
• Refugees International [text]

Tagged Publications.

More RSS Feeds

Thanks to ecoi.net who responded to my earlier post on RSS feeds with two additional suggestions, IRIN and the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), and a recommendation to use Google Reader to view the content presented in the RSS feeds.

If you are not familiar with the whole concept of feeds and readers, you might want to check out this brief introduction that I posted on my other blog.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Asylum/UK, Children & Conflict, EU Asylum, Humanitarian Action/Spain, Palestinians/Iraq, Refugees/Scotland

The integration and onward migration of refugees in Scotland: a review of the evidence, New Issues in Refugee Research no. 174 (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

Iraq's Palestinian refugees back at square one (Electronic Intifada, March 2009) [text]
- See related blog post from Refugees Intl.

Machel Study 10-Year Strategic Review: Children and Conflict in a Changing World (UNICEF, April 2009) [text]

Management of Asylum Applications (UK House of Commons, June 2009) [text]

Spain and the challenges of quality humanitarian action (FRIDE, June 2009) [access]
- Note: English summary, Spanish text.

Statement to the European Council: Respect the right to seek asylum in Europe (ECRE, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

RSS Feeds

In my earlier post about UNHCR's new web site, I noted their greatly expanded RSS feed offerings. Happily, it's a growing trend. In my view, being able to subscribe to RSS feeds is key to keeping up with new information on the web. I wouldn't be able to run this blog otherwise. So here's a list of RSS feeds from some other forced migration and humanitarian web sites that you might want to subscribe to, if you haven't already. And for everyone else, please jump on the RSS bandwagon!

• Amnesty International [RSS]
• Brookings Institution [RSS]
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) [RSS]
• Feinstein International Center [RSS]
• Forced Migration Online (FMO) [RSS]
• Human Rights First [RSS]
• Human Rights Watch [RSS]
• Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) [RSS]
• International Committee of the Red Cross [RSS]
• International Crisis Group [RSS]
• International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) [RSS]
• International Rescue Committee [RSS]
• Overseas Development Institute [RSS]
• Physicians for Human Rights [RSS]
• Refugee Council [RSS]
• ReliefWeb [RSS]
• U.S. Institute of Peace [RSS]

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Annual Reports: 2008 Global Trends, Annual Disaster Stat. Rev., Trafficking in Persons Rpt., World Disasters Rpt.

2008 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]
- See related press release.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2008: The Numbers and Trends (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, June 2009) [text]

Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 (U.S. Department of State, June 2009) [access]
- See related fact sheet, the Secretary of State's remarks, and statement by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

World Disasters Report 2009: Focus on Early Warning, Early Action (IFRC, June 2009) [access]
- See related press release.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Health Access, Literature Rev., Pakistani Displacement, Refugees/South Africa, UK Survey, US Stats.

Look beyond the label (British Red Cross, June 2009) [access]

"Migrants and medical refugees: a short report," Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. VI, no. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2009) [text]

Pakistani Displacement: Lessons Learned from Other Mass Displacement Situations (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Research in Scotland: A Literature Review (Scottish Refugee Council, March 2009) [text]

Refugees and Asylees: 2008 (Office of Immigration Statistics, U.S. Homeland Security, June 2009) [text]

Submission by the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) to the Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, IDPs and Migrants at the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (CoRMSA & LHR, May 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Update Your Links: UNHCR's New Web Site

As promised in this earlier post, UNHCR has re-launched its web site in advance of World Refugee Day on June 20th. The content seems pretty much the same. What's new is the wholescale adoption of social media. Pages can be bookmarked using Delicious, Diggit, Facebook, Google, Reddit, and Stumbleupon; RSS feeds are available for most every document collection and news stream; and greater visibility is given to UNHCR's use of social networks including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr.

I took some time to explore the site in order to update the links in my research guide to UNHCR content. (No re-directs!) The old site was definitely getting cluttered and the new site has streamlined and re-organized sections in a way that promotes more intuitive browsing. The search engine is fast and I was able to find everything I needed to link to; happily, it does not attempt to "guess" what you want to search for, as the old search feature did, by automatically filling in terms as you type.

While this design definitely places a more explicit emphasis on raising awareness - and ultimately funds - than in the past, the site is still content-rich. And given the number of RSS feeds now available for helping visitors keep up with new document additions, it seems likely that UNHCR will continue to make its information resources readily accessible.

On this point, though, I would recommend that all RSS feeds be gathered together on one page to make it easier for visitors to know exactly what update options the web site offers - see Brookings' RSS feeds page for a good model (feeds are organized by "general," "topics," "experts," "programs," "centers," "projects," and "series").

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

New Issues of Disasters, Human Rts. Brief, Human Security J., Intl. J. Risk Assess. & Mgmt., JEMS, JIRS

Disasters, vol. 33, no. 3 (July 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Human Rights Brief, vol. 16, no. 3 (Spring 2009) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Human Security Journal = Revue de la sécurité humaine, no. 8 (Spring 2009) [full-text]
- Focus is on "Human Rights and International Law."

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, vol. 13, no. 1 (9 June 2009) [contents]
- Several articles focus on humanitarian logistics and supply chains.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 6 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, vol. 7, no. 2 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on Cambodian refugee families and another on the mental health of Sudanese refugees.

Journal of International Migration and Integration, vol. 10, no. 2 (May 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

June: Raising Awareness through Special Days/Weeks

IDP Awareness Day Canada, 25 June 2009 [web site]

Refugee Week Australia, 14-20 June 2009 [web site]

Refugee Week UK, 15-21 June 2009 [web site]

World Refugee Day, 20 June 2009 [web site]
- Note: Information relating to this year's World Refugee Day won't be made available on the UNHCR web site until next week. I also heard through the grapevine that UNHCR will be launching a new and improved web site in honor of WRD, so presumably that will be next week too.

Likewise, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has plans to release the next edition of its World Refugee Survey on June 17th. Looks like you can view portions of it already through the World Refugee Survey wiki that has been set up.

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Conflict Early Warning, Education/Women in Pakistan, IDPs/Iraq, Refugee Impact, Reproductive Health, UNHCR

"Funding for Reproductive Health in Conflict and Post-Conflict Countries: A Familiar Story of Inequity and Insufficient Data," PLoS Medicine 6(6): e1000093 [text]

Internal Displacement in Iraq: The Process of Working toward Durable Solutions (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Pakistan's Displaced Girls and Women—an Opportunity for Education (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Preventing Violence, War and State Collapse: The Future of Conflict Early Warning and Response (OECD, 2009) [text]

UNHCR Global Report 2008 (June 2009) [access]

Winners and Losers Among a Refugee-Hosting Population (Households in Conflict Network, May 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Blogs: Early Warning, Environmental Migrants, Humanitarian Aid, News, Refugee Resettlement, Trafficking

A round-up of various blogs that I've come across recently, some new-ish, some not:

The Broker: Thea Hilhorst [access]
- "[P]professor of Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction at Wageningen University...will update her blog for The Broker focusing on thoughts, dilemmas and inspirations that she faces in her work."

Conflict Early Warning [access]
- "[B]log on the theory and practice of conflict early warning and response."

Hatnews [access]
- News service that "reports on immigration, refugee and asylum seeker issues."

The International Eye [access]
- Posts news articles relating to asylum and immigration issues in Europe.

Opinio Juris - "Virginia Journal of International Law, Vol. 49-4: Online Symposium" [access]
- Follow an online discussion relating to a journal article entitled "Human Rights and Human Trafficking: Quagmire or Firm Ground? A Response to James Hathaway."

Refugee Resettlement Reform [access]
- Aim is to find "creative, pro-refugee ways to meet the challenges of refugee resettlement in the United States."

Refugiati...in Europa [access]
- Posts news reports relating to the status of refugees and asylum seekers in Europe.

Towards Recognition [access]
- Mission is to raise awareness and work towards international recognition of the environmentally displaced.

Witchcraft, Displacement and Human Rights Network [access]
- "[I]nformal network where information about new developments, research and news related to witchcraft can be shared."

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Peace and Conflict Resources

Here's a round-up of several recently updated resources that report on conflict around the world:

Alert 2009! Report on conflicts, human rights and peacebuilding [access]
- Provides "an overview of the world situation at the end of the year in terms of conflict and peacebuilding."

Conflict Barometer 2008 [access]
- "[D]escribes recent trends in conflict development, escalations, settlements."

Major Episodes of Political Violence, 1946-2008 [access]
- "[L]ists 302 episodes of armed conflict (including 27 ongoing cases) that comprise a comprehensive accounting of all forms of major armed conflicts in the world over the contemporary period."

SIPRI Yearbook 2009: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security [access]
- A "compendium of data and analysis in the areas of security and conflicts; military spending and armaments; non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament."

For more general background information on countries, visit the newly re-designed World Factbook site; this well-known resource "provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities."

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of Journal of Refugee Studies

The latest issue of the Journal of Refugee Studies (vol. 22, no. 2, June 2009) is now available. The articles include:

• Early Repatriation Policy: Russian Refugee Return 1922–1924
• Legal and Institutional Dimensions of Protecting and Assisting Internally Displaced Persons in Africa
• Masculinity on Unstable Ground: Young Refugee Men in Nairobi, Kenya
• Constructing the Personal Narratives of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Asylum Claimants
• A Rare Examination of Typically Unobservable Factors in US Asylum Decisions

Tagged Periodicals.

More on Climate Change

Here are a few additional resources on the humanitarian and displacement implications of climate change:

• The Towards Recognition blog provides a summary of the discussions relating to climate change and forced migration at the Bonn climate change talks that I referenced earlier.

• The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) attended the Bonn meeting and has a web page detailing its work on climate change and displacement.

• CARE has published a report entitled In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement (May 2009) that offers "empirical evidence from a first-time, multi-continent survey of environmental change and migration."

• ODI sponsored an event in March on the humanitarian aspects of climate change. Audio files of the presentations are available.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

New Issues of Australian Yrbk. of Intl. Law, Columbia HR Law Rev., Intl. J. of Services Tech. & Mgmt., Researcher, Third World Q.

The Australian Year Book of International Law, vol. 2007 (2008) [contents]
- Special focus on the "Howard Government and International Law"; includes "The Howard Government’s Record of Engagement with the International Human Rights System," "Refugee Protection in the Howard Years: Obstructing the Right to Seek Asylum," and "Warriors, Humanitarians, Lawyers: The Howard Government and the Use of Force."

Columbia Human Rights Law Review, vol. 40, no. 3 (Spring 2009) [contents]
- Includes two articles on refugees.

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, vol. 12, no. 4 (May 2009) [contents]
- Focuses on "humanitarian logistics."

The Researcher, vol. 4, no. 2 (June 2009) [full-text via ecoi.net]
- Includes articles on family reunification and refugee integration in Ireland, FGM claims, the use of COI, refugee law developments, the Italian asylum procedure, and detention in Slovenia.

Third World Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 5 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Remapping Development Studies."

Tagged Periodicals.

IASFM12

The 12th meeting of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) will be held 28 June to 2 July 2009 at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. A draft programme is available on the conference web site. Paper titles and abstracts can also be browsed.

Last year, Forced Migration Online produced podcasts of the plenary sessions for IASFM11. Hopefully, web technologies of one kind or another will also be employed during this year's meeting, to enable those who cannot participate to still partake of the discussions.

Speaking of web technologies, a report on the Refugee Research Network is due to be presented at IASFM12. This network was "created to mobilize and sustain a Canadian and international network of researchers and research centres committed to the study of refugee and forced migration issues and to engaging policy makers and practitioners in finding solutions to the plight of refugees and displaced persons." To that end, the RRN web site will offer a series of tools to promote greater interaction and communication among forced migration researchers. These include blogs, discussion lists, and collaborative software, among other things. You can read more about the web site's plans and what the network hopes to accomplish.

It's an ambitious endeavor. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Conflict-induced Displ., Human Trafficking, IDPs/Afghanistan, Reprod. Health, RSD/Canada, Young Carers Toolkit

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Return of Internally Displaced Persons to Northern Afghanistan (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Guidelines for NGOs working with trafficked people (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2009) [text via Refworld]

Lives in the Balance: Understanding current challenges to the refugee claim process (Canadian Council for Refugees, May 2009) [text]

Mass Displacement Caused by Conflicts and One-Sided Violence: National and International Responses (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2009) [text]

Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants in Europe & Beyond (EN-HERA, 2009) [text]

Supporting refugee young carers and their families: A toolkit for ALL practitioners (Children's Society, June 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.

Climate Change and Displacement

Climate change talks are taking place in Bonn, Germany from 1-12 June 2009. The aim is to discuss "key negotiating texts which can serve as the basis for an ambitious and effective international climate change deal, to be clinched in Copenhagen in December." According to this press release, a group of 18 humanitarian organizations attending the talks called "for the humanitarian impacts of climate change to be addressed in the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol."

Refworld has posted a number of papers prepared for the Bonn talks and other climate-related discussions, including:

• IASC: Climate Change, Migration and Displacement: Who Will Be Affected? [text]
• IOM: Climate Change, Migration, and Displacement: Impacts, Vulnerability, and Adaptation Options [text]
• UNHCR: Climate Change and Statelessness: A Overview [text]
• UNHCR: Forced Displacement in the Context of Climate Change: Challenges for States Under International Law [text]
• WHO: Protecting the Health of Vulnerable People from the Humanitarian Consequences of Climate Change and Climate Related Disasters [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Asylum/EU, Conflict Report, Education, Humanitarian Orgs., Tuberculosis Screening,

Alert 2009! Report on conflicts, human rights and peacebuilding (Escola de cultura de pau, 2009) [text]
- English text now available.

Last in Line, Last in School 2009: Donor trends in meeting education needs in countries affected by conflict and emergencies (Save the Children, 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

One For All and All For One: Intra-Organizational Dynamics in Humanitarian Action (Feinstein International Center, April 2009) [text]

"Overseas Screening for Tuberculosis in U.S.-Bound Immigrants and Refugees," New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 360, no. 23, pp. 2406-2415 (June 2009) [text]

Progress Report: Asylum (Council of the European Union, May 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Darfuri Women/Protection, IDPs/Pakistan, Psychosocial Resources, Zimbabweans/South Africa

Community-based Psychosocial Support: Participant's Book (IFRC, 2009) [text]

Community-based Psychosocial Support: A Training Kit - Trainer's Book (IFRC, 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

No Refuge, Access Denied: Medical and Humanitarian Needs of Zimbabweans in South Africa (MSF, June 2009) [access]

Nowhere to Turn: Failure to Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women (Physicians for Human Rights and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, May 2009) [text]

Pakistan’s IDP Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities (International Crisis Group, June 2009) [text]

Psychosocial Interventions: A Handbook (IFRC, 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

Country Information for Returnees

IOM has launched a new web site called "IRRiCO: Enhanced and Integrated Approach regarding Information on Return and Reintegration in Countries of Origin." The aim of the site is to provide "information about return and reintegration possibilities...in the form of country sheets about health care, housing, education, employment, business opportunities, custom issues, and transportation." Currently, IOM regularly covers some 20 countries. Details about other countries are sourced from the Country of Return Information Project (no longer online), yet another project that supplies information "on territorial access, personal safety, reintegration opportunities, accommodation, employment, social security, health care, education, NGOs."

Other Resources for Specific Countries

• Returnee Information for Afghan Refugees (UNHCR) [access]
• Sources of information about conditions in Afghanistan for return (Refugee Council UK) [access]
• Sources of information about conditions in Iraq for return (Refugee Council UK) [access]

Other Resources Analyzing the Importance of Information for Returnees

• "Information and Repatriation: The Case of Mozambican Refugees in Malawi," Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1-17, 1997 [abstract]
• "Information, counselling and legal assistance for returning IDPs," Forced Migration Review, no. 24, 2005 [text]
• "Repatriation from the European Union to Bosnia-Herzegovina: The Role of Information," in The End of the Refugee Cycle? Refugee Repatriation and Reconstruction (Bergahahn Books, 1999) [Google Books extract]
• Understanding Voluntary Return, Home Office Online Report 50/04 (Home Office, 2004) [text] (see esp. "Information and the Decision to Return," p. 21+)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Health Care/Europe, Migration & Climate Change, Palestinians/Poverty, Peace Index, SCHR Peer Review

Access to Health Care for Migrants, Ethnic Minorities, and Asylum Seekers in Europe (European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, May 2009) [text]

Global Peace Index 2008 (Vision of Humanity, May 2009) [access]

Information Note on UNHCR's participation in the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) peer review process (UNHCR, May 2009) [text]

Migration, Climate Change and the Environment (IOM, May2009) [text]

Poverty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2007 (UNRWA, May 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.