Events after the fact

Annual Meeting of the Informal Consultation Group of the World Bank Global Program on Forced Displacement (GPFD), Copenhagen, 2 Dec. 2011 [access]

- Follow link for summary note, some of the presentations and other related resources.

Border Management and Protection of Refugees, Zagreb, 13-14 Oct. 2011 [meeting report]
- Fourth Cross Border Cooperation Meeting.

Canadian Refugee Policy in a Global Context, Toronto, 20 Oct. 2011 [info] [video]
- "The objective of this event is to situate current Canadian refugee policy in comparative and global context, and to stimulate discussion and debate."

The Changing Face of Global Displacement: Responses and Responsibilities, Sydney, 14 Feb. 2012 [access]

- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, spoke the Lowy Institute; an audio and transcript of the address are available along with a separate interview.

The Kampala Convention and Internal Displacement, New York, 14 Nov. 2011 [access]
- Follow the link for a video and summary of the event.

A Long Way from Home: Rural and Regional Resettlement Experiences of Visible Migrants and Refugees, Melbourne, 10 Feb. 2012 [access]

- Conference presentations are available.

Refugee-centred versus State-centred Approaches to Integration: Processes, Practices and Narratives, London, 26 Oct. 2011 [text] [podcast]
- Seminar in the New Challenges in Refugee Integration series.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Focus on IDPs

General:

From National Responsibility to Response – Part I: General Conclusions on IDP Protection (TerraNullius, Feb. 2012) [text]

From National Responsibility to Response – Part II: IDPs' Housing, Land and Property Rights (TerraNullius, Feb. 2012) [text]

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Yemen:

Afghanistan: IDPs at a Crossroads (IRIN, Feb. 2012) [text]

Afghanistan: Time to Get Serious About IDPs and Protection (World Bridge Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Fleeing War, Finding Misery: The Plight of the Internally Displaced in Afghanistan (Amnesty International, Feb. 2012) [text]

No Frontpage News? Afghanistan’s Ongoing IDP Crisis (Afghanistan Analysts Network, Feb. 2012) [text]

Tackling Azerbaijan’s IDP Burden (International Crisis Group, Feb. 2012) [text]

Yemen: IDPs Outside of Camps (UNHCR, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

Multimedia Resources

60 Years, 60 Lives (UNHCR & Magnum Photos) [access]

- Profiles of refugees who received protection in Europe.

Death in the Desert (CNN) [access]
- Three-part documentary on Africans crossing the Sinai to get to Israel.

Integrative Thinking and Solutions for Refugees (TEDxRideauCanal) [access]
- TED talk by James Milner on protracted refugee situations.

Interview with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants (Radio1812) [access]
- Discussion with François Crépeau, the new UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants.

A Place in the World (Chautauqua Films) [access]
- Documentary about a "small charter school that brings together refugee children from war-torn countries all over the world and teaches them alongside local American children."

Protecting Refugees: 60 Years and Beyond (Refugee Council) [access]
- "Features the testimonies and thoughts of refugees who fled conflicts around the world and rebuilt their lives in the UK, in each decade since 1951 – the year the charity came together to offer support and advice to refugees."

Someone Like Me (UNRWA) [access]
- Documentary about the "Palestinian refugee experience in Lebanon."

UNHCR's Storytelling through the Eyes of Refugees (UNHCR) [access]
- "What does 'home' mean to you? What does it mean to be a refugee? What do you most hope for? In this new series , refugees and displaced people tell their own stories."

Forthcoming documentary:

The Price of Freedom (Eleanor Mortimer) [info]
- "Investigating the fate of missing Tunisian migrants in Italy."

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Focus on Urban Issues

(updated)

Upcoming events:

A Tale of Two Cities: Urban Refugees in Cairo and Amman, Washington, DC, 1 March 2012 [info]

- Note: For Georgetown University students, faculty and staff.

CFP: Contested Urban Spaces in the 21st Century: Planning with Recognition, Tel Aviv, 16-17 May 2012 [info]

- One of the issues to be discussed is "Urban displacement and the return of refugees as a planning issue"; submit abstracts by 15 March 2012.

A Growing Challenge: Psychosocial and Mental Health Support for Refugees and Migrants Living in Urban Settings, Cairo, 11-13 April 2012 [info]

- Registration is now open for this event.

Past event:

The Urban Challenge: Adapting Humanitarian Response to a Changing World, Chennai, India, 17-19 January 2012 [info]

- Presentations and meeting report are now available.

Publications:

Attacks Bring New Risks for Kenya's Urban Somalis (World Bridge Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Children in an Urban World: The State of the World's Children 2012 (UNICEF, 2012) [access]

Taking the Next Step in Refugee Aid (Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Feb. 2012) [text]

Urban Disasters, Conflict and Violence: Implications for Humanitarian Work (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Feb. 2012) [text]

"Urban Violence and Humanitarian Action: Engaging the Fragile City," Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (Jan. 2012) [text]

Urbanisation: The Refugee Game-changer (IRC, Feb. 2012) [text]

The Urbanisation of Displaced People, CIVIS, no. 5 (Cities Alliance, May 2011) [text]

Watch out for:

Protection of the Displaced in Urban Areas, Forced Migration Policy Brief (Refugee Studies Centre, forthcoming 2012)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

More Events & Opportunities: March 2012

CFP: Global Perspectives on Humanitarian Action, Fairfield, Conn., 12-15 June 2012 [info]

- The deadline is 5 March 2012. Register by 21 March 2012 for a discounted rate.

Detention of Immigrants: Enforcement, Non-compliance and Punishment, Geneva, 8 March 2012 [info]

- An event linked to the Global Detention Project.

Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers National Conference, Montreal, 9 March 2012 [info]

- Note: This event will be "held simultaneously by video in several locations," including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

CFP: Canada and Refugee Resettlement: Research and Innovation for the 21st Century, Richmond, Canada, 20-22 June 2012 [info]
- The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 March 2012.

Seeking Asylum in Australia: Mental Health and Human Rights of Children and Families, Melbourne, 15 March 2012 [info]
- Organized by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Summer Course on Statelessness, Tilburg, Neth., 23-27 July 2012 [info]
- Apply by 15 March 2012.

ELENA Advanced Course, Generalised Violence, Armed Conflict & the Need for International Protection, Bologna, Italy, 4-6 May 2012 [info]
- Registration deadline is 23 March 2012.

Palestinian Refugees in the Arab World: Realities and Prospects, Doha, 24-25 March 2012 [info]
- Research seminar organized by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies and the Palestinian Return Centre.

Women and Asylum: Recognising, Representing, and Working Together to Resolve Issues Facing Women in the Asylum System, Manchester, UK, 28 March 2012 [info]
- Booking in advance is essential.

CFP: Refuge: Canada's Periodical on Refugees [info]
- Articles are requested for a special issue on the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention: "Is the 1951 Convention Outdated?"; deadline is 30 March 2012.

Related post:

Events & Opportunities: March 2012

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Asia-Pacific Publications

"Déplacements de populations et identités dans la vallée de Ferghana: les limites du paradigme ethnique," Cahiers d’Asie centrale, no. 19-20 (2011) [full-text]

From Pillar to Post: The Plight of Afghans Abroad (IRIN, Feb. 2012) [text]

- See also references to related stories in this article.

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: Stateless "Border Brides" Caught in Between (Eurasianet, Feb. 2012) [text]

"The Legality of Extraterritorial Processing of Asylum Claims: The Judgment of the High Court of Australia in the 'Malaysian Solution' Case," Human Rights Law Review, vol. 12, no. 1 (2012) [extract]

"Life and Death on the High Seas: Haunting a Community," Griffin Review, no. 35 (Autumn 2012) [full-text via APO]

[Review of Les Réfugiés Tibétains en Inde: Nationalisme et Exil (PUF & The Graduate Institute Publications, 2010)] (South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 2011) [text]

"Rolling out the Red Carpet" for Asylum Seekers (FlagPost, Feb. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of RSQ

The latest issue of Refugee Survey Quarterly (RSQ) has been published. Articles in vol. 31, no. 1 (March 2012) include:

• The Faltering US Refugee Protection System: Legal and Policy Responses to Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, and Others in Need of Protection [abstract] [related report] [ResearchGate]
• Social Exclusion of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: Reflections on the Mechanisms that Cement their Persistent Poverty [abstract]
• Struggle for Recognition: Bosnian Refugees’ Employment Experiences in Sweden [abstract]
• Being a Tibetan Refugee in India [abstract]
• Negotiating the Humanitarian Past: History, Memory, and Unstable Cityscapes in Kampala, Uganda [abstract]
• Subsidiary Protection and the Function of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive [abstract]

A review of The Limits of Transnational Law: Refugee Law, Policy Harmonization and Judicial Dialogue in the European Union (Cambridge University Press, 2010) is also available.

Tagged Periodicals.

ETDs in Anthropology, Clinical Psychology, Development Studies, Health, International Studies, Political Science, Social Anthropology

Canadian Refugee Policy Paradigm Change in the 1990s: Understanding the Power of International Social Influence, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate Department of Political Science (University of Toronto, Aug. 2011) [text]

Climate Change Displacement and Global Governance: A Case Study of Three Intergovernmental Organizations and the Conflict between the Member States and Bureaucracy, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty (Louisiana State University, Dec. 2011) [text]
- Looks at UNHCR, IOM and OCHA.

Giving Voice to Strengths: Migration Stories of Armenian Immigrants and Refugees, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of Education and Psychology (Pepperdine University, June 2011) [text]

Global Warming Issues Are Here: Ethnography of a Motionless Relocation in Kivalina, Alaska, Thesis in Social Sciences/Social Anthropology (Université de Neuchâtel, 2011) [text]

The Livelihood Strategies of Liberian Refugees in Ghana: The Significance of Refugees' 'Social Worlds' for their Economic Survival, Dissertation submitted to the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, Nov. 2011) [text]

Living an Uncertain Future: An Ethnography of Displacement, Health, Psychosocial Well-being and the Search for Durable Solutions among Iraqi Refugees in Egypt, Dissertation submitted to the Department of Anthropology (Case Western Reserve University, Jan. 2012) [text]

Meeting the Health and Social Needs of Pregnant Asylum Seekers: Midwifery Students' Perspectives. A Critical Discourse Analysis of Language Use by Midwifery Students in their Social Constructions of the Health and Social Needs of Asylum Seekers Accessing Maternity Services, Dissertation submitted to the Division of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (University of Bradford, Jan. 2012) [text]

Microfinance Partnerships: A Bridge for Refugees, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences (University of San Francisco, Dec. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Statelessness Guidelines

UNHCR has begun issuing "Guidelines on Statelessness." The first is "The Definition of 'Stateless Person' in Article 1(1) of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons." The aim is to "provide interpretive legal guidance for governments, NGOs, legal practitioners, decision-makers and the judiciary, as well as for UNHCR staff and other UN agencies involved in addressing statelessness."

The guidelines are a result of a series of expert consultations that were held to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The meetings included:

• Expert Meeting on the Concept of Stateless Persons under International Law, Prato, Italy, 27-28 May 2010 [summary conclusions] [background paper]
• Expert Meeting on Statelessness Determination Procedures & Statelessness Status at the National Level, Geneva, 6-7 December 2010 [summary conclusions]
• Expert Meeting on Interpreting the 1961 Statelessness Convention and Preventing Statelessness among Children, Dakar, 23-24 May 2011 [summary conclusions]

Forthcoming guidelines will purportedly address "Procedures for Determining whether an Individual is a Stateless Person" and "The Status of Stateless Persons at the National Level." Ultimately, they will culminate in a UNHCR Handbook on Statelessness.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

CFP/New Issues of ASEAS, EASO, FEX, Hastings Intl. Comp. Law Rev., HRLR, Humanity, Women's Asylum News

Call for Papers:

Merkourios: Utrecht Journal of International and European Law [info]
- Papers are sought for a forthcoming issue on "International and European Migration Law." The deadline is 23 April 2012. (Note: This is an Open Access journal.)

New Issues:

ASEAS: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Südostasienwissenschaften, vol. 4, no. 2 (2011) [open access]
- Focus is on "Borderlands and Border Studies in South-East Asia." Includes "Sacred Spaces of Karen Refugees and Humanitarian Aid Across the Thailand-Burma Border."

EASO Newsletter, no. 1 (Feb. 2012) [full-text]

- First edition of the European Asylum Support Office's newsletter.

Field Exchange, no. 42 (Jan. 2012) [full-text]

- Mix of articles on emergency nutrition and food security.

Hastings International and Comparative Law Review, vol. 35, no. 1 (2012) [contents]

- Mix of articles including "Reporters as Refugees: Applying United States Asylum Laws to Persecuted Journalists in Mexico" and "An Examination of the Law or Lack Thereof, in Refugee and Displacement Camps."

Human Rights Law Review, vol. 12, no. 1 (2012) [contents]

- Mix of articles including "The Legality of Extraterritorial Processing of Asylum Claims: The Judgment of the High Court of Australia in the ‘Malaysian Solution’ Case." Note: The texts of the first four articles in this issue are available for free.

Humanity, vol. 3, no. 1 (2012) [selected full-text]
- Includes articles on war, development, humanitarianism, and exile.

Women's Asylum News, no. 108 (Feb. 2012) [full-text]
- The lead article is "Victims of trafficking in custody: Can you please tell me what is happening?."

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities.

Protracted Crises

Dadaab, the world's biggest refugee camp, is now 20 years old. It currently hosts some 463,000 refugees, mainly Somalis, "including some 10,000 third-generation refugees born in Dadaab to refugee parents who were also born there."

Prolonged displacement crises such as these are referred to as "protracted refugee situations," and defined as "situations in which refugees have lived in exile for 5 years or more, and where there is a low likelihood of resolving their situation in the near future." The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) recently unveiled a new web site that focuses on this issue. It provides access to an introduction to the concept; numerous case studies, both contemporary and historical; related thematic pages with links to resources; an extensive bibliography; and information about other initiatives.

More information posted on this blog on refugee camps and protracted crises can be browsed here.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Focus on Asylum

"The Asylum Representation Project and the Leon Levy Fellowship at Human Rights First: An Innovative Partnership to Increase Pro Bono Representation for Indigent Asylum-Seekers," Cardozo Law Review, vol. 33, no. (2011) [full-text]

Asylum Support for Women who are Victims of Domestic Violence, Factsheet no. 13 (Asylum Support Appeals Project, Dec. 2011) [text]

The Fight for Freedom Against Forced Marriages: Women Are No Longer Chattel (Birdsong's Law Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

The Nonsensical Biometrics Check (The Asylumist, Feb. 2012) [text]

Refugee Admittance and Asylum Outcomes in the U.S. Before and After 9/11; Fair or Unfair? (Birdsong's Law Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Europe

The Irish Refugee Council has launched the European Database on Asylum Law (EDAL). It houses summaries of case law from 11 EU Member States that address asylum and refugee law issues. Links are provided to the full-texts of the original decisions. Also included are overviews of several countries' asylum policies and procedures, key legislative texts and other related policy documents.

Other recent resources relating to Europe:

Dismantling the Dublin System: M.S.S. v Belgium and Greece (SSRN, Sept. 2011) [text]

"E.U. Accountability to International Law: The Case of Asylum," Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 33, no. 1 (Fall 2011) [full-text]

European Asylum Support Office Newsletter (Feb. 2012) [full-text via EASO Monitor]

Refugee and Asylum Migration to the OECD: A Short Overview, Discussion Paper, no. 658 (ANU Centre for Economic Policy Research, Feb. 2012) [text]

Refugees in the EU: Resettlement Awareness Day 2012 (Refugee Action Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]
- Summary of presentations at the EU's Resettlement Awareness Day, held 7 Feb. 2012 in Brussels.

The Right to Asylum in EU Law (Refugee Law Initiative, Dec. 2011) [text]
- Summary of seminar presentation.

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

New Issue of IJRL

The International Journal of Refugee Law (IJRL) has published its first issue of the new year: vol. 24, no. 1 (Feb. 2012). Articles include:

• Integrating Refugees: The Case for a Minority Rights Based Approach [free full-text]
• Excluding Justice: The Dangerous Intersection between Refugee Claims, Criminal Law, and ‘Guilty’ Asylum Seekers [abstract] [SSRN]
• The Supervision of Immigration and Asylum Appeals in the UK: Taking Stock [abstract]
• Acting the Part: Can Non-State Entities Provide Protection under International Refugee Law? [abstract]

This issue also reproduces case law and document texts, and features four book reviews.

Tagged Periodicals.

Hirsi v. Italy

(updated)

Today, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued its decision in the case of Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy. The case concerned Somalis and Eritreans who were intercepted at sea by Italian authorities, and then summarily returned to Libya. The Court found, in part, that Italy's actions had violated the non-refoulement principle. Here is the text of the case.

For reactions to and commentary on the case, see:

• Boat Migrants Grand Chamber Judgment (ECHR Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]
• Case Watch: European Ruling Affirms the Rights of Migrants at Sea (Open Society Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]
• ECtHR Grand Chamber: Italy's Maritime Push-Back Practice Amounts to Collective Expulsion and Exposes Migrants to Risks of Torture and Ill-Treatment (Migrants at Sea) [text]
• Italy: ‘Historic’ European Court Judgment Upholds Migrants’ Rights (Amnesty International) [text]
• Italy’s Migrant Interception Faces European Court Scrutiny (Open Society Blog) [text]
• Landmark Judgment of the Strasbourg Court on Push-backs in the Mediterranean Sea (UNHCR) [text]
• Push-backs to Libya (ECRE) [text]
• Yet Another Mala Figura: Italy Breached Non-refoulement Obligations by Intercepting Migrants’ Boats at Sea, says ECtHR (EJIL: Talk!) [text]

To learn more about the implications of the decision, attend the upcoming presentation at the Refugee Studies Centre by Madeline Garlick, who represented UNHCR before the court in the case. [Note: The seminar is now available as a podcast.]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Publications on IDPs

The Afghanistan–Pakistan Challenge: Meeting Humanitarian Needs (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Feb. 2012) [text]

Good News from Chiapas— But a Larger Challenge for Mexico (Up Front Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Humanitarian Aid and Internally Displaced Persons: Impacts in Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones (University of Denver, 2011) [text]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons -Addendum: Mission to Kenya, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/19/54/Add.2 (UN Human Rights Council, Feb. 2012) [text via Refworld]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons -Addendum: Mission to Maldives, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/19 /54/Add.1 (UN Human Rights Council, Feb. 2012) [text via Refworld]

Violent Conflicts and Displacement in Central Mindanao, Challenges for Recovery And Development: Key Findings (WFP & World Bank, Dec. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Europe

Access to an Asylum Process: Experiences of the Asylum System in Europe from the Perspective of Unaccompanied Refugee Children, Undergraduate thesis (Malmö University, 2012) [text]

Comparative Study on Best Practices to Interlink Pre-Departure Reintegration Measures Carried out in Member States with Short- and Long-Term Reintegration Measures in the Countries of Return (ECRE & ICMPD, Jan. 2012) [text]

The European Union: Humanitarian Assistance and Food Aid in Developing Nations, Humanitarian Brief (University of Denver, 2011) [text]

"Final Considerations and Proposals for the Future of the Right of Asylum in Italy," Chapter in Il Diritto alla Protezione (Associazione per gli Studi Giuridici sull'Immigrazione, Feb. 2012) [text via Migrants at Sea]

Greece: A Year on Since the M.S.S. Judgment, Greece Continues to Violate Asylum Seekers' Rights (Amnesty International, Jan. 2012) [text]

Interview with Valeria Ilareva, Practitioner and Academic in Refugee and Immigration Law, Bulgaria (ECRE, Feb. 2012) [text]

Refugee Homelessness in Poland (Institute of Public Affairs & UNHCR, 2010; cited Feb. 2012) [text]

- See related news story referencing this pilot study.

Transatlantic Trends: Immigration (German Marshall Fund of the United States & Compagnia di San Paolo, Dec. 2011) [access]

- Surveys U.S. and European public opinion on immigration.

Tagged Publications.

Publications on Health, Youth

Access to an Asylum Process: Experiences of the Asylum System in Europe from the Perspective of Unaccompanied Refugee Children, Undergraduate thesis (Malmö University, 2012) [text]

Health Information in Conflict Situations: Collection and Dissemination Challenges (Chatham House, Feb. 2012) [text]

Meeting the Health and Social Needs of Pregnant Asylum Seekers: Midwifery Students' Perspectives. A Critical Discourse Analysis of Language Use by Midwifery Students in their Social Constructions of the Health and Social Needs of Asylum Seekers Accessing Maternity Services, Dissertation submitted to the Division of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (University of Bradford, Jan. 2012) [text]

Pregnant and Displaced: Double the Danger (Women's Refugee Commission Blog, Jan. 2012) [text]

Refugee and Migrant Young People with Caring Responsibilities: What Do We Know? (Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria et al., 2011) [text]

"Social Support from Sponsorships as a Moderator of Acculturative Stress: Predictors of Effects on Refugees and Asylum Seekers," Social Behavior and Personality, vol. 40, no. 1 (Jan. 2012) [full-text]

Socio-economic and Demographic Factors Influencing Immunisation Access in Children of Self-settled Mozambican Refugees and South African Children in the Agincourt Sub-district, Mpumalanga, South Africa, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Feb. 2011) [text]

Tapping the Potential of Displaced Youth: Guidance for Nonformal Education and Livelihoods Development Policy and Practice (Women's Refugee Commission, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Using the Non-pneumatic Anti-shock Garment in Humanitarian Settings: A Case Study of Promising Practices in Tanzania (Women's Refugee Commission, Jan. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Events & Opportunities: Summer 2012

International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford, 2-20 July 2012 [info]

- The application deadline for those requesting a bursary through the RSC is 1 March 2012; all others are due 1 May 2012.

Summer Course on Statelessness, Tilburg, Neth., 23-27 July 2012 [info]

- Apply by 15 March 2012.

Centre for Refugee Studies 2012 Summer Course, Toronto, 6-12 May 2012 [info]
- Registration is open through 30 April 2012.

Summer School: European Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Brussels, 2-13 July 2012 [info]
- Application deadline is 8 June 2012.

"Unsettling Resettlement," Center for Forced Migration Studies’ Summer Institute, Evanston, IL, 8-14 July 2012 [info]
- Registration is open through 15 June 2012.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Focus on Africa & Africans

(updated)

Dadaab: Back to Square One (MSF, Feb. 2012) [text]

Deciphering a Looming Humanitarian Crisis in the Sahel (International Peace Institute, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Insecurity in Dadaab: A Camp Forever Changed (WorldBridge Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Livelihood Security: Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in the Sahel (UNEP et al., Dec. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Money for Migrants," Jerusalem Report, 13 February 2012 [text]

Operation Lifeline Sudan: Challenges during Conflict and Lessons Learned, Humanitarian Brief (Univ. of Denver, 2011) [text]

Q&A: What’s the Humanitarian Impact of the Conflict in Northern Mali? (AlertNet, Feb. 2012) [text]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons - Addendum: Mission to Kenya, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/19/54/Add.2 (UN Human Rights Council, Feb. 2012) [text via Refworld]

The Two Sudans: A Tour of the Neighborhood (Enough Project, Jan. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Why Maine? Secondary Migration Decisions of Somali Refugees," Ìrìnkèrindò: a Journal of African Migration, no. 5 (Dec. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Statelessness

Upcoming event:

Course on Fundamental Elements for Identification and Protection of Stateless Persons and Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness in the Americas, Washington, DC, 23 February 2012 [info]
- Note: This course will also be webcast.

Publications:

Case C-34/09 Ruiz Zambrano: A Respectful Rejoinder, Public Law and Legal Theory Series, no. 2012-W-1 (Univ. of Houston, Jan. 2012) [text via SSRN]

"The 'Center of Life' Policy: The Actual Reality in East Jerusalem," Jerusalem Quarterly, vol. 49 (2012) [preprint via SSRN]

ERT Stakeholder Submission to the UPR of the United Kingdom: The Human Rights of Stateless Persons (Equal Rights Trust, Jan. 2012) [text]

Georgia and the 1954 Statelessness Status Convention (Statelessness Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Indigenous Groups: Stateless and Sick (IRIN, Feb. 2012) [text]

Mapping Statelessness in the United Kingdom (Statelessness Programme Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

"The Question of the Protection of 'Environmental Refugees' from the Standpoint of International Law," Chapter in Migration and Climate Change (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011) [preprint via SSRN]
- Includes subsection which considers the "Difficult revision of international law relating to stateless persons."

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Events & Opportunities: March 2012

53rd Meeting of the Standing Committee, Geneva, 13-15 March 2012 [info]

- Documents will eventually be posted at the a/m link.

Humanity and Humanitarianism in Crisis, Tokyo, 17-18 March 2012 [info]

- 2012 Conference of the Asia Association for Global Studies (AAGS); registration is open.

Adjusting to Reality?, Geneva, 19 March 2012 [info]

- ICVA's annual conference.

Towards a Common European Asylum System: Improving Protection, Solidarity and Harmonisation, Brussels, 21 March 2012 [info]

Relief Work in Cold War Europe: The Role of UNRRA, Geneva, 22 March 2012 [info]
- Co-organized by the Programme for the Study of Global Migration and the History of International Organization Network.

Confronting Complexity, Washington, DC, 28-31 March 2012 [info]

- Annual meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL); registration is currently open; of particular interest: 1) "An Emerging International Law of Migration" on Thursday, 29 March, and 2) a refugee law panel entitled "International Norm-Making on Forced Displacement: Challenges and Complexity" on Friday, 30 March.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Last Minute Events & Opportunities: Feb. 2012

(updated)

CFP: Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration [info]

- Deadline extended to 17 February 2012.

Unsafe Return of Refused Asylum Seekers to Countries with Poor Human Rights Records, York, UK, 18 February 2012 [info]

Job Vacancy: Senior Advocate, Women and Children's Rights, Refugees International, Washington, DC [info]

- Apply by 19 February 2012.

The Supervision of International Refugee Law, London, 21 February 2012 [info]

- Next seminar in the series.

International Refugee Law and Contemporary Challenges, E-course, 22 February-27 March 2012 [info]
- Places are still available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Integration: Global Perspectives on the Transition from Being Apart to Being a Part (of Something), London, 23 February 2012 [info]
- Next seminar in the series.

Reminder: From DR Congo to Tel-Aviv: A Story of Congolese Refugees, Activism and Microfinance, Oxford, 24 February 2012 [info]
- Presented by the Oxford Central Africa Forum (OCAF) and the Refugee Studies Centre.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Changing Negative Attitudes: Part 1

Last year, I attended a lecture given by Edward Mortimer, the rapporteur for a report prepared by the Group of Eminent Persons entitled "Living Together: Combining Diversity and Freedom in 21st Century Europe." The report found that "discrimination and intolerance are widespread in Europe today, particularly against Roma and immigrants..." (including asylum-seekers). It went on to "identify the main actors able to bring about the necessary changes in public attitudes: educators, mass media, employers and trade unions, civil society, churches and religious groups, celebrities and 'role models', towns and cities, member states, and European and international institutions." It concluded with over 50 proposals for action.

In the refugee context, UNHCR adopted guidelines in 2009 for countering racism, discrimination and xenophobia. (See "Combating Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance through a Strategic Approach.") Consistent with the "Living Together report," the agency acknowledged that "Changing intolerant attitudes is a task too great for one organization to achieve on its own. To successfully combat racism and xenophobia, the guidelines call for the engagement of a broad range of groups such as governments, law officers, UN bodies, non-governmental organizations and the media."

So what can these various actors do to try to change negative attitudes? Here are some recent examples of campaigns, activities and actions that have been undertaken by advocates to raise awareness of and build empathy for refugees/migrants, and to promote the contributions they have made to their host societies.

"Broader-Community Engagement as a Refugee Protection Tool," Refugee Newsletter (Nov. 2011) [text]

- Go to p. 16; discussion of community education strategies for improving public support for refugees.

Communicating against the Grain: Strategies to Counter the Criminalization of Migrants (Canadian Council for Refugees) [info]

- Recently held online workshop that "looks at strategies to counter a narrative that is criminalizing (im)migrants and refugees." CCR members can log in to access resources from the webinar.

Face the Facts (Australian Human Rights Commission, updated 2010) [access]
- "This education resource...reflects the continued demand for accurate and easy to understand information about Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers."

"Go Back to Where You Came From": Reality TV Encounters the Refugee Crisis (The Conversation, June 2011) [text]
- Discusses Australian reality TV programme that followed six participants as they undertook a refugee journey.

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Rights, Internship Research Report (Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Dec. 2011) [text]

- Reviews the various challenges that arose when the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies embarked on a process to collaborate with pro-refugee advocacy groups, and strategies for addressing those challenges.

Refugee Awareness Project (Refugee Action) [access]

- Former project set up to "to set the record straight about the misleading way in which refugees and asylum seekers were being spoken about in the UK."

Refugee Resettlement to Australia: What Are the Facts? (Parliamentary Library, Dec. 2011) [text]

"Reporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the UK: The Myths and the Facts," Chapter in Human Rights Journalism: Advances in Reporting Distant Humanitarian Interventions (Palgrave Macmillan, Nov. 2011) [info]

World Refugee Week: Teacher’s Pack 2011 - An education resource to help secondary
students understand refugees in Australia (SBS, Amnesty International & the Refugee Council of Australia, 2011) [text]
- "The practical and widely accessible activities are a great way to get students of all ages and backgrounds thinking more clearly and communicating more honestly about the plight of refugees."

Tagged Publications.

MENA-related Publications

"The 'Center of Life' Policy: The Actual Reality in East Jerusalem," Jerusalem Quarterly, vol. 49 (2012) [preprint via SSRN]

"The Egyptian Journey": Migration from Egypt (ICHMD Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]
- First of three-part series.

"From Moveable Empire to Immovable State: Ottoman Policies towards Nomads and Refugees in the Modern Era," New Perspectives on Turkey, no. 45 (2011) [full-text]

Guerre en Libye: la situation des migrants et des réfugiés en Tunisie, CARIM Analytic and Synthetic Notes, no. 2011/70 (Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration, 2011) [text]

Living an Uncertain Future: An Ethnography of Displacement, Health, Psychosocial Well-being and the Search for Durable Solutions among Iraqi Refugees in Egypt, Dissertation submitted to the Department of Anthropology (Case Western Reserve University, Jan. 2012) [text]

"An Ongoing Nakba: The Plight of Palestiniain Refugees in Iraq," Jadaliyya (Feb. 2012) [text]

People on the Move: Human Trafficking and Migration in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, CARIM Research Report, no. 2011/04 (Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration, Oct. 2011) [text]

"Regionalizing Immigration, Health and Inequality: Iraqi Refugees in Australia," Administrative Services, vol. 2, no. 1 (2012) [open access text]

La situation des réfugiés et travailleurs syriens au Liban suite aux soulèvements populaires en Syrie, CARIM Analytic and Synthetic Notes, no. 2011/73 (Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration, 2011) [text]

The Swedish Migration Board Stops all Deportations to Syria (Migrationsverket, Feb. 2012) [text]

UNHCR Lebanon Updates [access]
- "Weekly updates on UNHCR's operation in Lebanon."

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Displacement from Climate Change, Environmental Degradation

Look for the following new title from Oxford University Press this month: Climate Change, Forced Migration, and International Law, by Jane McAdam. Here's the blurb:

This book critically examines whether States have obligations to protect people displaced by climate change under international refugee law, international human rights law, and the international law on statelessness. Drawing on field work undertaken in Bangladesh, India, and the Pacific island States of Kiribati and Tuvalu, it evaluates whether the phenomenon of 'climate change-induced displacement' is an empirically sound category for academic inquiry. It does so by examining the reasons why people move (or choose not to move); the extent to which climate change, as opposed to underlying socio-economic factors, provides a trigger for such movement; and whether traditional international responses, such as the conclusion of new treaties and the creation of new institutions, are appropriate solutions in this context. In this way, the book queries whether flight from habitat destruction should be viewed as another facet of traditional international protection or as a new challenge requiring more creative legal and policy responses.

A new paper in UNHCR's Legal and Protection Policy Research Series also considers protection options for people displaced as a result of climate change. Entitled "Protecting People Crossing Borders in the Context of Climate Change: Normative Gaps and Possible Approaches," the paper looks at "normative gaps as well as current approaches on cross-border movements induced by the impact of climate change, and assesses possible strategies to create an effective protection regime for these people, taking account of the likelihood of a substantial increase of affected persons in the future." It builds in part on a chapter contributed to the book, Climate Change and Displacement, Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Oxford Univ. Press, 2010), edited by the aforementioned author, Jane McAdam.

Other recent resources include:

Climate Change Displacement and Global Governance: A Case Study of Three Intergovernmental Organizations and the Conflict between the Member States and Bureaucracy, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty (Louisiana State University, Dec. 2011) [text]

- Looks at UNHCR, IOM and OCHA.

Climate Change and Migration, Presentation at "The Crisis Behind The Crisis? Forced Migration and its Consequence as a Result of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster in ASEAN," Bangkok, 15 Dec. 2011 [text]

- Information about the conference is available here.

Climate Change as a Conflict Multiplier, PeaceBrief, no. 120 (U.S. Institute of Peace, Feb. 2012) [text]

"Émergence et faisabilité des protections en discussion sur les "réfugiés environnementaux," Revue Tiers Monde, vol. 2010/4, no. 204 (2010; preprint posted Jan. 2012) [text via SSRN]
- Submitted to a special issue on climate refugees.

Moved by the State: Perspectives on Relocation and Resettlement in the Circumpolar North (MOVE) (European Science Foundation) [access]
- Research project that "will examine migration in a diversity of sites across the circumpolar north from a ground-up perspective in order to address questions of community sustainability, social fabric and senses of belonging. Bringing together an interdisciplinary team of anthropologists, demographers, historians and community-based researchers, MOVE will for the first time consider in a single research framework Russian/Soviet and Western modes of relocation, as well as indigenous and settler histories of migration." See Preliminary Research Results for notes and theses.

Refugiados Ambientais = Environmental Refugees, Special issue of Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, vol. 19, no. 36 (2011) [full-text]

Naturally Immigrants, Special volume of Miradas en Movimiento (Jan. 2012) [full-text]
- Includes "Some Comments on the Debate 'Migration-nexus-Climate Changes': Continuing with the Status Quo?," "Climate Change and Emigration: Comparing 'Sinking Islands' and Jamaica," and "Environmental Degradation as a Cause of Migration: Cautionary Tales from Brazil."

Working Paper Series on Environmental Degradation and Migration (Center on Migration, Citizenship and Development, 2011) [access]
- Relevant titles include "Is the ‘Environmental Migration’ Nexus an Analytically Meaningful Subject for Research?," "Challenges and Pitfalls of Resettlement Measures: Experiences in the Pacific Region," and "Migration as Source of Risk-aversion among the Environmental Refugees: The Case of Women Displaced by Erosion of the River Ganga in the Malda District of West Bengal, India."

Tagged Periodicals and Publications.