Focus on Europe

(updated)

Resettlement:

The Joint EU Resettlement Programme was adopted on 29 March 2012, and will take effect in 2013. Refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, and Somalia will be given priority. For more information:
- Financial Incentives for EU Countries to Take up More Refugees (European Parliament, March 2012) [text]
- UNHCR Welcomes Adoption of Joint EU Resettlement Programme (UNHCR, March 2012) [text]
- Linking-In EU Resettlement Newsletter, no. 2 (March 2012) [text]
- Resettlement of Refugees: A New Life (Rui Tavares, 2012) [text]

See also these new web sites:

Know Reset (European University Institute & ECRE) [access]
- "Building knowledge for a concerted and sustainable approach to refugee resettlement in the EU and its Member States."

Linking-In EU Resettlement (IOM, UNHCR & ICMC) [access]
- "The emphasis of this new project is on the reception and integration of refugees at the local level and the importance of linking the pre-departure and post-arrival phases in order to make resettlement more successful."

Other publications:

Asylum in the EU27: The Number of Asylum Applicants Registered in the EU27 Rose to 301,000 in 2011 (Eurostat, March 2012) [text]

Entering the Territory: Exploring New Forms of Access to Asylum Procedures (Italian Council for Refugees et al., March 2012) [access]
- Examples of complementary forms of access include "diplomatic asylum," "resettlement," "humanitarian evacuation operations," "flexible use of the visa regime," and "Protected Entry Procedures (PEPs)." Note: Both the full-text of the report and a list of recommendations can be accessed via the link.

Lives Lost in the Mediterranean Sea: Who is Responsible? (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, March 2012) [text]
- Report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. See also related press conference coverage, news articles (both via Migrants at Sea), IntLawGrrls blog comment and EJIL:Talk analysis.

"Safe Countries of Origin: An Inconvenient Truth," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 30 March 2012 [text]

Other web resources:

Asylum in Switzerland (Swissinfo.ch) [access]
- Includes news articles, photos, video and background information. See also interview with the High Commissioner for Refugees.

CARIM-East: An Observatory of Migration East of Europe (European University Institute & Centre of Migration Research) [access]
- Focuses on "all countries of the Eastern Partnership initiative (Belarus, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) and Russian Federation."

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Round-up of Assistance-related Resources

Opportunities:

CFP: Humanitari​an Aid & Empowering Local Communitie​s, Durham, 1-3 August 2012 [info]
- Deadline for abstracts is 20 April 2012. Register to attend via this site.

Call for grant proposals (Humanitarian Innovation Fund) [info]
- Proposals for grants of £75,000 or more are now being accepted; the deadline for submissions is 22 April 2012. Note: Small grants of up to £20,000 are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Publications:

Building the Future of Humanitarian Aid: Local Capacity, Partnerships in Disasters and the Future of Emergency Aid (Christian Aid, March 2012) [text via PreventionWeb]

Certified Fresh (Humanitarian.info, March 2012) [text]
- Comment on certification.

European Commission Humanitarian Aid: From A to Z (European Commission, March 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Global Survey on Humanitarian Professionalisation (ELRHA, March 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Impact of Cash Transfers on Nutrition in Emergency and Transitional Contexts (ODI, Jan. 2012) [text]

Local Capacity in Humanitarian Response: Vision or Mirage? (Oxfam, March 2012) [text]

New Technologies in Cash Transfer Programming and Humanitarian Assistance (Cash Learning Partnership, Feb. 2012) [text]

UNHCR Manual on Security of Persons of Concern (UNHCR, Nov. 2011) [text]

What Cash Transfer Programming can do to Protect Children: Review and Recommendations (Save the Children et al., Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Web site:

Humanitarian Standards for Aid Workers [access]
- "The aim of this website is to highlight the key standards and guidance, and encourage those engaged in humanitarian response to incorporate them into their work."

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

ETDs in Baltic Slavic and Oriental Studies, Conflict Analysis, Geography, Government, Public Affairs, Social Sciences

Attitudes in Transition: Chechen Refugees and the Politics of Violence, Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School (University of Texas at Austin, Dec. 2011) [text]

Citadel Malta-Affects of EU Integration on Veiled Perceptions of Refugee and Asylum Seekers in Malta, Thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty (George Mason University & University of Malta, Jan. 2012) [text]

The Evaluation of the Return Process of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Back to their "Home of Origin": The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thesis submitted to Department of Baltic Slavic and Oriental Studies (University of Macedonia, 2011) [text]

Integration of Refugees in the Czech Republic, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School (Rutgers University, Jan. 2012) [text]

A Lasting Solution: Examining the Need for Reform in the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School (University of Texas at Austin, Aug. 2011) [text]

Protecting "Water Refugees": An Examination of Alternative Frameworks for Protecting those Displaced by Water Scarcity, Water Policy, and Water Management, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School (University of Texas at Austin, Aug. 2011) [text]

Redistribution and Recognition for Migrants and Refugees in Aotearoa New Zealand: Neo-Liberal and Multicultural Discourses in NGO Claims-Talk, Thesis (University of Waikato, 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

2011 Reviews: Asylum Applications, Canada, Natural Disasters, Peace Operations, Statelessness

Asylum in the EU27: The Number of Asylum Applicants Registered in the EU27 Rose to 301,000 in 2011 (Eurostat, March 2012) [text]

Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries 2011: Statistical Overview of Asylum Applications Lodged in Europe and Selected Non-European Countries (UNHCR, March 2012) [text]
- See also related press release.

Briefing Paper: Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2012 (Center on International Cooperation, Feb. 2012) [access]
- See also related map; book details are available from the publisher.

Dawn of a New Era for the Forgotten Issue of Statelessness (e-International Relations, Feb. 2012) [text]

The Year that Shook the Rich: A Review of Natural Disasters in 2011 (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, March 2012) [text]
- See also related blog post.

Year in Review 2011 (Canadian Council for Refugees, Jan. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Urban Issues

The 21st Century Urban Disaster (CHF International, March 2012) [text]
- Examines the "increasingly complex nature of humanitarian responses to urban disasters."

Integrating Cities, Amsterdam, 8-9 March 2012 [info]
- Workshop 5 focused on "The Role of Cities in Refugee Resettlement" (scroll down for presentations).

"Protecting People in Cities: The Disturbing Case of Haiti," Disasters, forthcoming (2012) [preprint]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Chaloka Beyani, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/19/54 (UN General Assembly, Dec. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Includes a thematic section that examines the "particular nature of displacement in urban contexts."

Sanctuary in the City? Urban Displacement and Vulnerability in Amman, HPG Working Paper (ODI, March 2012) [text]

State of Play Review: Migrants, Cities and the Business Sector (The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration, Oct. 2011) [text]

Urban Attractions: Returnee Youth, Mobility and the Search for a Future in South Sudan’s Regional Towns, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 232 (UNHCR, Jan. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Events & Opportunities: Last Minute March/More April

March:

Exploring Avenues for Protected Entry Procedures in Europe, Brussels, 28 March 2012 [info in ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 23 March 2012]
- See bottom of p. 1 for info. on launch of report.

Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Brussels, 29-30 March 2012 [info]
- As Migrants at Sea notes, the PACE report on "Lives Lost in the Mediterranean Sea: Who is Responsible?" will be considered at this meeting.

Engaging with Armed Groups: Legal and Operational Challenges for Humanitarian Actors, Washington, DC, 30 March 2012 [info]
- Co-hosted with the ICRC, this discussion complements the publication of the latest issue of the International Review of the Red Cross, the theme of which is "Understanding armed groups and the applicable law." Register using this form.

April:

Addressing the Legal Gaps in Climate Change Migration, Displacement and Resettlement: From Sinking Islands to Flooded Deltas, Washington, DC, 3 April 2012 [info]
- Register using this form.

Call for applications: Emerging Scholars Workshop on Forced Migration [info]
- Deadline is 27 April 2012.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

IASFM14

The 14th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) will be hosted by the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group in Kolkata, India from 6-9 January 2013. The theme is "Contested Spaces and Cartographic Challenges."

The call for papers provides more detail about the sub-themes to be explored. The deadline for abstract submissions is 30 April 2012.

For more information, visit the conference web site. Information on past conferences is available here.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Focus on Australia

Asylum Seekers: An Update, Briefing Paper, no. 1/2012 (NSW Paliamentary Library, March 2012) [text via APO]

Australia to Enact Uniform Asylum Process (IRIN, March 2012) [text]

"Australian Asylum Policy all at Sea: An Analysis of Plaintiff M70/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Australia-Malaysia Arrangement," International and Comparative Law Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 1 (Jan. 2012) [free full-text via UNSW]

Complementary Protection Training Manual (Refugee Review Tribunal, Jan. 2012) [text via Conduct of Reviews]

The Politics of Compassion (Inside Story, March 2012) [text]
- Review of Humanitarian Reason: A Moral History of the Present, framed in Australian context.

"Seeing Like a Region: Parliamentary Discourses on Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Scotland and South Australia," Population, Space and Place, vol. 18, no. 1 Jan./Feb. 2012) [free full-text]

Tagged Publications.

CFPs/New Issues of EASO News, HR Brief, Hum. Exchange, ICRC Rev., Intl. Migration, IMR, JPRS, NYU J. Intl. Law & Pol., RSC News

CFPs:

Forced Migration Review [info]
- Articles are requested for an issue focusing on "Preventing Displacement."; the deadline is 4 June 2012.

Reminder: Journal of Internal Displacement [info]
- Focus is on displacement during the Arab Spring; the deadline is 15 April 2012.

New issues:

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

Human Rights Brief, vol. 19, no. 1 (Fall 2011) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 53 (March 2012) [full-text]
- Focus is on the Horn of Africa.

International Migration, vol. 50, no. 2 (April 2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration Review, vol. 26, no. 1 (Spring 2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 93, no. 882 (June 2011) [full-text]
- Theme is "Understanding armed groups and the applicable law."

Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies, vol. 1, no. 2 (Autumn 2011) [full-text]
- Theme is "Ongoing Nakba"; includes "Forceful displacement and expulsion in Israel."

NYU Journal of International Law and Politics, vol. 44, no. 2 (2011) [full-text]
- Focus is on individuals seeking protection based on their sexual orientation.  See also corresponding online symposium with additional commentary.

RSC Newsletter (Spring 2012) [full-text]

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities.

More on Canada

Further to this post on developments in Canada:

The report on recognition rates is now available. Entitled "The Luck of the Draw? Judicial Review of Refugee Determinations in the Federal Court of Canada (2005-2010)," the study "examines whether outcomes in these life-and-death applications turn on their merits, or whether, instead, they hinge on which judge is assigned to decide the application."

In addition, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) issued "Bill C-31: The Minister says one thing; his Bill says another," which highlights problems with the proposed legislation for reforming the refugee status determination process.

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Children, Detention

The International Detention Coalition (IDC) officially launched its campaign against children in detention at the UN Human Rights Council on 21 March 2012. The coalition also presented its report, Captured Childhood. Here is the campaign web site.

Other resources relating to detention:

Amnesty International Australia Detention Facilities Visit 2012 (Amnesty International, Feb. 2012) [text]

Immigration Detention in Canada (Global Detention Project, March 2012) [text]

On the Unintended Consequences of Human Rights Promotion on Immigration Detention (Global Detention Project, March 2012) [text]

A Sneak Preview of NCADC’s Campaign Toolkit: Immigration Detention (NCADC Blog, March 2012) [text]

Other resources relating to children & youth:

Engaging Youth: Palestine Refugees in a Changing Middle East, Brussels, 19-20 March 2012 [info]
- Here's the speech given by UNRWA's Commissioner-General.

Ensuring the Right of all Children to Acquire a Nationality: Using the 50th Anniversary of Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness to Promote Accession (UNHCR, June 2011) [text]

A Life on Hold: The Story of a Teenage Refugee (Amnesty International, March 2012) [access]

Unattended Children in Afghanistan (Free Movement, Feb. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Impact of Academic Research on Policy

Do policymakers pay attention to academic research findings? A recent opinion piece in Embassy Magazine suggests otherwise, at least in the Canadian context: "Canadian policy-making on refugee issues is ignoring the evidence of leading researchers in the field. Empirical research that would improve refugee legislation and the practices of our refugee determination system is being overlooked to the detriment of refugees and the Canadian public."

One example of a newly published study with recommendations for reform based on empirical findings is: The Luck of the Draw? Judicial Review of Refugee Determinations in the Federal Court of Canada (2005-2010), Osgoode CLPE Research Paper 9/2012 (Osgoode Hall Law School, 2012). Here's the abstract:

This working paper offers an empirical examination of judicial review in Canada’s Federal Court in the refugee law context. Drawing on a dataset of over 23,000 applications for judicial review of refugee determinations from 2005 to 2010, the paper examines whether outcomes in these life-and-death applications turn on their merits, or whether, instead, they hinge on which judge is assigned to decide the application. The paper reveals that outcomes over the past five years frequently came down to the luck of the draw, with, for example, one judge more than 50 times as likely to grant applications than another judge. Based on these findings, the author offers several recommendations for reform to enhance fairness and consistency in this important area of law.

So will this study have any impact? And how can that impact be measured? Below is a list of resources that discuss, variously, whether or not the impact of research on policy can even be achieved, and methods for achieving that elusive impact.

Academic Knowledge, Policy and the Public Role of Social Scientists: The Case of Migration and Development, COMCAD Working Paper, no. 71 (Center on Migration, Citizenship and Development, 2010) [text]

At Open-Access Meeting, Advocates Emphasize the Impact of Sharing Knowledge (Wired Campus, Nov. 2011) [text]

FRA Research Methodology: Delivering Evidence-based Advice (European Agency for Fundamental Rights, Aug. 2011) [text via Refworld]

Handbook on Maximizing the Impacts of Your Research (LSE Public Policy Group, 2011) [text]

"How Information Scarcity Influences the Policy Agenda: Evidence from U.K. Immigration Policy," Governance, Early View, 28 Feb. 2012 [abstract]

How to Convert "Social Media Reach" to "Impact" (ICT-KM Blog, June 2011) [text]

Impact of Social Sciences Blog [access]
- Focuses on "maximizing the impact of academic research."

Linking Research and Policy in the Field of Migration, Asylum and Integration, Vienna, 12 Dec. 2011 [info]

Making Systematic Reviews Work for International Development Research (ODI, Jan. 2012) [text]
- See also related blog post.

The Political Uses of Expert Knowledge: Immigration Policy and Social Research (Cambridge University Press, 2009; paperback version avail. May 2012) [info]
- See also recent book review in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

"The Use of Social Science Research to Inform Policy Development: Case Studies from Recent Immigration Policy," Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, vol. 5, no. 1 (May 2010) [full-text]

Why Academics Should Learn How to Influence Government Policy (Social Science Space, June 2011) [text]

Workshop: Use of Information and Data for Enhanced Communication and Advocacy, Budapest, 17-18 March 2011 [info]
- Audio from this event is available via the link above; more information can be found via this blog post]

[Image credit: "Research Impact on Social Policy," CLS Impact]

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

Focus on MENA

International Protection: The Arab Spring, Modern Movements and the Decades Ahead, San Remo, Italy, 19 March 2012 [text]

- Opening lecture at the 64th Course on International Refugee Law, International Institute of Humanitarian Law.

Jordan-Syria: Refugees Say It is Becoming Harder to Leave (IRIN, March 2012) [text]

Migration, Displacement and the Arab Spring: Lessons to Learn (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, March 2012) [text]

The New Amendment to the ‘Prevention of Infiltration’ Act: Defining Asylum-Seekers as Criminals (Israel Democracy Institute, Feb. 2012) [text]

New Threat Looms Over South Sudan Refugees (IPS, March 2012) [text]

Protecting Migrants in Complex Crises, GCSP Policy Paper 2012/2 (Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Syria: Aid Workers Give Cautious Welcome to Start of Humanitarian Assessment (IRIN, March 2012) [text]

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Preparing for the Worst (Refugees International, March 2012) [text]

Waiting for the Arab Spring in Western Sahara (Brookings Institution, March 2012) [text]

Why Humanitarians Wary of "Humanitarian Corridors" (IRIN, March 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

More on Georgia - updated!

Following up on my recent post on the Caucasus, here are two more items that have just become available on Georgia:

- The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has released a new report on internal displacement in Georgia; the press release is here, the report is here, and the general country page is here.

- And here is a bachelor's thesis from Malmo University entitled Internally Displaced Persons in Georgia: Challenges for Change.

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Africa, esp. Somalis

"Child Acute Malnutrition and Mortality in Populations Affected by Displacement in the Horn of Africa, 1997–2009," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 9, no. 3 (March 2012) [open access]

"Epidemic Cholera in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, 2009: The Importance of Sanitation and Soap," Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, vol. 6, no. 3 (March 2012) [open access]

"A Grounded Theory Investigation into the Experiences of African Women Refugees: Effects on Resilience and Identity and Implications for Service Provision," Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 13, no. 1 (March 2012) [open access]

Solutions Durables pour les Personnes Déplacées: Les Défis à l’Est du Tchad - Rapport Conjoint (ACTED et al., March 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Negotiating Local Protection and Emplacement: The Silent Integration of Refugees on the Zambia-Angolan Borderlands, Lausanne, 15 March 2012 [text]

- Lunch seminar presentation.

Somalis:

Abuse of Somali Refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia (Human Rights Brief, March 2012) [text]

Addendum to 2010 UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Somalia, relating specifically to the city of Galkacyo (UNHCR, March 2012) [text]

Somali Refugees: Ongoing Crisis, New Realities (Refugees International, March 2012) [text]

"Somali Refugees in Kenya: Security Deficiencies and Public Health Concerns as a Result of Ineffective Policy," Student Pulse, vol. 3, no. 8 (2011) [full-text]

[Picture credit: "Somalia: Forced Return Unacceptable, Voluntary Return Unrealistic," World Bridge Blog, March 2012]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Asia, North Korean Refugees

Asia (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka):

Afghanistan: A Case Study - Strengthening Principled Humanitarian Response Capacities (ODI, Jan. 2012) [text]

A Commentary on the December 2011 Sri Lanka Operational Guidance Note (Still Human, Still Here, March 2012) [text]

Roadmap for the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) in Asia: Personalities, Institutions and Processes, NTS Perspectives, no. 8 (Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Untold Miseries": Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Burma's Kachin State (Human Rights Watch, March 2012) [text]

North Korean refugees:

China: Divided over North Korean Refugees (International Relations and Security Network, March 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

China's Repatriation of North Korean Refugees (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, March 2012) [text]

"North Korean Refugee Health in South Korea (NORNS) Study: Study Design and Methods,"BMC Public Health, 12:172 (8 March 2012) [open access]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/19/65 (UN General Assembly, Feb. 2012) [text via Refworld]
- See section H, "Protection of Asylum Seekers."

Securitization of Human Rights: North Korean Refugees in East Asia (Praeger, Feb. 2012) [preview]

The Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Human Rights Council, March 2012) [text via Refworld]
- Discusses the increase in asylum-seekers in South Korea.

Tagged Publications.

New Legal Articles & Presentations

"A Commentary on the Committee on the Rights of the Child's Definition of Non-Refoulement for Children: Broad Protection for Fundamental Rights," Res Gestae, no. 8 (2011) [full-text]

The Contemporary International Law Status of the Right to Receive Asylum (SSRN, March 2012) [text]

U.S. Asylum Law as a Path to Religious Persecution (ExpressO, 2012) [text]

"We Don't Need to See Them Cry: Eliminating the Subjective Apprehension Element of the Well-Founded Fear Analysis for Child Refugee Applicants," Pepperdine Law Review, vol. 33, no. 3 (2012) [full-text]

Recent presentations from the International Refugee Law Seminar Series (Refugee Law Initiative):

"Comparative Approaches to the Use of International Human Rights Law in Asylum
Cases in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States," London, 31 Jan. 2012 [summary]

"Queer Cases, Great Law: The Fast-developing Field of LGBTI Refugee Law," London, 13 March 2012 [audio]

"The Supervision of International Refugee Law," London, 31 Jan. 2012 [audio]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Developments in Canada

Bill C-31:

Information about the provisions in this proposed bill can be found on the web sites of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) and Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR). Sample reactions from refugee advocates include:

• Bill C-31 – Fast but not as fair: Major changes to Canada’s refugee system (Maytree Conversations, March 2012) [text]
• Canada: Vote No on Migrant Detention Bill (Human Rights Watch, March 2012) [text]
• Prof. Audrey Macklin with Lorne Waldman: Ottawa’s bogus refugee bill (Faculty Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]
• Protect Refugees from Bill C-31: Joint statement (Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition, March 2012) [text]
• Who decides? (Dean Sossin's Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Recognition rates:

2011 Refugee Claim Data and IRB Member Recognition Rates (Canadian Council for Refugees, March 2012) [access]

"Refugee Claims Show Inconsistent Approval Rates," CBC News, 12 March 2012 [text]

Events after the fact:

CARL National Conference, Toronto, 9 March 2012 [access]
- Both audio and video of the event are available.

Refugee Night, Ottawa, 22 February 2012 [access]

- Follow the link for a summary of the evening, along with links to speeches and transcripts.

Publication:

State of Immigrant and Refugee Women's Status in Canada: 2012 - A Joint Report (CCR et al., March 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Focus on Climate/Environmental Displacement

Upcoming event:

The Securitization of Climate Change: 'Threat Multipliers' and Climate Migration in Africa, New York, 28 March 2012 [info]

- Presentation by Greg White of Smith College; RSVP via the link.

Publications:

Addressing Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific (Asian Development Bank, March 2012) [text]
- See also related news report.

"Book Review: Climate Change and Displacement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives," Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 1 (Feb. 2012) [full-text via SSRN]

Protecting "Water Refugees" : An Examination of Alternative Frameworks for Protecting Those Displaced by Water Scarcity, Water Policy, and Water Management, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School (University of Texas at Austin, Aug. 2011; issued Feb. 2012) [text]

"Riverbank Erosion Displacees in Bangladesh: Need for Institutional Response and Policy Intervention," Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics, vol. 2, no. 2 (2011) [full-text via Eldis]

News stories re. Kiribati's recent proposal to purchase land in Fiji as a safeguard against rising sea levels:

"Island Nation of Kiribati Contemplates Move to Fiji," Christian Science Monitor, 9 March 2012 [text]

"Kiribati Buys Land in Fiji to Save Citizens from Sea-level Rise," Wired UK, 8 March 2012 [text]

Migration not a Matter of Choice but Survival, says Kiribati President (UNISDR, March 2012) [text]

Photo essays:

Climate Displacement in Kiribati (Displacement Solutions, Feb. 2012) [access]

Climate Displacement in Tuvualu (Displacement Solutions, Feb. 2012) [access]

"In Pictures: Kiribati Fights Catastrophic Sea Level Rise," Wired UK, 14 March 2012 [access]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Even More Events & Opportunities: March 2012 - Updated

(I'm re-posting this listing with details about additional March events & opportunities that came to my attention after the fact; these are marked accordingly *.)

*Still Waiting for Tomorrow? The Law and Politics of Unresolved Refugee Crises, Boston, MA, 2 April 2012 [info]
- RSVP using this form by 19 March 2012.

*Building Inclusive Communities: Good Practice in Refugee Settlement, Melbourne, 21 March 2012 [info]

- RSVP by 20 March 2012.

*Internally Displaced Persons and Host Communities: The Limits of Hospitality?, Washington, DC, 22 March 2012 [info]

*Natural Disaster Trends and Challenges: Shaken, Drowned, Displaced, Battered and Bruised, Washington, DC, 28 March 2012 [info]

CFP: Double Jeopardy 2012: A Conference on LGBTI Forced Migration, London, 4-6 July 2012 [info]
- Submit paper proposal by 30 March 2012.

Researching Country of Origin Information, 16 April 2012–11 May 2012 [info]
- Course that blends e-training with a face-to-face meeting; the latter will take place 15 May 2012 in Dublin. Register by 30 March 2012.

CARFMS12: Restructuring Refuge and Settlement - Responding to the Global Dynamics of Displacement, Toronto, 16-18 May 2012 [info]
- Early registration rates are in effect until 31 March 2012.

CFP: "Power, Representation, and Identity: Narratives by, about, and around Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons," 2012 Centre for Refugee Studies Graduate Student Conference, Toronto, 20-21 April 2012 [info]
- The deadline for submitting abstracts has been extended to 31 March 2012 (local participants).


Related posts:
- Events & Opportunities in the UK: March, April 2012
- More Events & Opportunities: March 2012

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Round-up of Resources on Statelessness

Event:

Statelessness in the UK, Cardiff, 28 March 2012 [info]
- Send an email to book a place.


Publications:

Dawn of a New Era for the Forgotten Issue of Statelessness (e-International Relations, Feb. 2012) [text]

Gender Equality, Nationality Laws and Statelessness (UNHCR, 2012) [access]

- See background note, testimonials and a press release.

European Good Practices: Advocacy Tool in Serbia - Report on the Expert Debate. Right to be Recognized as a Person before the Law; Right to Adequate Housing (Praxis et al., Feb. 2012) [text]

Kuwait: Bidoun Nationality Demands Can’t Be Silenced (Refugees International, March 2012) [text]

Rottmann and Genovese: How Will Europe’s Nationality Laws Stand up to the Scrutiny of its Regional Courts? (Statelessness Programme Blog, March 2012) [text]

UNHCR: Breakthrough on Statelessness (UNHCR, Dec. 2011) [access]

- Video on ministerial meeting in Geneva.

World Map of Parties to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, as of 1 March 2012 (UNHCR, March 2012) [access]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Focus on Human Trafficking

Counter-Trafficking in Persons Policy (USAID, Feb. 2012) [text]

An Evidence Assessment of the Routes of Human Trafficking into the UK (UK Home Office, March 2012) [text]

Guidelines for Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking in the East Africa Region (IOM, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Incorporating Human Trafficking in Academic Institutions: The European Experience, Amsterdam, 25-26 November 2011 [info]
- Here is the speech of the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and the speech of the Executive Director of the Protection Project.

International Framework for Action to Implement the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol (UNODC, Jan. 2012 [text]

Modeling for Determinants of Human Trafficking (Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research, Feb. 2012) [text]

"Sex Trafficking in Latin America: Dominant Discourse, Empirical Paucity, and Promising Research," Global Crime, vol. 13, no. 1 (2012) [abstract]

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

Tagged Publications.

Focus on the Caucasus, esp. Georgia

"The Chaos of Humanitarian Aid: Adhocracy in the Republic of Georgia," Humanity, vol. 3, no. 1 (March 2012) [full-text]

Displacement, Health and Humanitarianism in post-Soviet Georgia, NCEEER Working Paper (National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, Jan. 2012) [text]

"The Impact of Socially IR/Responsible Resettlement on the Livelihoods of Internally Displaced Persons in Georgia," Refugee Survey Quarterly, Advance Access, 9 March 2012 [abstract]

"A New Life": An Evaluation of the Norwegian Refugee Council Self Help Private Accommodation Rehabilitation Model (Norwegian Refugee Council, Feb. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Situation of IDPs and Returnees in the North Caucasus Region (Council of Europe, March 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

Documenting Migrant Deaths at Sea

UNHCR reported recently that 1500 people "drowned or went missing last year [2011] while attempting crossings of the Mediterranean Sea." The actual number may be even higher; a spokesperson for the agency noted that "Our estimates are based on interviews with people who reached Europe on boats, telephone calls and e-mails from relatives, as well as reports from Libya and Tunisia from survivors whose boats either sank or were in distress in the early stages of the journey."

Sites that track those who perish at sea, at least in the European context, include:

- The Migrants at Sea blog uses the tag "deaths at sea" to index posts that report deaths of boat people.
- The Fortress Europe blog maintains a page listing deaths along the borders of Europe since 1988.
- PICUM's Bulletins regularly include a "death at border" sub-section under "Borders."
- UNITED has compiled a "List of Deaths" (1993-present) that have occurred as a result of "Fortress Europe" policies (more info.; see also map).

These data are primarily compiled from press reports and therefore are likely to be incomplete. This article discusses the challenges of "recording and identifying" migrant deaths; it is based on earlier articles in New Europe and in the European Journal of Migration Law. A more recent conference paper entitled "European Border Control and the Right to Life" reviews the data from UNITED and compares them with information available through local death registries in southern Italy in order to investigate the larger question of whether or not European states have a responsibility for reducing the number of deaths that occur on their borders. (See also "The Human Costs of Border Control.")

The human costs are documented in other ways as well; see, for example:

- Mare Morto, which captures images of boats destroyed along the coast of Italy;

- "The Price of Freedom," a yet-to-be-made documentary that will focus on Tunisians who are missing after attempting to cross by boat to Europe; and

- "Life and Death on the High Seas: Haunting a Community" in Griffin Review, no. 35, Autumn 2012, which "explores the conflicting narratives of the Janga, the boat, its crew and its passengers involved in the Christmas Island tragedy of December 2010" (Australia not Europe).

Tagged Publications.

Perspectives on Repatriation & Return

The Challenges of Repatriation for Iraqi Refugees (Jurist, Jan. 2012) [text]

The Evaluation of the Return Process of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Back to their "Home of Origin": The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thesis submitted to Department of Baltic Slavic and Oriental Studies (University of Macedonia, 2011) [text]

Humanitarian Guidelines Help Refugees Get Back Land, Property (VOA News, Jan. 2012) [text]

"Return within the Bounds of the Pinheiro Principles: The Colombian Land Restitution Experience," Washington University Global Studies Law Review, forthcoming, vol. 11 (2012) [preprint via SSRN]

"Understanding Repatriation: Refugee Perspectives on the Importance of Safety, Reintegration, and Hope," Population, Space and Place, vol. 18, no. 1 (January/February 2012) [free full-text]

Tagged Publications.