30 April 2012

Focus on Human Trafficking

Upcoming event:

Latest Developments in EU Action on Human Trafficking, Trier, Germany, 14-15 June 2012 [info]
- Discounted rates for those who register before 14 May 2012.

Publications:

Seattle Journal for Social Justice, vol. 9, no. 2 (Spring/Summer 2011) [full-text]
- Special issue that focuses on "Understanding Human Trafficking and its Victims."

"Security, Equality and the Clash of Ideas: Sweden’s Evolving Anti-Trafficking Policy," Human Rights Law Review, OnlineFirst, 28 Jan. 2012 [abstract]
- See also related conference paper.

Trafficking of Children: The Case of South Africa, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Stellenbosch University, March 2012) [text]

Trafficking in Persons: Singapore's Evolving Responses, NTS Alert (Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, April 2012) [text]
- See also Joint Civil Society Statement.


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


Focus on Europe

The Refugee Studies Centre's new Seminar Series begins this week; the theme is "Forward, backward, stalling? Critical reflections on the completion of the Common European Asylum System." The first seminar on 2 May 2012 will focus on "The Court of Justice of the EU and European Court of Human Rights as Refugee Law Courts."

Other events and opportunities:

The Protection of Minority Rights in the EU Asylum Process, Trier, Germany, 14-15 June 2012 [info]
- Register before 14 May 2012 for discounted rates.

FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Internally Displaced Persons, Stateless Persons and Refugees in the Caucasus (U.S. Department of State, April 2012) [info]
- Deadline for proposals is 25 May 2012.

Publications:

Advocate General’s Opinion in Joined Cases C-71/11 and C-99/11 (Court of Justice of the European Union, April 2012) [text]
- "According to Advocate General Bot, a serious infringement of the freedom of religion may constitute an ‘act of persecution’ where the asylum seeker, by exercising that freedom or as a result of infringing the restrictions placed on the exercise of that freedom, runs a real risk of being deprived of his most fundamental rights."

EU Court of Justice Advocate General Recommends Annulment of Frontex Sea Borders Rule (Migrants at Sea, April 2012) [text]

Fresh Asylum Claims, the UK Border Agency and Access to Justice (Migration Pulse, April 2012) [text]

Hungary as a Country of Asylum (UNHCR, April 2012) [text]
- See also related press release.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

27 April 2012

ETDs in Anthropology, Education, HIV/AIDS Management, Psychology, Security Studies, Social Work, Sociology

Barriers to HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing among Refugees and Asylum Seekers from African Great Lakes Region Living in Durban, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Economic and Management Science (Stellenbosch University, 2012) [text]

Colombian Refugee Migrant Experiences of Health and Social Services in Ottawa, Canada: Navigating Landscapes of Language and Memory, Dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies (McMaster University, Spring 2012) [text]

The Effect of Resettlement on the Livelihoods of the Folweni Traditional Community, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2012) [text]

Liminal Belonging: West African Male Asylum Seekers’ Narratives of the Asylum Experience whilst in Finland, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Helsinki, Oct. 2011) [text]

LINCing Literacies: Literacy Practices among Somali Refugee Women in the LINC Program, Thesis submitted to the Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (University of Toronto, March 2012) [text]

Unwelcome "Guests": An Assessment of Iraq's Displaced Christians in Jordan, Thesis submitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Georgetown University, Feb. 2012) [text]

Working with Refugee Torture Survivors: Assessment of Competency and Training, Dissertation submitted to the Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services (University of Oregon, Sept. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

26 April 2012

Focus on Australia


The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has launched a new resource called Asylum Explained: A Guide to the Process of Seeking Asylum in Australia. Sections address who is a refugee; how to get protection; and the various stages of applying for protection, beginning with the Dept. of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), moving on to the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT), continuing with the judicial review process, and ending with Ministerial appeals.  A "resources" section includes fact sheets in a variety of languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese.

Other recent items relating to Australia:

"Book Review: Immigration Refugees and Forced Migration: Law, Policy and Practice in Australia," Sydney Law Review, vol. 33, no. 4 (2011) [full-text]

Developments in Australian Refugee Law and Policy 2010-2011 (Australian Parliamentary Library, April 2012) [text]

Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Immigration Detention Network: Final Report (Parliament of Australia, March 2012) [access]

Making it Home: Refugee Housing in Melbourne’s West (Footscray Community Legal Centre, March 2012) [text via BroCAP]

"Seeking Asylum in Australia: Mental Health and Human Rights of Children and Families," Melbourne, 15 March 2012 [access]
- Follow link for seminar report, slides and audio of presentation, and transcript.

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

25 April 2012

Focus on Humanitarian Assistance

Tomorrow, the eighth "Humanitarian Assistance Webcast" is scheduled to air; the topic is "Human Rights and Humanitarian Action."  Registration is required. Follow the link to sign up and review related resources.

Previous Humanitarian Assistance Webcasts covered the following issues:

  • Webcast 7: Empowering Beneficiaries: Humanitarian Professionals at a Crossroads? [access]
  • Webcast 6: The Integration of Humanitarian Action in Political and Security Missions [access]
  • Webcast 5: Status of Humanitarian Reform [access]
  • Webcast 4: NGOs’ Rights and Responsibilities for Humanitarian Access [access]
  • Webcast 3: From Mitigation to Prevention and Rehabilitation: The Changing Scope of Humanitarian Action [access]
  • Webcast 2: The Challenges of Professionalizing Humanitarian Action [access]
  • Webcast 1: Community Participation in Humanitarian Relief and Protection: From Principle to Reality [access]

The complete set of webcasts is available via ATHA.

New resource:

ELRHA's Guide to Constructing Effective Partnerships was launched on 17 April 2012.  The Guide is a resource designed to "support collaboration between humanitarian and academic organisations."  Sections include Background, How to Collaborate, The Evidence, The Learning and The Community.

Publications:

"Carving Out a Niche for Humanitarianism within the Responsibility to Protect," Macalester Review, vol. 2, no. 1 (2012) [full-text]

"Humanitarian Funding," Humanitarian Policy Note (Oxfam, April 2012) [access]

Managing Gender-based Violence Programmes in Emergencies: E-learning Companion Guide (UNFPA, April 2012) [text]
- Companion guide to e-learning course.

Private Funding: An Emerging Trend in Humanitarian Donorship (Global Humanitarian Assistance, 2012) [text]

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

Focus on Climate Change

(updated)

Upcoming event:

Refugees International will host a Roundtable on Climate Displacement on 2 May 2012 in Washington, DC.  More information is available here.

Publications:

Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict in Northwest Africa: Rising Dangers and Policy Options across the Arc of Tension (Center for American Progress, April 2012) [text]
- See also video of related event.

Climatic Factors as Determinants of International Migration, CESifo Working Paper, no. 3747 (CESifo, Feb. 2012) [text via SSRN]

Life as a Climate Refugee (Huffington Post, April 2012) [text]

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, March 2012) [access]
- Follow the link above for an executive summary and the full report.  See also summaries of key findings as they relate to Africa, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean.

Read On! Climate Change, Forced Migration, and International Law (IntLawGrrls, April 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Statelessness

Bulgaria and Moldova are the two most recent accessions to both statelessness conventions.  According to UNHCR, now "73 states have acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and 44 are now States parties to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. This is up from 65 States parties to the 1954 Convention and 37 to the 1961 Convention just a year ago."

Funding opportunities:

The UNHCR office in Central Europe is seeking an "Implementing Partner to Conduct a Mapping of Stateless in Slovenia."  Proposals should be submitted by 5 May 2012.

Another funding opportunity for statelessness research is on offer from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.  See "Research Projects to Strengthen Evidence-Based Humanitarian Decision Making by PRM and its Partners Worldwide" for more information.  Proposals must be submitted by 8 May 2012.

Other recent resources focusing on statelessness include:

"Here I Was Born: Stateless Dominicans Seek Recognition," The Refugee Voice, vol. 6, no. 1 (March 2012)[text]

"No Place to Call Home: The Status and Rights of Stateless People," The International Review, vol. 14, no. 1 (Fall/Winter 2011) [text]

The Right to Nationality and the Secession of South Sudan: A Commentary on the Impact of the New Laws (Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa, April 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

24 April 2012

Opportunity: Migration Information Source

The Migration Information Source is seeking a new editor.  The job description is available here.  Applications are due 30 April 2012.

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

New Legal Resources

Events:

The theme of the Refugee Studies Centre's next seminar series is "Forward, backward, stalling? Critical reflections on the completion of the Common European Asylum System."  The seminars will run weekly from 2 May 2012 to 6 June 2012.

Publications:

Fresh Asylum Claims and Further Representations Campaign Toolkit, Draft (NCADC, 2012) [access]
- More information about this approach is available here.

International Disaster Response Laws, Rules and Principles (IDRL) Programme: Annual Report (IFRC, 2012) [text via PreventionWeb]

Rainbow Bridges: A Community Guide to Rebuilding the Lives of LGBTI Refugees and Asylum Seekers (ORAM, April 2012) [text]

Refugee Law Reader: Cases, Documents, and Materials, 6th ed. (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, 2011) [text] [online access]

Refugee Rights Unit Working Paper Series (University of Cape Town, 2011-) [access]

Networks:

Refugee Law Initiative Hub [access]
- This online network "will support sharing, collaboration and dissemination of information by academics and non-academics, refugee law scholars and practitioners."

Western Balkan Legal Aid Network [access]
- WeBLAN is "an independent network of civil society organizations devoted to protection, promotion and improvement of human rights and social inclusion, prevention and reduction of statelessness in the Western Balkans and combating discrimination."

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.



Live Webcast: Unaccompanied Migrant Children


A live webcast of the opening session of a conference sponsored by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is starting now; tune in here.

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

23 April 2012

Reminder! Summer 2012 Events


For some summer courses, the application deadlines are fast approaching.  For others, applications continue to be accepted, but not for too much longer!

Center for Forced Migration Studies' Summer Institute on "Unsettling Resettlement," Evanston, IL, 8-14 July 2012 [info]
- The deadline for visa applicants is 1 May 2012; non-visa applicants have until 15 June 2012.

Centre for Refugee Studies 2012 Summer Course, Toronto, 6-12 May 2012 [info]
- Registration deadline for non-visa applicants is 30 April 2012.

International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford, 2-20 July 2012 [info]
- The application deadline is 1 May 2012.

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

Tagged Events & Opportunities.



New Issues of Disasters, EASO News, Humanit. Action Yrbk., JRS News, KANERE, RRN News

Anuario de acción humanitaria y derechos humanos = Yearbook of humanitarian action and human rights, no. 9  (2011) [contents]
- Mix of articles with three focusing on internal displacement.

Cultures & Conflits, no. 84 (Hiver 2011) [contents]
- The theme is "Gouverner les frontières'; includes "Entre faits et fiction: l’instruction de la demande d’asile en Allemagne et en France."

Disasters, vol. 36, no. 2 (April 2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles; the text of the first article is freely available.

EASO Newsletter (April 2012) [full-text]
- News from the European Asylum Support Office.

Kakuma News Reflector (April 2012) [full-text]
- Mix of articles in this blog-format news service from Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.

The Refuge, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 2012) [full-text]
- The lead article discusses the European Court of Human Rights' recent ruling in Hirsi v. Italy.

Refugee Research Network E-Newsletter, vol. 3, no. 1 (Spring 2012) [full-text]
- Reports on activities of the network.

Tagged Periodicals.

Focus on the Americas

"A Chronic Displacement Crisis in the Western Hemisphere" is the focus of the first in a new series of briefings sponsored by Rep. Sam Farr after the Summit of the Americas meeting in Cartagena.  It will be held 26 April 2012 in Washington, DC.

Other resources focusing on countries in the Americas region include:

Andina Migrante, no. 12 (Marzo 2012) [text]
- Focus is on "Desplazamiento forzado en la Región Andina: entre el conflicto armado y la ocupación territorial violenta en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú."

Cartagena Diary (Refugees International Blog, April 2012) [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]

Colombia Situation: Indigenous People (UNHCR, 2012) [text]

Colombian Refugee Migrant Experiences of Health and Social Services in Ottawa, Canada: Navigating Landscapes of Language and Memory, Dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies (McMaster University, Spring 2012) [text]

A Commentary on the February 2012 Jamaica Operational Guidance Note (Still Human, Still Here, April 2012) [text]

Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition Update (Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, April 2012) [text]
- Links to a series of five articles expressing protection concerns about Bill C-31.

U.S. Should Embrace Inclusive Refugee Protection (IntLawGrrls, April 2012) [text]

Violence in Colombia Displacing More People into Ecuador (UNHCR, April 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

20 April 2012

International Conference on Afghan Displacement

On May 2 & 3, UNHCR and the Swiss government will jointly host the "International Conference on the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to Support Voluntary Repatriation, Sustainable Reintegration and Assistance to Host Countries" in Geneva. Participants "will discuss ways to help displaced Afghans inside and outside the country. Participants will also discuss the reintegration of returnees in Afghanistan; capacity building; community based development; and preserving asylum space for refugees in neighbouring countries."

For more information, visit the conference web page and take a look at fact sheets prepared on Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

19 April 2012

Focus on Europe: ECHR Rule 39 Interim Measures, Hirsi Case, and more...

Rule 39 Interim Measures:

ECRE/ELENA Research on Rule 39 Interim Measures (ECRE, April 2012) [text]

Toolkit on How to Request Interim Measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of the European Court of Human Rights for Persons in Need of International Protection (UNHCR, Feb. 2012) [text]

Migrants at Sea/Hirsi Case:

"European Court of Human Rights Protects Migrants Against 'Push Back' Operations the High Seas," ASIL Insights, vol. 16, no. 14 (April 2012) [text]

Forensic Oceanography: Report on the "Left-To-Die Boat" (Goldsmiths, Univ. of London, April 2012) [text via Migrants at Sea]

"A Victory for Refugee Protection," The Refuge, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 2012) [text]

Other:

Balkan Visitors: Asylum-seekers in Serbia and Kosovo (Eastern Approaches, March 2012) [text]

"The Crossing Point: Would-be Immigrants to Europe Can Go Almost Anywhere—for a Price," The Economist, 3 March 2012 [text]

Enhancing Volume and Impact of Refugee Resettlement to the EU: 20.000 EU Places and Policy Coherence for Resettlement – by 2020! (CCME, March 2012) [text]

The Revised "Dublin" Rules on Responsibility for Asylum-seekers: The Council's Failure to Fix a Broken System (Statewatch, April 2012) [text]

Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Croatia (UNHCR, May 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Global Overview of Internal Displacement

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has published its annual Global Overview 2011: People Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence. The report finds that "a total of 26.4 million people were internally displaced in the world at the end of 2011. 3.5 million people were newly displaced during the year, 20 per cent more than in 2010; 830,000 of them fled the impact of the Arab Spring uprisings, an almost six­fold increase from the 177,000 newly displaced in 2010."

The full-text of the report is available here, along with a quick facts sheet and press pack.

Tagged Publications.

18 April 2012

UNHCR/NGO Consultations

(note: dates corrected below)

This year, UNHCR's Annual Consultations with NGOs will take place 3-5 July 2012. The agenda is available here. Some of the topics to be covered include resettlement, statelessness, displacement and climate change, and the protection of children. Registration is open until 8 June 2012.

Last year's conference report can be read here.

Other events have been scheduled to coincide with the consultations, including:

A Refugee Rights Leadership Training organized by Asylum Access, the Transatlantic Forum on Migration and Integration and the Global Detention Project/Programme for the Study of Global Migration will be held 29 June-1 July 2012; the application form is available here (apply by 30 April 2012). Contact overseasoperations@asylumaccess.org for more information.

Meetings of the following networks - International Detention Coalition (IDC), Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network (SRLAN), and Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) - will take place on 2 July.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Last Minute Events & Opportunities: April & May 2012

Challenges in Gaining and Maintaining Space for Humanitarian Action: The Experience of MSF, New York, 19 April 2012 [info]

UNRWA's Long-Term Humanitarianism: The Politics of Living in a Palestinian Refugee Camp, Beirut, 20 April 2012 [info]

CFP: "Narratives and Trajectories of Displacement and Mobility: Moving Beyond the Refugee-Migration-Development Nexus," Panel at the African Studies Association of the UK, Leeds, UK, 6-8 September 2012 [info] [info]
- Submission deadline is 27 April 2012.

Tenth Annual Orientation Course on Forced Migration, Kolkata, India, 1-15 October 2012 [info]
- Application deadline extended to 30 April 2012.

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 extended to 30 April 2012.

Reminder! CFP: "Contested Spaces and Cartographic Challenges," IASFM14, Kolkata, India, 6-9 January 2013 [info]
- Deadline for submissions is 30 April 2012.

Certificate in International Migration Studies, Clarendon, VA, Spring 2012 [info]
- Registration open for available May courses: "Global Trends in International Migration" (1-4 May) and "Human Trafficking" (23-25 May).

CFP: "SOS International Law: International Law in Times of Crisis and Emergency," Canadian Council on International Law Annual Conference, Ottawa, 8-10 November 2012 [info]
- Paper proposals due 5 May 2012.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

17 April 2012

Asylum Issues

The Causes, Character and Conduct of Armed Conflict, and the Effects on Civilian Populations, 1990-2010, Legal and Protection Policy Research Series, no. 26 (UNHCR, April 2012) [text]
- Understanding the "complex reality of armed conflict in the global system...has considerable implications in understanding the dynamics of forced displacement, and in any determination of who should receive international protection."

The Inefficiencies of American Refugee Law as Highlighted by the Current Plight of Mexican Immigrants, Submission to National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference, Boston, MA, 14-18 November 2012 [text]

Interpreting an Incorporative Statute: The Role of Foreign Authority in U.S. Asylum Adjudication (ExpressO, 2012) [text]

Litigating Gender-based Asylum Claims (IntLawGrrls, April 2012) [text]

"Procedural Problems in LGBT Asylum Cases," Jurisprudence, vol. 19, no. 1 (2012) [full-text]

Tagged Publications.

International Migration Law

(updated)

The 8th International Migration Law Course will be held in Sanremo, Italy from 24-28 September 2012. For more information and to register, visit the relevant page on the International Institute of Humanitarian Law web site.

A few other items on this theme, in various languages... :

"Droit International des Migrations: Fondements et Limites du Multilatéralisme," Chapter in La Société Internationale Face aux Défis Migratoires (A. Pedone, 2012?) [text via SSRN]
- Based on a presentation at this colloquium.

The International Law of Migration (IntLawGrrls, April 2012) [text]
- Recap of panel at annual meeting of the American Society of International Law .

"La Migración en el Derecho Internacional," Revista de la Facultad de Derecho de México, vol. 61, no. 255 (2011) [full-text]

Migration and International Human Rights Law, Practitioners Guide, no. 6 (International Commission of Jurists, 2011) [text]


16 April 2012

Urban Issues

(updated)

Global Approach to Urban Refugee Issues (JRS, March 2012) [text]
- See also this blog post.

"The Great Urban Migration," Perspective, no. 4 (2011) [text]
- Pp. 34-38.

Life in Town: Migration from Rural Karamoja to Moroto and Mbale (Feinstein International Center, March 2012) [text]

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, forthcoming (2012)
- Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Group: Toward Guidelines for Humanitarian Standards and Operations in Urban Settings [abstract]
- Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Group: A Blueprint for the Development of Prevention and Preparedness Indicators for Urban Humanitarian Crises [abstract]

Survival in the City: Youth, Displacement and Violence in Urban Settings, HPG Policy Brief, no. 44 (ODI, March 2012) [text]

"Urban Refugees," Perspective, no. 4 (2011) [text]
- Pp. 38-39.

Tagged Publications.


New Issues of FRLAN News, Global Eye, JIRS, Migr. Policy Pract., Perspective, WAN

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 25 (April 2012) [full-text]
- Lead article focuses on legal aid for detained asylum seekers in Romania.

Global Eye on Human Trafficking, no. 11 (March 2012) [full-text]
- IOM's news and information bulletin.

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 10, no. 1 (2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Revitalization and Development of Karen Traditional Medicine for Sustainable Refugee Health Services at the Thai–Burma Border."

Migration Policy Practice, vol. 1, no. 2 (Dec. 2011-Jan. 2012) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Migration Policy Practice, vol. 2, no. 1 (Feb.-March 2012) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Perspective, no. 4 (2011) [full-text]
- From the Norwegian Refugee Council; focus is on children and armed conflict.

Women's Asylum News, no. 109 (March 2012) [full-text]
- Lead article is "Improving Care for Refugees and Asylum Seekers: The Experiences of Midwives."

Tagged Periodicals.

13 April 2012

Support Resources

Enhancing the Lives of Older Refugees: A Self Improvement Resource for Community Service Providers (Older Refugee Working Committee, 2011) [text via BroCAP]

Guidelines for Mainstreaming the Needs of Older Persons in Disaster Situations in the Caribbean, Draft Version (PAHO, April 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Networks of Asylum Support in the UK and USA: A Handbook of Ideas, Strategies and Best Practice for Asylum Support Groups in a Challenging Social and Economic Climate (Asylum-Network, March 2012) [text]
- See also related blog comment.

Outbreak Surveillance and Response in Humanitarian Emergencies: WHO Guidelines for EWARN Implementation (WHO, 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Refugee & Migrant Resources and Toolkits (Climate Outreach and Information Network, n.d.) [access]

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Focus on Humanitarian Assistance

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

Assisting the Somali Population Affected by the Humanitarian Crisis of 2011 (Doctors without Borders, April 2012) [text]

Choose to Invest in Development and Humanitarian Relief FY2013 (InterAction, April 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Colombia: Flood Response Improves, but Challenges Remain (Refugees International, March 2012) [text]

Humanitarianism in a Changing World (IRIN, April 2012) [text]

Towards Better Humanitarian Donorship: 12 Lessons from DAC Peer Reviews (OECD, 2012) [text via PreventionWeb]

Tagged Publications.

11 April 2012

Economic & Employment Issues

"Asylum-Seekers' Perspectives on Work and Proof of Identity: The Norwegian Experience," Refugee Survey Quarterly, Advance Access, 9 March 2012 [abstract]

The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid (UK House of Lords, March 2012) [text]

The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2012) [info]

"The Economics of International Refugee Law,"
The Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 40, no. 2 (June 2011) [abstract] [preprint]

Media's Influence on Refugee Unemployment (The Forum, March 2012) [text]

Migration… It's the Economy, Stupid! (Hein de Haas Blog, March 2012) [text]

"Welfare-to-Work and the Responsiveness of Employment Providers to the Needs of Refugees,"Journal of Social Policy, vol. 40, no. 3 (July 2011) [abstract]

Tagged Publications.

Global Issues

The Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration is now available online. A print edition will be available in February 2013. Here's the blurb:

[This resource] provides a complete exploration of the prominent themes, events, and theoretical underpinnings of the movements of human populations from prehistory to the present day. It includes thematic interpretations and theories of migration, as well as the significant contemporary scientific discoveries and scholarly interpretations that have reshaped the way historians and social scientists analyze and map the past.

The Encyclopedia will be joining with Wiley-Blackwell Exchanges to present an online conference entitled, "Migration in a Changing World: Where Do We Go Now?," to be held 5-9 November 2012. The conference is free. Participants will also have access to a range of free content including Encyclopedia articles.

Other items with a global focus:

Crossing Borders: For Millions of People on the Move, Borders can be a Dangerous Space (OHCHR, April 2012) [text]
- Does anyone happen to know what meeting this was?

Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (Impact Blog, March 2012) [text]

Moving to Safety: Migration Consequences of Complex Crises, Background paper prepared for IOM Intersessional Workshop, Geneva, 24-25 April 2012 [text] [event info.]

"Refugees and Forced Migration: Five Minutes with Susan Martin," Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (Feb. 2012) [text]

Regime-Induced Displacement as an R2P Challenge (Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Jan. 2012) [text]

"Understanding State Responses to Forced Migration," International Studies Review, vol. 14, no. 1 (March 2012) [free full-text]
- Book review essay.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Events & Opportunities: April & May 2012

Looming deadlines:

CFP: 2012 Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, Lincoln, Nebraska, 11-13 October 2012 [info]
- Submission deadline is 15 April 2012.

International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford, 2-20 July 2012 [info]
- The closing date for applications is 1 May 2012.

Vacancy: Departmental Lecturership in International Refugee and Human Rights Law, Oxford, RSC [info]
- The application deadline is 4 May 2012.

FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for Global Programs for Capacity-building, Research, and Evaluations or Assessments to Help the Humanitarian Community Better Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence within Refugee and Conflict-affected Populations [info]
- Submit a proposal by 8 May 2012.

Registration is open for the following events:

On Their Own: Protecting the Rights of Immigrant Children, Washington DC, 24-26 April 2012 [info]

2012 Voices of Courage Awards, New York, 4 May 2012 [info]

CARFMS12: Restructuring Refuge and Settlement, Toronto, 16-18 May 2012 [info]

NGO Security Conference 2012 - From Paper to Practice: Implementing Security, Amsterdam, 31 May 2012 [info]

Cents-ible Justice: Affordable Solutions for Refugees and Immigrants, CCR Spring Consultation 2012, Fredericton, Canada, 31 May-2 June 2012 [info]

4th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR4), Seoul, 22-24 August 2012 [info]

2012 Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, Lincoln, Nebraska, 11-13 October 2012 [info]

Migration in a Changing World: Where Do We Go Now?, Online Conference,
5-9 November 2012 [info]

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

10 April 2012

Focus on Climate Change/Environmental Displacement

Publications:

Addressing the Legal Gaps in Climate Change Migration, Displacement and Resettlement: From Sinking Islands to Flooded Deltas, Washington, DC, 3 April 2012 [info]
- Follow the link for audio of the event.

The Capability Approach to Environmental Refugees, Paper presented at Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 22-24 March 2012 [text]

Critical Approaches to Environmental Displacement, Oxford, Jan.-March 2012 [info]
- This seminar series is now finished; podcasts of the presentations are available via FMO.

The Normative Framework of Climate Change-Related Displacement (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, April 2012) [text]
- Paper prepared for the above-mentioned Brookings event.

Towards Recognition and Protection of Forced Environmental Migrants in the Public International Law: Refugee or IDPs Umbrella (SSRN, Dec. 2011) [text]

Will Climate Refugees Get Promised Aid? (IPS, April 2012) [text]

New web site:

UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition [access]
- Established "to challenge the lack of long-term strategies to support and protect people at risk of displacement linked to environmental change."

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

Memories of Displacement

Several books and journal articles have recently been or are due to be published that focus in some way on "memory"; here's a partial listing:

Children of the Greek Civil War: Refugees and the Politics of Memory (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2012) [info]

The Lost German East: Forced Migration and the Politics of Memory, 1945-1970 (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2012) [info]

"Negotiating the Humanitarian Past: History, Memory, and Unstable Cityscapes in Kampala, Uganda," Refugee Survey Quarterly, Advance Access, 3 Feb. 2012 [abstract]

Oral History, Community, and Displacement: Imagining Memories in Post-Apartheid South Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) [info]

"Palestinian Autobiographical Memory Regarding the 1948 Palestinian Exodus," Political Psychology, vol. 32, no. 2 (April 2011) [abstract]

The oral history approach is one of the main methodologies used for capturing memories of displacement experiences. This training toolkit explains how to undertake an oral history project. As an example, here's a collection of "refugees' stories of loss, exile and rebuilding."

Other methodologies are described in the "Education" section of the Mapping Memories: Experiences of Refugee Youth web site, in the companion book entitled Mapping Memories: Participatory Media, Place-based Stories & Refugee Youth, and in "Mapping Memories of Displacement: Oral History, Memoryscapes, and Mobile Methodologies," a chapter in Place, Writing, and Voice in Oral History (Palgrave Macmillan, Nov. 2011).

Tagged Publications.

09 April 2012

Humanitarian Information: Access, Assessment & Management

Events & opportunities:

Establishing Effective Partnerships for Humanitarian Research and Practice, London and Live Online, 17 April 2012 [info]
- "This event launches the report "Effective academic-humanitarian collaboration: A practical resource to support academic and humanitarian organisations working together". The event, hosted by the Humanitarian Practice Network, will showcase the Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance (ELRHA) study in greater depth. There will be a panel discussion around the value of partnerships, a presentation from one of the case studies and a demonstration of how to use the Online Guide."

FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for Research Projects to Strengthen Evidence-Based Humanitarian Decision Making by PRM and its Partners Worldwide [info]
- Funding will be prioritized "for projects involving research, assessment, formative evaluation, and the development of tools, operational guidance, and/or best practices to strengthen evidence-based humanitarian decision-making concerning one or more of the following topics/research questions: Partnerships with Local NGOs; Sustaining Returns; Education as Protection; Comparing Modes of Assistance; Impacts of Statelessness on Women and Children; Capacity to Care for Refugees with Significant Medical Conditions." The deadline for submitting a proposal is 8 May 2012.

Other related resources:

"Dealing with Disaster Databases: What Can We Learn from Health and Systematic Reviews?" PLoS Currents Disasters (Oct. 2011) [open access]

"Evidence for Disaster Risk Reduction, Planning and Response: Design of the Evidence Aid Survey," PLoS Currents Disasters (Oct. 2011) [open access]

Finding Online Information Resources (INFORM, 2010) [text]

"Health and Human Rights in Scientific Literature: A Systematic Review over a Decade (1999-2008)," Health and Human Rights, no. 13.2 (Dec. 2011) [open access]

"Humanitarian Information Management Network Effectiveness: An Analysis at the Organizational and Network Levels," iConference '11: Proceedings of the 2011 iConference (ACM, 2011) [abstract]

The OCHA Sitrep: Open Access and Political Pressure in Humanitarian Information (University of California, Berkeley, 2009) [text]

Promoting Innovation and Evidence-based Approaches to Building Resilience and Responding to Humanitarian Crises (DFID, Feb. 2012) [text]
- See related blog comment.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Events after the Fact

The Arab Spring and Beyond: Human Mobility, Forced Migration and Institutional Responses, Oxford, 20 March 2012 [info]
- Read a brief summary of the event.

Detention of Immigrants: Enforcement, Non-compliance, and Punishment, Geneva, 8 March 2012 [info]
- Follow link for video.

EU Funding on Migration, Integration and Asylum: Testing the Added Value, Brussels, 7 March 2012 [info]
- See statement submitted by NGOs on this issue.

International Association of Refugee Law Judges, Australasian Chapter, Melbourne, 3 February 2012 [info]
- Presentation by John Menadue on "A Regional Cooperation Framework."

The Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, London, 22 February 2012 [meeting summary]

New Challenges in Refugee Integration Series, London, Oct. 2011-March 2012 [info]
- Follow link for access to summaries of the various seminars.

Ockenden International Lecture, Oxford, 7 February 2012 [info]
- Follow link for video.

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

Shared Responsibility in International Refugee Law, Amsterdam, 30 May 2011 [info]
- The seminar report is available here.

Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 22-24 March 2012 [info]
- Several papers on refugees were presented.

Strategies for Combating Xenophobic Violence, Washington, DC, 29 February 2012 [info]
- Audio for the event is available here.

Working Group on Resettlement Meeting, Melbourne, 20-23 February 2012 [overview]