28 June 2013

Thematic Focus: Climate Change/Environment

Annotated Bibliography on Nature-Society Relations in and of International Borders (York University, June 2013) [text]
- A project of the RRN's Cluster on Environmental Displacement.

Changing Climate, Moving People: Framing Migration, Displacement and Planned Relocation, Policy Brief, no. 8 (UNU-EHS & Nansen Initiative, June 2013) [text]

Human Mobility, Natural Disasters and Climate Change in the Pacific, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 21-24 May 2013 [info]
- The Nansen Initiative's first Pacific Regional Consultation.  Follow link for text of Conclusion Document and see also related interview.

Kiribati and Climate Change (Refugees International Blog, June 2013) [access]
- Series of three posts on climate displacement in Kiribati.

"Moving Beyond its Mandate? UNHCR and Climate Change Displacement," Journal of International Organizations Studies, vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring 2013) [full-text]

"Population-environment Interactions: European Migration, Population Composition and Climate Change," Environmental & Resource Economics, Online First, 9 June 2013 [full-text via BroCAP]

Rights or Riots? How We Think about Climate Change Migration (Right Now, June 2013) [text]

Was Obama Right to Say Climate Change Will Create "New Waves of Refugees"? (UKCCMC, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.  

27 June 2013

Regional Focus: Europe

Access to Territory and Asylum Procedure in Hungary (Hungarian Helsinki Commission & UNHCR, 2013) [text]

From Back Door to Front Door: Forced Migration Routes through Macedonia to Croatia (JRS Europe, June 2013) [text]

Fundamental Rights: Challenges and Achievements in 2012 (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2013) [text]
- Chapter 1 focuses on "Asylum, Immigration and Integration."

An Investigation into the Progress Made on Legacy Asylum and Migration Cases: January-March 2013 (Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, June 2013

Refusals of International Protection in Bologna (Asilo in Europa, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.  

Regional Focus: MENA

Depression Grips Forgotten Refugees Stranded at Egyptian-Libyan Border (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Joint Assessment for Syrian Refugees in Alexandria, Egypt (UNHCR et al., Feb. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Number of Displaced Surge as Conflict in Syria Continues (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, June 2013) [access]
- Interview.

"The Price of Life," The Age, 15 June 2013 [text]

Scapegoats of Fear: Rights of Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Migrants Abused in Libya (Amnesty International, June 2013) [access]

Syria: No Respite for the Millions Displaced by the Conflict (Amnesty International, June 2013) [text via Refworld]

Tagged Publications.  

26 June 2013

New ETDs - Part 2

South Africa’s Diplomatic Strategy on Migrants, with Specific Reference to the United Nations Refugee Regime, 1994-2009, Dissertation (University of Pretoria, 2012) [text]

Strangers by Sea: Crafting of a "Well-grounded" Fear, Thesis (University of British Columbia, 2013) [text]

A Study of Asylum Seeker/Refugee Advocacy: Paradoxes of Helping in a Climate of Hostility, Dissertation (University of Manchester, March 2013) [text]

Sweden’s Unveiled Asylum Process: Beyond the Dichotomies of Citizenship and Non-citizenship (Uppsala University, 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.  

New ETDs - Part 1

Economic Heroes, 'Bogus' Asylum Claimants, and Genuine Refugees: A Discourse-Historical Analysis of Recent Changes to Immigration Policy, 2010 to 2012, Major Research Paper (Ryerson University, Jan. 2012) [text]

Empowerment through Education: The Case of Adult African Refugees, Thesis (American University in Cairo, Spring 2013) [text]

Humanitarian Intervention, Refugee Protection, and the Place of Humanitarianism in International Relations, Thesis (University of Canterbury, 2012) [text]

The Impact of European Union Asylum Policy on Domestic Asylum Policy in Germany and Britain: 1990-2007, Dissertation (University of Trento, Jan. 2013) [text]

The Nexus between Sudan’s Refugee Policy and its Bilateral Relations with Ethiopia and Eritrea, Thesis (American University in Cairo, Fall 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.  


Regional Focus: Africa

Bridging the Gap between Relief and Development in DRC (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

An Independent Review of UNHCR’s Response to the Somali Refugee Influx in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia, 2011 (Nutrition Works, 2013?) [text]
- See also UNHCR's management response.

Mixed Migration in Kenya: The Scale of Movement and Associated Protection Risks, Mixed Migration Research Series, no. 2 (RMMS Secretariat, June 2013) [text]

South Sudan: Investigating Sexual Violence in Conflict Proves Challenging (Refugees International, June 2013) [text]

Staying a Little Longer: Malian Refugees in Mauritania (UNHCR & WFP, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Sudan: Anatomy of a Conflict (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.  

25 June 2013

Trafficking in Persons Report 2013

The 2013 edition of the U.S. Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report has been published.  Here's part of the description:
In the TIP Report, the Department of State places each country onto one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking" found in Section 108 of the TVPA. While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem. On the contrary, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the TVPA’s minimum standards. Each year, governments need to demonstrate appreciable progress in combating trafficking to maintain a Tier 1 ranking.

More information about the report is available in this briefing.  Previous editions are available via my Researching Forced Migration wiki.

Tagged Publications.  

New Web Sites

150 Years of Humanitarian Action [access]
- Web pages commemorating and reflecting on ICRC's long history.  Includes an "Archive Room."

Life after Deportation [access]
- Blog diary of an asylum-seeker in the UK.

Missing Asylum Seekers [access]
- New Facebook page created to disseminate information about asylum-seekers who die or disappear.

New Scholars Network [access]
- Newly re-launched web site for the Refugee Research Network cluster created to connect "emerging scholars and practitioners to further opportunities in forced migration studies."

Open Doors: Europe for Citizens [access]
- Web site for a project that "aims to analyze the hosting situation of refugees and asylum seekers in some of the border countries of European Union (Italy, Greece Spain, Hungary, Cyprus) in order to improve mechanisms of social inclusion."

Refugee Council UK Blog [access]
- New format and URL.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

New Issues of Am. J. Bioethics, Can. Fam. Phys., Humanity, IMR, ICRC Rev., J. Human Rts., Rev. Intl. Croix Rouge, Torture

American Journal of Bioethics, vol. 13, no. 7 (2013) [contents]
- Includes a "target article" on "Ethical and Professional Considerations Providing Medical Evaluation and Care to Refugee Asylum Seekers," accompanied by five "open peer commentaries" that address ethical aspects of health care for asylum-seekers.

Canadian Family Physician, vol. 59, no. 6 (June 2013) [full-text]
- Includes four articles on refugee health.

Humanity, vol. 4, no. 1 (March 2013) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration Review, vol. 47, no. 2 (June 2013) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Review of the Red Cross (2013) [full-text]
- To celebrate ICRC's 150th anniversary, the Review is featuring "contributions from key personalities sharing their perspective on the organisation. These contributions will be published online throughout the year, starting from the anniversary date of 17 February. A series of articles will also explore the history of humanitarian action as well as current legal and operational challenges."

Journal of Human Rights, vol. 12, no. 1 (2013) [contents]
- Special issue on "Humanitarianism and Responsibility."

Revue internationale de la Croix-Rouge, vol. 93, no. 883 (sélection française 2011/2) [full-text]
 - Focus is on "Groupes armés."

Torture: Journal on Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and Prevention of Torture, vol. 23, no. 1 (2013) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: General

Global Analysis 2012-2013: UNHCR Accountability Frameworks for Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming and Targeted Actions (UNHCR, 2013) [text]

Global Peace Index 2013 (Institute for Economics and Peace, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

International Migration Outlook 2013 (OECD, June 2013) [text]

Stranded Migrants: Giving Structure to a Multifaceted Notion, Global Migration Research Paper, no. 5 (Programme for the Study of Global Migration, 2013) [text]

World Refugee Day: Honoring Refugees, Resolving to Prevent Further Displacement (UpFront Blog, June 2013) [text]

Yearbook on Peace Processes 2013 (School for a Culture of Peace, 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

24 June 2013

Regional Focus: Americas

Asylum Victories: Stories of Protection Mark World Refugee Day (Center for Gender & Refugees Studies, June 2013) [text]

The Cartagena Declaration on Refugees and the Protection of People Fleeing Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence in Latin America, Legal and Protection Policy Research Series, no. 32 (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

How the U.S. Asylum Deadline Hurts Women (Daily Beast, June 2013) [text]

A Liberal Tide: Towards A Paradigm Shift in Latin American Migration and Asylum Policy-Making?, London, 18 March 2013 [text]
- Conference report.

UNHCR Drawn into the Edward Snowden Fray, if Only by Speculation (RSDWatch, June 2013) [text]

When Clients Lie (The Asylumist, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Asia

Afghan Refugee Household Assessment in the Republic of Tajikistan (Danish Refugee Council, April 2013) [text via Refworld]

Barely Surviving: Detention, Abuse, Neglect of Migrant Children in Indonesia (Human Rights Watch, June 2013) [text]

A Bend in the Road is not the End of the Road: Philippines President Vetoes IDP Act (IDMC Blog, June 2013) [text]

Cash Programme Review for IDPs in the Kabul Informal Settlements (Danish Refugee Council, May 2013) [text]

*A Commentary on the June 2013 Afghanistan Operational Guidance Note (Still Human Still Here, June 2013) [text]

"Escape from North Korea," New York Times, 5 June 2013 [access]
- An "Op-Doc" video.

"Guerre et Terre en Afghanistan," Theme issue of REMMM: Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée, no. 133 (2013) [full-text]
- See esp. "Would-be places for displaced Afghans: The UNHCR, landless returnees and the enforcement of the national order" and "Home sweet home! Repatriation, reintegration and land allocation in Afghanistan."

Pakistan: COI Compilation (ACCORD, June 2013) [text via Refworld]

*updated

Tagged Publications.

21 June 2013

Thematic Focus: Detention

Building Empirical Research into Alternatives to Detention: Perceptions of Asylum-Seekers and Refugees in Toronto and Geneva, Legal and Protection Policy Research Series, no. 31 (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Detention in the Asylum System (Refugee Council UK, April 2013) [text]

Expecting Change: The Case for Ending the Immigration Detention of Pregnant Women (Medical Justice, June 2013) [text]

"Immigration Detention – Finding Alternatives," Session at UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs, 13 June 2013 [info]

Memorandum of Understanding between the International Detention Coalition and the Office of the Untied Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (IDC & UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

"Realizing Liberty: The Use of International Human Rights Law to Realign Immigration Detention in the United States," Fordham International Law Journal, vol. 36, no. 2 (2013) [full-text]

Tagged Publications. 

Events & Opportunities: July 2013/Last Minute June 2013

Shouting in the Wind? Human Rights Days and Public Impacts, Liverpool, UK, 25 June 2013 [info]
- Free event but please register.

National Asylum Summit 2013, Adelaide, South Australia, 26-27 June 2013 [info]
- Public lecture takes place on 26 June, summit held on 27 June.

Note: See past posts for more last minute June 2013 events & opportunities by following the related posts links.

CFP: Intervention [info]
- Special issue on psychosocial work and peacebuilding. Submission deadline is 1 July 2013.

CFP: International Human Rights Law in Refugee Status Determination: Comparative Practice and Theory, London, 13-14 November 2013 [info]
- Submit abstract by 5 July 2013.

National Forum on Children and Young People from Refugee Backgrounds, Sydney, 15-16 July 2013 [info via BroCAP]
- Registration is ongoing.

The Hamburg Conference: Actions for Climate-Induced Migration, Hamburg, 16-18 July 2013 [info]
- Registration is ongoing.

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Syrian Refugees in Turkey [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 22 July 2013.

Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) [info]
- First call for proposals opens 25 July 2013.

Human Rights 2013: The Annual Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference, Melbourne, 26 July 2013 [info]
- Includes session on "Refugees, the rule of law and the ethics of protection." Registration is ongoing.

CFP: Journal of Human Rights in the Commonwealth [info]
- New open access journal published by the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Submission deadline is 31 July 2013.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.  


Regional Focus: Syria

Opportunity:

FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Syrian Refugees in Turkey [info]
- Proposal submission deadline is 22 July 2013.

Publications:

Close to Combustion: Syrian Conflict Inflames Regional Refugee Crisis (Fair Observer, June 2013) [text]

Deluge of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Awakens Old Sectarian Divisions (IPI Global Observatory, June 2013) [text]

Overnight in Jordan's Za'atari Camp (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Syria's Internally Displaced – 'The world has forgotten us' (Amnesty International, June 2013) [text]

Syria's Unchecked Humanitarian Crisis, Washington, DC, 19 June 2013 [access]
- Follow link for video; see also photo gallery at right of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

 Zaatari Governance Plan (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

20 June 2013

Thematic Focus: Celebrity Advocacy

While Angelina Jolie currently reigns as the most famous "star" associated with refugees, this World Refugee Day, UNHCR has called on a wide variety of other well-known people to voice their support for refugees through video messages, photos of themselves with their "most important things", and lots of tweets.

Several recent publications take an academic look at the role played by celebrities in human rights and humanitarian activism and charity work:

"The Celebritization of Human Trafficking," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences (forthcoming, 2013) [eprint via SSRN]
- See also related blog post.

Celebrity Humanitarianism The Ideology of Global Charity (Routledge, Oct. 2012) [info]
- See also debatebook review, and author comment.

"'Getting in Touch with Your Inner Angelina': Celebrity Humanitarianism and the Cultural Politics of Gendered Generosity in Volunteer Tourism," Third World Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 3 (2013) [abstract]
- An earlier version of this paper was presented at an AAG conference session on "Celebrity, Media and Vital Causes."

"The Long Shadow of Band Aid Humanitarianism: Revisiting the Dynamics between Famine and Celebrity," Third World Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 3 (2013) [abstract]

[Image credit: ©UNHCR/O.Laban-Mattei, "Angelina Jolie visits Syrian border," UNHCR, 19 June 2013]

Tagged Publications. 

Impact of World Refugee Day?

A roundtable discussion called "Shouting in the Wind? Human Rights Days and Public Impacts" will take place 25 June 2013 in Liverpool, UK.  The event "aims to bring together practitioners and academics to discuss issues around human rights campaigning, its impact on target audiences and the ways to measure the impact."  See also a related comment from one of the participants on "How effective is World Refugee Day?"

Should be an interesting discussion, especially in light of the fact that advocates for the stateless have floated the idea of an International Day on Statelessness.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

More on World Refugee Day

There are so many updates relating to World Refugee Day, it's hard to keep track of them all!  Although you can certainly try by following tweets at #WorldRefugeeDay and #RefugeeDay2013, reading statements posted on ReliefWeb, and visiting the Facebook pages of UNHCR offices and other refugee organizations.

Here are just some of the new resources that I've come across so far.  Check for updates as the day unfolds!

Displacement: The New 21st Century Challenge. UNHCR Global Trends 2012 (UNHCR, June 2013) [access]
- "[A]s of the end of 2012, more than 45.2 million people were in situations of displacement compared to 42.5 million at the end of 2011. This includes 15.4 million refugees, 937,000 asylum seekers, and 28.8 million people forced to flee within the borders of their own countries. The report does not include the rise in those forced from their homes in Syria during the current year."  Follow the link for the report in English and Spanish, photos, audio/video, press releases, and graphics.  See also the Guardian's data summary.

Good Practices for Urban Refugees [access]
- "This interactive website aims to support practitioners to better share and use good practice in the response to refugee needs in urban areas. In addition to good practice case studies, it includes tools, guidelines, research, media, surveys, urban strategies and other information relevant for urban programming."

Journalists in Exile 2013 (Committee to Protect Journalists, June 2013) [access]
- Follow link for special report, audio, and data.

Landmines and Refugees: The Risks and the Responsibilities to Protect and Assist Victims (Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor, June 2013)
- New briefing paper.

On Solid Ground [access]
- Joint IRC UK/Panos Pictures project "that uses the idea of home to allow audiences across Europe to connect with the issues faced by people hit by some of the most devastating humanitarian crises around the world."  See also related blog post and photo gallery.

Refugee Week: 75+ Recent Children's Books about the Refugee Experience (Playing by the Book, June 2013) [text]
- See also related blog post highlighting children's book authors/illustrators who were refugees themselves.

Speak Out: A Blog for APRRN Members [access]
- A new platform for people to share stories and experiences about refugee issues in the Asia Pacific context.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Refugees (AlertNet, June 2013) [text]

Where Are the 50 Most Populous Refugee Camps? (Smithsonian Magazine, June 2013) [access]
- An interactive map.

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

World Refugee Day 2013

World Refugee Day is commemorated every year on 20 June.  UNHCR's campaign theme for 2013's WRD is "1family"; it asks people to "Imagine if your family had just 1 minute to flee..., what would you take?"  This call to action was inspired by a series of photos taken by Brian Sokol called "The Most Important Thing."

You can view his portraits of Sudanese refugees, Syrian refugees and Malian refugees to see what they chose to take with them when they fled.

What would you choose?  Visit UNHCR's Pinterest page to see what others have shared and take 1 minute to support a family forced to flee.

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools. 

19 June 2013

Regional Focus: Australia & New Zealand


*Asylum Numbers Spur Review of Australia's Refugee Commitments (ABC Radio National, June 2013) [access]
- Follow link for audio.

Asylum Seekers: In Search of a Humanitarian Solution – Conversations with the Archbishop, Melbourne, 22 May 2013 [access via BroCAP]

Asylum Seekers and Income Management (FlagPost, June 2013) [text]

The Children of Pahiatua (Slate, May 2013) [text]
- Story about Polish child refugees in New Zealand.

Doing Our Bit - Double NZ's Refugee Quota [access]
- Web site promoting higher resettlement levels in New Zealand.  See also Facebook page.

Humanitarian Response to Asylum-seekers Needed (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

"Producing Solidarity: A Settlement Strategy of the Karen Refugee Community in Brisbane, Australia," Paper presented at Ethnographic Horizons in Times of Turbulence: The 7th Annual Joint University of Liverpool Management School and Keele University Institute for Public Policy and Management Symposium on Current Developments in Ethnographic Research in the Social and Management Sciences, Liverpool, UK, 31 August 2012 [text]

The Role of Refugee Community Organisations in Settlement: An Annotated Bibliography (Refugee Council of Australia, June 2013) [text]

Towing Back the Boats: Bad Policy Whatever Way You Look at It (The Conversation, June 2013) [text]

What’s in a Name? Asylum Seekers as Political Currency (University of Auckland, April 2013) [text]

*updated

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Regional Focus: Europe

4th Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum (European Commission, June 2013) [access]
- Follow link for text of report, staff working document, press release, and infographics (including the one displayed at left).

Comments by the UNHCR Regional Representation for the Baltic and Nordic Countries on the Finnish Government's Draft Proposal on Amendments to the Aliens Act (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

"'Dubliners' in the European Union: A Perspective on the Politics of Asylum-seeking," Chapter in The Distant Present (University of Jyväskylä, 2013) [text]
- Scroll to p. 106.

EU Member States Granted Protection to More than 100 000 Asylum Seekers in 2012 (EUROSTAT, June 2013) [text]

Frontex Should Respect Rights, even on the High Seas (Human Rights Watch, June 2013) [text]

Unwelcome Guests: Greek Police Abuses of Migrants in Athens (Human Rights Watch, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: UK & Ireland

Appeal Overruled: A Failure to Provide Basic Income for a Family Seeking Asylum (Office of the Ombudsman, June 2013) [access]

Asylum Policy under the Coalition: Which Way will the Modernisers Jump? (Bright Blue, June 2013) [text]

"Discursive Representations of Asylum Seekers and Illegal Immigrants in Ireland," Journal of Arts and Humanities (Ars and Humanitas), vol. VII/2 (2013) [full-text via Academia.edu]

Ministry of Justice Consultation on Transforming Legal Aid: Response of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

'She endures with me': An Evaluation of the Scottish Guardianship Service Pilot (Scottish Refugee Council, April 2013) [access]
- Follow link for full report and executive summary.

Timeline: Refugees in our History and Heritage (Refugee Week, June 2013) [access]

Untold Stories: Families in the Asylum Process (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]
- See also related news story. Product of the "Quality Integration Project."

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

18 June 2013

Thematic Focus: Health

Access to Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Dadaab Refugee Camps, Kenya (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs in Humanitarian Settings: An In-depth Look at Family Planning Services (Women's Refugee Commission, June 2013) [access]
- Follow the link for the full report in English, Arabic, French and Spanish, as well as a summary for policy makers, accompanying annexes and beneficiary reports.

Continuation of Antiretroviral Therapy for Ivorian Refugees in Liberia during the Emergency Phase (2011-2012) (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

"Is Forced Migration a Barrier to Treatment Success? Similar HIV Treatment Outcomes among Refugees and a Surrounding Host Community in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia," AIDS and Behavior, Latest Articles, June 2013 [open access text]

"No Longer a Place of Refuge: Health Consequences of Mandatory Detention for Refugees," Canadian Family Physician, vol. 59, no. 6 (June 2013) [free full-text]

UNHCR’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Persons of Concern: Global Review (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications.  

Regional Focus: Colombia

Colombia: Displacement and Peace (UpFrong Blog, June 2013) [text]

The Colombian Conflict: Views from the Ground and the EU Response (Norwegian Refugee Council, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Internally Displaced Outside of Camps and the Role of Local Authorities in Colombia: A Comparative Study of Bogotá DC and Cali (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, May 2013) [access]
- Follow link for English executive summary and Spanish report.

International Perspectives on Solutions to Internal Displacement, Speech given at Conferencia de Soluciones Sostenibles para la Población Desplazada: Experiencias internacionales y nacionales, Bogotá, 28-29 May 2013 [text]

Urban Violence and Humanitarian Action in Medellin, Discussion Paper, no. 5 (Humanitarian Action in Situations Other than War, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.  

17 June 2013

Refugee Weeks

Refugee Weeks in Australia and UK take place this week, as part of the lead-up to World Refugee Day on 20 June 2013.  For more information about events and advocacy opportunities, visit the following sites:

Refugee Week Australia, 16-22 June 2013 [info]
- This year's theme is "Restoring Hope."

Refugee Week UK, 17-23 June 2013 [info]
- The theme is "Different Pasts, Shared Future."


Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools. 

Regional Focus: MENA

Amid Syrian Crisis, Iraqi Refugees in Jordan Forgotten (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Fencing Migrants Out: The Impact on Regional Movement (RMMS Secretariat, May 2013) [text]
- Discusses border controls in Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Fragmented Lives: Humanitarian Overview 2012 (OCHA, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Israel: Deportations of Asylum-seekers Must Stop (Amnesty International, June 2013) [text]

Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians: A Handbook for Vulnerable Individuals and Communities (Badil, June 2013) [access]
- Launched at the conference, "Forced Population Transfer: Elements and Responsibilities."

Palestinian Refugees: Different Generations, but One Identity (Birzeit University, Dec. 2012) [text]
- Book resulting from a conference of the same name, organized by the Forced Migration and Refugee Unit and held in Nov. 2011.

See also recent blog post highlighting reports that focus on statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa.

Tagged Publications.  

Thematic Focus: Statelessness - Part 2

The Women's Refugee Commission and the Statelessness Programme at Tilburg University have launched a report entitled "Our Motherland, Our Country: Gender Discrimination and Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa."  The study focuses on Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Egypt.  Follow this link to access the report, two short films, a photo essay, and a related blog post.

In addition, two recent papers prepared by the Statelessness Programme's MENA Nationality and Statelessness Research Project are available via SSRN:
- The Stateless Syrians (May 2013) [text]
- The Stateless Tebu of Libya? (May 2013) [text]

Finally, read the stories of stateless women in Lebanon on the Huffington Post.

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Statelessness - Part 1

"Advocating Together to Resolve Statelessness," Session at UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs, 11 June 2013 [info]
- See also a Statelessness Programme blog post summarizing the discussions relating to statelessness and an ENS blog post advocating that the Consultations be used as a springboard for promoting an International Day on Statelessness.

Publications:

"Interview with UNHCR’s Statelessness Regional Protection Officer, Inge Sturkenboom," ENS Newsletter, no. 3 (May 2013) [text]

Poor Judgement, Bad Judgment (ENS Blog, May 2013) [text]
- Comment on UK Court of Appeal decision in B2 v The Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Protection against Statelessness: Trends and Regulations in Europe (EUDO Citizenship Observatory, May 2013) [text]

Proving Statelessness: Evidential Issues for Refused Asylum Seekers (ENS Blog, June 2013) [text]

The Rohingya: Bargaining with Human Lives (Open Democracy, June 2013) [text]

Ebook:

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is offering its ebook on statelessness for **free** until 19 June 2013!  Download the iPad edition here.

[Image credit: Statelessness Programme Facebook page]

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Children

Child Trafficking, Child Soldiering: Exploring the Relationship between Two Worst Forms of Child Labour (Child Soldiers Initiative, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Children and Armed Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc. No. A/67/845–S/2013/245 (UN General Assembly and Security Council, May 2013) [text via Refworld]
- See also related UN news story.

A Girl's Right to Say No to Marriage: Working to End Child Marriage and Keep Girls in School (Plan, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Helpdesk Research Report: Child-friendly Spaces for Adolescent Girls in Emergency Settings (Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Human Rights of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Young People in the UK: First Report (Human Rights Joint Committee, June 2013) [text]
- Visit the inquiry site for background information and submitted evidence.

"In Pursuit of a New Perspective in the Education of Children of the Refugees: Advocacy for the 'Family'," Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, vol. 12, no. 4 (Autumn 2012) [full-text via ERIC]

Shattered Lives: Challenges and Priorities for Syrian Children and Women in Jordan (UNICEF, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications. 

14 June 2013

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Events:

Monitoring Protection: Asking the Impossible?, London, 5 July 2013 [info]
- Register by 20 June 2013; will also be streamed live.

Leadership in Crises: The Launch, London, 8 July 2013 [info]
- Register by 20 June 2013; will also be streamed live.

Resources:

Access Denied: Dilemmas of Cross Line and Cross Border Humanitarian Engagement, Online, 13 June 2013 [access]
- Info. and background materials for this event are available here.

Helpdesk Research Report: The Impact of Integrated Missions on Humanitarian Operations (Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Making the Right Choices in Emergencies (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Older Persons in Emergency Situations: A Case Study of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (WHO, 2013) [text]

"On the Politics of our Humanitarian Present," Environment & Planning D: Society and Space (forthcoming) [preprint]

Paradoxes of Presence: Risk Management and Aid Culture in Challenging Environments (ODI, March 2013) [text]

Sharing Space: Adapting Military Approaches to Geospatial Analysis for Humanitarian Response and the Documentation of Human Rights Abuses (Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


Regional Focus: Syrians

Ethics and Politics: Response to the Plight of Refugees (Beirut Institute, 2013) [text]

"For Regional Stability, Help Syria's Internally Displaced," Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2013 [text]

For Some, the Best Bad Choice: Returning from Refuge to Syria (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Hard Choices: When the Syria Aid Response Runs out of Money (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Joint Assessment for Syrian Refugees in New Damietta (UNHCR et al., Feb. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Legal Status of Individuals Fleeing Syria (Assessment Capacities Project & MapAction, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- "This thematic report outlines the rights and obligations of individuals who have fled Syria by stipulating the legal framework applicable to those residing in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt."

Policy or Happenstance? Jordan's Dwindling Syrian Refugee Arrivals (IRIN, June 2013) [text]

Responding to Protection Needs of Displaced Syrians in Europe (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Second-Best Outcome from Geneva II: Scaled-up Humanitarian Action in Syria (IPI Global Observatory, June 2013) [text]

Syria: Agencies Should Send Aid Where Most Needed (Human Rights Watch, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Legal/Protection Items

Upcoming event:

CFP: International Human Rights Law in Refugee Status Determination: Comparative Practice and Theory, London, 13-14 November 2013 [info]
- Submit abstract by 5 July 2013.

Publications:

The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law: A Manual (ICRC, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Handbook on European Law relating to Asylum, Borders and Immigration (ECHR & EU FRA, June 2013) [text]
- Available in English, French, German and Italian.

Protecting Civilians in Armed Conflict, Chipping Norton, UK, 16-18 May 2013 [info]
- Follow link for conference summary.

Reclaiming the Protection of Civilians under International Humanitarian Law, Oslo, 23-24 May 2013 [info]
- Follow link for conference documents, including recommendations; see also related IRIN news story.

"Treaty Interpretation before the Supreme Court," Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 2, no. 1 (2013) [free full-text]
- In part, discusses R v Secretary and the interpretation of Article 32 of the Refugee Convention.

The United States and Material-Support Bar for Refugees: A Tenuous Balance between National Security and Basic Human Rights, Drexel Law Review, vol. 5, no. 1 (Fall 2012) [full-text]

"U.K. Refugee Lawyers: Pushing the Boundaries of Domestic Court Acceptance of International Human Rights Law," Boston College Law Review, vol. 54, no. 3 (2013) [full-text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Gender Issues

"Crimes without Punishment: An Update on Violence against Women and Impunity in Guatemala," Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal, vol. 10, no. 2 (Summer 2013) [full-text via SSRN]

"Development of a Screening Tool to Identify Female Survivors of Gender-based Violence in a Humanitarian Setting: Qualitative Evidence from Research among Refugees in Ethiopia," Conflict and Health 7:13 (June 2013) [open access text]

"Giving Shelter from the Storm: Colombians Fleeing Persecution Based on Sexual Orientation," Tulsa Law Review, vol. 48, no. 1 (Summer 2012) [full-text via SSRN]

Internally Displaced Women: Record Number, Unresolved Challenges (UpFront Blog, May 2013) [text]

Safe Haven: Sheltering Displaced Persons from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence - Comparative Report (Human Rights Center, Berkeley School of Law & UNHCR, May 2013) [text]
- See also individual country reports for Colombia, Haiti, Kenya and Thailand, and related blog post.

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and the Refugee Determination Process in Canada (SSRN, June 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

12 June 2013

Regional Focus: Europe

The European Parliament has voted to adopt several legal instruments that form part of the asylum package known as the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), specifically the Asylum Procedures Directive, the Reception Conditions Directive, and the Dublin Regulation. Two other measures round out the package: the Qualification Directive, which was adopted in December 2011, and the EURODAC Regulation, which will be adopted by the JHA Council on 20 June 2013.

Follow this link to the European Commission site for more background information and factsheets on the various provisions that make up the CEAS.

For additional assessments of the CEAS, see:

- Establishing a Common European Asylum System: Still a Long Way to Go. NGO Statement on the Occasion of the Final Vote on the Asylum Package [text]
- Moving Further Toward a Common European Asylum System: UNHCR’s statement on the EU asylum legislative package [text]
- Revised Rules for Treatment of Asylum-seekers [text]

Tagged Publications.