Regional Focus: Syria

Publications:

Echoes from Syria, no. 7 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]
- This issue focuses on "Building Capacity in Syria to Address Internal Displacement."

Echoes from Syria, no. 8 (Jan. 2015) [full-text]
- This issue focuses on "Community-based Protection for Internally Displaced Persons."

Field Exchange, no. 48 (Nov. 2014) [full-text]
- Special focus on "Programming Experiences and Learning from the Nutrition Response to the Syrian Crisis."

"Implications of the New Turkish Law on Foreigners and International Protection and Regulation no. 29153 on Temporary Protection for Syrians," Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, vol. 4, no. 2 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]

Resettlement and Other Forms of Admission for Syrian Refugees (UNHCR, updated 28 Jan. 2015) [text]

"The Syrian Displacement Crisis: Future Durable Solutions," Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, vol. 4, no. 2 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]

Web resources:

Europe: Syrian Asylum Applications (UNHCR) [access]
- Figures have been updated through Dec. 2014.

Refugee Republic [access]

- An "interactive transmedia documentary about everyday life in Domiz Camp, a Syrian refugee camp in northern Iraq."

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Middle East, incl. Syria (18 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Regional Focus: Europe

[Note: I am re-posting this due to an additional resource that just became available.  See below for more info.]

Event & opportunity:

Job: Senior Legal Officer, ECRE [info]
- Apply by 16 February 2015.

Seminar: Whose Refugee am I? Recent Developments in the Dublin Regime, Montreal, 20 February 2015 [info]

Publications:

*Greece as a Country of Asylum: UNHCR Observations on the Current Situation of Asylum in Greece (UNHCR, Dec. 2014)
- See also related briefing note and news story.

International Protection Considerations Related to the Developments in Ukraine – Update II (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [text]

"The League of Nations and Armenian Refugees. The Formation of the Armenian Diaspora in Syria," Central and Eastern European Review, vol. 8, no. 1 (Dec. 2014) [open access]

"A Matter of Value: Exploring What Underlies Adjudication in the French Court of Asylum," Migration Letters, vol. 11, no. 1 (2014) [free full-text]

The Real Winners of Greece's Elections: Refugees (IRIN, Jan. 2015) [text]

"The Rights of Others: Asylum Seekers and Direct Provision in Ireland," Irish Community Development Law Journal, vol. 3, no. 2 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]

Whose Mare? Rule of Law Challenges in the Field of European Border Surveillance in the Mediterranean, Liberty and Security in Europe, no. 79 (CEPS, Jan. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (24 Jan. 2015)

*UPDATED

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: General

Events & opportunities:

Courses: Certificate in International Migration Studies, Georgetown University [info]
- Enrollment is open for Spring 2015.

CFP: Migration on the Margins: Exploring Constructions of the 'Illegitimate Migrant', Oxford, 15-16 May 2015 [info]
- Submit abstracts by 15 February 2015.

CFP: De-mythifing Forced Migration: Place, Temporariness and Access in an Era of (Im)Mobility, 10th Annual Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) Student Caucus Conference, Toronto, 1-2 May 2015 [info]
- Abstract submission deadline is 27 February 2015.

CFP: Reframing the Migration Debate, 1st Postgraduate Workshop on Migration, Sheffield, UK, 11 June 2015 [info]
- Submit abstracts by 15 March 2015.

CFP: Producing Knowledge on Migration: Methodology, Epistemology, Ethics, Paris, 28-29 May 2015 [info]
- Submit proposals by 15 April 2015.

Publications:

"Deciphering Deportation Practices across the Global North," Chapter 10 in The Routledge Handbook on Crime and International Migration (Routledge, Sept. 2014) [eprint via SSRN]

The Field of Migration Studies Loses a Giant: Graeme Hugo (Migration Policy Institute, Jan. 2015) [text]
- Note: References to Prof. Hugo's research and scholarship can be found in the University of Adelaide's institutional repository.

"The International Refugee Regime: A Failing System," Ramapo Journal of Law & Society, vol. 1, no. 2 (Fall 2014) [full-text]

Migrants in Crisis Situations, New York, 16 Jan. 2015 [agenda] [background paper]
- Watch the panel discussion on video.

"On the Margins: Noncitizens Caught in Countries Experiencing Violence, Conflict and Disaster," Journal on Migration and Human Security, vol. 3, no. 1 (2015) [open access]
- Note: This article is part of a series of papers that provide "topical analysis on specific protection gaps and recommendations to strengthen and reform the US system of refugee protection."

Refugees and the Roman Empire, Oxford, 21 Jan. 2015 [access]
- Follow link for podcast.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (13 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

News: 2015 Edition of HRW's World Report

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published its World Report for 2015.  The 25th edition of this "annual review of human rights practices around the globe...summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide."  Read the press release for a brief overview.

The report's web site provides access to individual country chapters, as well as an introduction on "Tyranny’s False Comfort: Why Rights aren’t Wrong in Tough Times," three thematic essays, and three photo collections.

Previous editions of the World Report are available here.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

News: Free OUP Journal Articles

The following collections of articles from journals published by Oxford University Press (OUP) are currently being made freely available to commemorate Human Rights Day and International Migrants Day.

Free access is provided for a limited time only, so please visit sooner rather than later!

• Human Rights Day 2014 (free until May 2015)
• International Migrants Day 2014 

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Children

Children Asking for International Protection: Information for Unaccompanied Children who are Applying for International Protection pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (European Commission, 2014) [text via Refworld]

"Detention, Denial, and Death: Migration Hazards for Refugee Children," The Lancet Global Health, vol. 2, no. 6 (June 2014) [open access]

"Finnish Refugee Children’s Experiences of Swedish Refugee Camps during the Second World War," Migration Letters, vol. 12, no. 1 (2015) [free full-text]

"Greece's Not-so-warm Welcome to Unaccompanied Minors: Reforming EU Law to Prevent the Illegal Treatment of Migrant Children in Greece," Brooklyn Journal of International Law, vol. 39, no. 2 (2014) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 745.

Junk Science? Four Arguments against the Radiological Age Assessment of Unaccompanied Minors Seeking Asylum (Lund University, Jan. 2015) [text via SSRN]

"Neglected Child Refugees: Undiscovered Issues and Suggestions for Services," Journal of Counseling in Illinois, vol. 3, no. 1 (Fall 2014) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 48.

Risk and Protection in Mental Health among Syrian Children Displaced in Lebanon, Paper presented at The Second World Congress on Resilience: From Person to Society, Timisoara, Romania, 8-10 May 2014 [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Children (15 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Americas

"15 Minutes to Leave": Denial of the Right to Adequate Housing in Post-quake Haiti (Amnesty International, Jan. 2015) [text]

Changing Times: The International Response to Internal Displacement in Colombia (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2014) [text]

Lessons Learned from Cases Lost (The Asylumist, Jan. 2015) [text]

The Political Origins of Refugee Resettlement Policy: Insights from the Policy Process in Canada (1938-1951) (University of Toronto, Oct. 2014) [text]
- Winner of the Gunn Award.

Seeking Asylum, Finding God: Religious Conversion for Immigration Purposes and the Politics of Deservingness in Contemporary America, Discussion paper for the Comparative Social Analysis Seminar Reunion Conference, Los Angeles, 22-23 Jan. 2015 [access] 

- Scroll down to locate paper.

The Tragic Link between Gang Violence and Displacement in Central America (RI Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Americas (7 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications. 

Legal/Protection-related Events & Opportunities

Expert panel: Refuge from Inhumanity? War Refugees and International Humanitarian Law, Geneva, 28 January 2015 [info]

Course: MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies, University of London [info]
- Distance study course; application deadline is 1 February 2015.

Jobs: Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Sydney [info]
- Two positions are currently being advertised: Senior Research Associate and Centre Executive Manager. The application deadline for both is 5 February 2015.

Job: Asylum Access, Oakland, CA [info]
- Apply for the position of "International Refugee Rights Program Associate" by 13 February 2015.

Seminar series: International Refugee Law, London, Feb.-May 2015 [info]
- Three more seminars are scheduled: "Moving Beyond Protection Space: Developing a Law of Asylum in Asia," 10 February 2015; "The Protection of Conscientious Objectors and UNHCR's Role as a Norm Entrepreneur," 10 March 2015; and "The Extraterritorial Application of the Non-refoulement Obligation in International Human Rights Law," 5 May 2015.

Course: Palestine Refugees and International Law, Amman, 6-7 March 2015 & Beirut, 13-14 March 2015 [info]
- No application deadline is indicated; each session is limited to 25 participants.

Seminar: Nordic Asylum Law, Uppsala, 7-8 May 2015 [info]
- Registration deadline is 25 March 2015.

Courses: International Refugee Law, Sanremo, Italy, March-April 2015 [info]
- Three courses are currently scheduled in English, French and Spanish, respectively.  Application deadlines are one month prior to the start of each course.

Education: Diploma in Human Rights and Forced Displacement, University for Peace, March-December 2015 [info]
- Diploma is awarded when five online classes are completed; each course is also available on a stand-alone basis. The diploma is limited to 25 participants. (No registration deadline is indicated.)

Education: Master's in International Migration and Refugee Law, VU University Amsterdam [info]
- Application deadline is 1 April 2015 for students outside the EU and 1 June 2015 for all other students.

Legal Fellowship: Refugee Legal Aid Project, Cairo [info]
- Apply by 15 April 2015.

Course: Legal Environment of Forced Migration, Geneva, 11-15 May 2015 [info]
- Application deadline is 27 April 2015.

Related posts:
- Events & Opportunities: Additional Jan. & Feb. 2015
- Legal Events & Opportunities: January 2015

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Event: 

Safe Routes, Safe Futures: How to Manage the Mixed Flows of Migrants across the Mediterranean?, Brussels, 26-27 January 2015 [info]
- Launch of the European Migration Forum; while only invited individuals will be participating, this event will be livestreamed.  Follow link for background paper and programme.

Publications:

"Asile et Immigration = Asylum and Immigration," Journal européen des droits de l'homme = European Journal of Human Rights, no. 5 (2014) [eprint via SSRN]

Forced Migration Processes and Global Refugees at the Borders of Europe in Ukraine, Dissertation (University of Minnesota, Aug. 2014) [text]

France: Migrants, Asylum Seekers Abused and Destitute (Human Rights Watch, Jan. 2015) [text]

The Law and Practice of Expulsion and Exclusion from the United Kingdom (Free Movement, Jan. 2015) [text]

Protecting Forced Migrants. A State of the Art Report of Concepts, Challenges and Ways Forward (Swiss Federal Commission on Migration, Dec. 2014) [access]
- While the referenced report takes a broad look at protection, the analysis and recommendations focus more particularly on the Swiss context.

UNHCR Observations regarding the Rome Conference of the EU Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, 28 Nov. 2014 (UNHCR, Dec. 2014 [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (16 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Women

Historic U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Recognizes Domestic Violence and Gender as the Basis for Asylum (RefLaw Blog, Dec. 2014) [text]

I am Human: Refugee Women’s Experiences of Detention in the UK (Women for Refugee Women, Jan. 2015) [text]

Normative Frameworks’ Role in Addressing Gender-based Violence in Disaster Settings, Disaster Law Working Paper Series, no. 3 (IFRC, Jan. 2015) [text]

"The Politics of Domestic Violence‐based Asylum Claims," Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, vol. 22, no. 1 (Fall 2014) [full-text]

Private Violence, Public Concern: Intimate Partner Violence in Humanitarian Settings - Practice Brief (International Rescue Committee, Jan. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Protection Gap (Asylum Aid, Dec. 2014) [text]
- See also related blog post.

*Towards Alternate Approaches for Assessing Domestic Violence Asylum Claims (SSRN, Dec. 2014) [text]

Women's Asylum News, no. 128 (Nov./Dec. 2014) [full-text]
- Lead article is "UN Committee issues new guidance on refugee, stateless and migrant women."

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Women (7 Nov. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Asia

Event:

Webinar: What Have Humanitarians Learned from Their Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Haiti Earthquake?, Online, 26 January 2015 [info]

Publications:

Bangladesh: Comprehensive Response Required to Complex Displacement Crisis (IDMC, Jan. 2015) [text] - See also related blog post.

"Migration and Law in Japan," Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, Early View, 5 Jan. 2015 [open access]

One Year after the Korean Refugee Act (RefLaw Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Philippines: Why Housing Rights Must be Prioritised to End Displacement of Zamboanga’s Urban Poor (IDMC, Jan. 2015) [text]

"'Thunder without Rain': ARCI, the Far East Refugee Program, and the U.S. Response to Hong Kong Refugees," Journal of Cold War Studies, vol. 16, no. 4 (Fall 2014) [free full-text]

"The Typhoon Haiyan Response," Humanitarian Exchange, no. 63 (Jan. 2015) [full-text]
- "This edition...focuses on lessons from the humanitarian response to Typhoon Haiyan, the worst disaster ever to hit the Philippines."  See also related blog post.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Asia (18 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Publications:

"Aid and the Islamic State," Crisis Brief (IRIN & HPG, Dec. 2014) [text]

As the UN Launches Its Biggest Ever Humanitarian Appeal, Here Are Five Things the Numbers Tell Us (ODI, Dec. 2014) [text]

Attacks on Humanitarians are Attacks on Humanity (TEDxPlaceDesNations, Jan. 2015) [access]
- TED Talk by Vincent Cochetel.

"Clouds over Charities for Refugees in Islamic Countries," YaleGlobal Online (Dec. 2014) [text]

Review of Natural Catastrophes in 2014: Lower Losses from Weather Extremes and Earthquakes (Munich Re, Jan. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]
- See also related IRIN news story.

What Has Changed in Humanitarian Responses since the 2004 Tsunami? (ODI, Dec, 2014) [access]

What Trends Will We See in Humanitarian Policy and Practice in 2015? (Policy & Practice Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Web resource:

Humanitarian Key Facts (Oxfam) [access]
- "A digest of statistics illustrating the scale and impact of recent crises, and the need for greater assistance and lasting solutions for the millions of people affected."  See also related blog post.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (15 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Focus: Climate Change & Migration

Climate Change and Migration: How Are They Linked?, London, 12 Dec. 2014 [info]
- Follow link for podcast of and a paper summarizing the event.

Climate-Policy Induced Migration, ClimAccount Working Paper Series, no. KR13AC6K11043 (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights et al., Jan. 2015) [text via SSRN]

"Environmental Migrations: Rethinking the Need to Take into Account Local Contexts in legal and Policy Responses," Griffith Journal of Law & Human Dignity, vol. 2, no. 1 (2014) [full-text]

Falling through the Cracks: A Briefing on Climate Change, Displacement and International Governance Frameworks (Environmental Justice Foundation, Dec. 2014) [text]

Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change: Recommendations from the Advisory Group on Climate Change and Human Mobility, COP 20 Lima, Peru (Advisory Group, 2014) [info. note] [recommendations]

"Out of Harm's Way: Preventive Resettlement of at Risk Informal Settlers in Highly Disaster Prone Areas," Procedia: Economics and Finance, vol. 18 (2014) [open access]

The State of Environmental Migration 2014: A Review of 2013 (IOM & Sciences Po, Jan. 2015) [text]

Symposium on Environmental Change and Migration: State of the Evidence, Washington, DC, 28-29 May 2014 [agenda] [background paper] [symp. report]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Climate Change (12 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

CFP/New Issues of JEMS, J. Intl. Humanit. Legal Stud., Migr. Letters, REMI, Torture J.

CFP:

Al-Majdal [info]
- Articles on "Palestinian Refugees from Syria" sought for forthcoming issue. Submit abstracts by 1 February 2015.

New issues:

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Forthcoming, 2015)
- Even though this special issue on deportation is not yet available, you can read the editorial introduction to learn more about its focus and you can browse abstracts of some of the articles in this list.

Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, vol. 5, nos. 1-2 (2014) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "Protection for Resettled Island Populations: The Bikini Resettlement and its Implications for Environmental and Climate Change Migration," "Non-State Actors and the Evolution of Humanitarian Norms: Implications of the Sphere Charter in Health and Nutrition Relief," and "The US Humanitarian Assistance Facilitation Act: Maintaining Humanitarian Space in US Legislation." The article "Attributing Wrongful Conduct of Implementing Partners to UNHCR: International Responsibility and Human Rights Violations in Refugee Camps" is open access.

Migration Letters, vol. 12, no. 1 (2015) [full-text]
- Mix of articles including "Finnish refugee children’s experiences of Swedish refugee camps during the Second World War" and "Asylum-seekers falsely implicating themselves in international crimes: Should they be informed of the existence of Article 1F of the Refugee Convention?."

Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, vol. 30, no. 2 (2014) [contents]
- Special issue on "Composer (avec) la frontière: Passages, parcours migratoires et échanges sociaux = Negotiating Boundaries: Passage, Migratory Itineraries and Social Exchanges." Includes "Passages de frontières des Palestiniens du Liban : de refuges en migrations" and "Franchir les dispositifs établis par Frontex: Coopérations policières transfrontalières et refoulements en mer Égée."

Torture Journal: Journal on Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and Prevention of Torture, vol. 24, no. 1 (2014) [full-text]
- Includes several articles investigating trauma experienced by refugees and asylum-seekers and appropriate interventions.

Tagged Periodicals.

New Issue of IJRL

The latest issue of the International Journal of Refugee Law (IJRL) has been published.  Contents of vol. 26, no. 4, Dec. 2014 include:

• The Contemporary International Law Status of the Right to Receive Asylum [abstract] [preprint]
• The Safe Country of Origin Concept in European Asylum Law: Past, Present and Future [abstract]
• UNHCR’s Involvement with IDPs – ‘Protection of that Country’ for the Purposes of Precluding Refugee Status? [abstract] [postprint]
• Expanding Protection in Africa? Case Studies of the Implementation of the 1969 African Refugee Convention’s Expanded Refugee Definition [abstract]
• Palestinian Refugees and the Syrian Uprising: Filling the Protection Gap during Secondary Forced Displacement [abstract]

In addition, this issue reproduces four cases and three documents, and includes five book reviews.

Tagged Periodicals.

Events & Opportunities: Additional Jan. & Feb. 2015

January:

Seminar: Voting Rights of Refugees, London, 22 January 2015 [info]
- Part of the Refugee Law Initiative's 5th International Refugee Law Seminar Series.

*Panel: Borders and Securitization, Toronto, 23 January 2015 [info]
- Includes keynote address on "Citizenship Revocation and the Privilege to have Rights."

Forced Displacement and the Challenges of Glocal (global/local) Citizenship, Northampton, MA, 23 January 2015 [info]
- Registration is ongoing. Update: Registration closed at the end of the day.

Webinar: What Have Humanitarians Learned from Their Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Haiti Earthquake?, Online, 26 January 2015 [info]

*Webinar: Recognising and Responding to Trauma amongst Refugee Populations, Online, 28 January 2015 [info]

Report launch: Another Humanitarian Crisis in Somalia? Learning from the 2011 Famine, London, 29 January 2015 [info]

February:

CFP: Al-Majdal [info]
- Articles sought on "Palestinian Refugees from Syria" for forthcoming issue. Submit abstract by 1 February 2015.

Conference: Alternatives to Immigration Detention in the EU: Time for Implementation, Brussels, 6 February 2015 [info]
- Register by 2 February 2015.

Call for nominations: Nansen Refugee Award [info]
 - The deadline is 6 February 2015.

Seminar: Moving Beyond Protection Space: Developing a Law of Asylum in Asia, London, 10 February 2015 [info]
- Part of the Refugee Law Initiative's 5th International Refugee Law Seminar Series.

CFP: None of Europe's Children Should be Stateless, Budapest, 2-3 June 2015 [info]
- Submit proposals by 15 February 2015.

Related post:
- Events & Opportunities: Even More January 2015/New February 2015

*UPDATED

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items

Publications:

"Asile et Immigration = Asylum and Immigration," Journal européen des droits de l'homme = European Journal of Human Rights, no. 5 (2014) [full-text via SSRN]

"Comparative Perspectives on Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality and Refugee Status," International and Comparative Law Quarterly, FirstView, 14 Dec. 2014 [abstract] [postprint via Univ. of Westminster]

"Empowering the UNHCR to Provide More Consistent Protection for Refugees," George Washington International Law Review Online, vol. 46 (Online Notes, 2014) [full-text]

"European Case-law on Asylum Matters: Interrelation and Interdependence of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union," Chapter in New Europe - Old Values? Reform and Perseverance (Springer, Forthcoming July 2015) [eprint via Université de Liège]
- Note: The eprint is restricted access, but visitors may request a copy from the repository.

"Is There Any Blood on My Hands? Deportation as a Crime of International Law," Emory International Law Review (Forthcoming, 2015) [eprint via SSRN]

"Mental Health Expertise in Refugee Status Decision-making: Judging or Caring?," International Journal of Evidence & Proof, vol. 18, no. 4 (Oct. 2014) [free full-text]

Protecting Forced Migrants: A State of the Art Report of Concepts, Challenges and Ways Forward, Report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Commission on Migration (RSC, Dec. 2014) [text]
- Note: "The aims of this study are to review, from the perspective of governments in the global north, the protection needs of forcibly displaced people, the current and future challenges to the provision of protection, and to propose recommendations to enhance protection policies."

Web resource:

Jurisprudence (OHCHR) [access]
- "This database provides easy access to jurisprudence emanating from the United Nations Treaty Bodies which receive and consider complaints from individuals. ..."

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items, pt. 2 (7 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Focus: Health, General

"Access to Medicines by Child Refugees in the East Midlands Region of England: A Cross-sectional Study," BMJ Open, vol. 4, no. 12, e006421 (Dec. 2014) [open access]

"Human Trafficking: Role of Oral Health Care Providers," Journal of Forensic Odonto-stomatology, vol. 32, suppl. 1 (Nov. 2014) [free full-text via PubMed]

"Lessons Learnt from Coordinating Emergency Health Response during Humanitarian Crises: A Case Study of Implementation of the Health Cluster in Northern Uganda," Conflict and Health, 9:1 (Jan. 2015) [open access]

"Measles Outbreak Response among Adolescent and Adult Somali Refugees Displaced by Famine in Kenya and Ethiopia, 2011," Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 210, no. 12 (Dec. 2014) [free full-text]

Operational Guidelines on Improving Newborn Health in Refugee Operations (UNHCR, 2014) [text]

"Training for Health Care Professionals in the Sahara Refugees Camps," Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 132 (May 2014) [open access]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Mental Health (14 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Tip of the Week! Finding UN Documents

I just learned a nifty way to quickly search for UN documents online. All you do is append the document symbol of the item you're seeking to this base URL: http://undocs.org/

Here's an example: I was looking for the document, "Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms," which carries the symbol: E/CN.4/1996/52/Add.2.

As per the instructions above, I created the following new URL -- http://undocs.org/E/CN.4/1996/52/Add.2 -- which I then entered into my web browser, and voila!  Note that the language version of the document defaults to English, but other available language options are displayed in a header running across the top of the screen.

Ultimately, this search serves as a short-cut way to locate documents housed in the UN's Official Document System (ODS).  Which means that if a document is not actually available in the ODS, the strategy won't work. This may be because a document is older and has not yet been scanned.  Another time I came up empty-handed is when I searched for http://undocs.org/A/69/CRP.1, which happens to be a very recent document: the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders.  So perhaps Conference Room Papers are not included in the ODS either.

The only way to find out what you can access is to give it a go!

[Image source: UNRIC Library Newsletter, June 2011]

Tagged Tips.

Regional Focus: Middle East, incl. Syria

Citizenship, Statelessness and the Numbers Game in Lebanon (SSRN, Dec. 2014) [text]

Living Conditions of Palestinian Camp Refugees, Jordan 2011 (Fafo, 2014) [pt. 1] [pt. 2]

Living Conditions of Palestinian Outside-camp Refugees, Jordan 2012 (Fafo, 2014) [text]

Living in the Shadows: Jordan Home Visits Report 2014 (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [text]
- See also related press release with link to media materials.

No Safe Haven: Israeli Asylum Policy as Applied to Eritrean and Sudanese Citizens (Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, Dec. 2014) [text]

"Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: A Security Analysis," POLIS Journal, vol. 12 (Winter 2014) [full-text]

Regional Conference on Asylum and Migration, 11-13 November 2013 Sana'a, Republic of Yemen: External Report [posted Jan. 2015; text via Refworld]

Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan 2015-2016 in Response to the Syria Crisis: Regional Strategic Overview (UNDP & UNHCR, Dec. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

UNHCR, UNRWA, Palestinian Statehood, and Refugee Status (PRRN Blog, Dec. 2014) [text]

Related posts:
- Regional Focus: MENA (10 Dec. 2014)
- Regional Focus: Syria, incl. Resettlement (10 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Asylum Applicants and First Instance Decisions on Asylum Applications: Third Quarter 2014, Data in Focus, no. 15 (EUROSTAT, Dec. 2014) [text]

"Collecting Money at a Global Level: The UN Fundraising Campaign for the 1956 Hungarian Refugees," Eastern Journal of European Studies, vol. 5, no. 2 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]

EU Policies Supporting Development and Lasting Solutions for Displaced Populations, Brussels, 13 Oct. 2014 [access]
- Concluding event of the Dialogue on Migration and Asylum in Development (DOMAID) Project; follow link for a summary, the final report and a video of the event.

"Reflections on Reading Tarakhel: Is 'How Bad is Bad Enough' Good Enough?," Asiel en Migrantenrecht, no. 10 (2014) [full-text via SSRN]

Report by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Following His Visit to Hungary, from 1 to 4 July 2014 (Council of Europe, Dec. 2014) [text]
- See section 3: "Human rights of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees."

The Right to an Oral Hearing in Austrian Asylum Appeal Procedures in the Light of Article 47(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EDAL, Jan. 2015) [text]

The Right to be Heard in Immigration and Asylum Cases: The CJEU Moves towards a Definition (EU Law Analysis Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Spain's Moroccan Enclave: The Story Behind the Picture (IRIN, Jan. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (9 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Africa

"Conflict and Migration: The Case of Somali Refugees in Northeastern Kenya," Global Social Welfare, vol. 1, no. 4 (Dec. 2014) [free full-text]

Conflict in South Sudan Continues More Than One Year on (RI Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Internal Displacement in Somalia (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2014) [text]

"Lessons Learnt from Coordinating Emergency Health Response during Humanitarian Crises: A Case Study of Implementation of the Health Cluster in Northern Uganda," Conflict and Health, 9:1 (Jan. 2015) [open access]

Now What? The International Response to Internal Displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2014) [text]

Study on Internally Displaced Population, Gender and Livelihoods in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan (World Bank, 2014) [text]

UNHCR Urges Suspension of Returns to Nigeria from Niger (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Africa, esp. Kenya (6 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications. 

Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality

Addressing the Human Rights Impact of Statelessness in the EU’s External Action (European Parliament, Nov. 2014) [text]

Advancing Research on "Stateless Children": Family Decision Making and Birth Registration among Transnational Migrants in the Asia-Pacific Region, Migration & Mobility Working Paper, no. 2 (Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, Dec. 2014) [text]

"Comparative Perspectives on Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality and Refugee Status," International and Comparative Law Quarterly, FirstView, 14 Dec. 2014 [abstract] [postprint via Univ. of Westminster]

Burma: Amend Biased Citizenship Law (HRW, Jan. 2015) [text]

"Defining Statelessness: A Chinese Case Study," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 55 (Jan. 2015) [full-text]

Droit international: les règles d’acquisition et de retrait de la nationalité (European Parliamentary Research Service, Jan. 2015) [text]

EU Citizenship at the Crossroads: Enhancing European Cooperation in Nationality and Fundamental Rights (ENS Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

The Social Construction of Statelessness in Canada: A Study of National Media 1939-2011, Master's thesis (Ryerson University, 2013) [text]

"Why Non-marital Children in the MENA Region Face a Risk of Statelessness," Harvard Human Rights Journal Online (Jan. 2015) [full-text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality (19 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Australia

Event:

"Australia’s Refugee Policy: There IS an Alternative," Refugee Action Committee Annual General Meeting, Canberra, 20 January 2015 [info]

Publications:

Australia's Humanitarian Program: A Quick Guide to the Statistics since 1947 (Parliamentary Library of Australia, Jan. 2015) [text]

Developments in Refugee Law and Policy: 2014 in Review (FlagPost Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

In the Name of National Interest? Assessing the Shift of Australian Foreign Policy regarding West Papua during 2006, Bachelor's thesis (Edith Cowan University, Nov. 2014) [text]

"Is There Any Blood on My Hands? Deportation as a Crime of International Law," Emory International Law Review (Forthcoming, 2015) [eprint via SSRN]
- From abstract: "The article concludes that there are reasonable grounds for asserting that a crime against humanity would have been committed in the Dominican Republic and Australia with regard to their deportation policy."

Public Forum: Asylum Seekers and Protection at Sea, Melbourne, 24 Nov. 2014 [summary]

"Seeking Asylum in Australia: Does the Policy of Offshore Processing Asylum Seekers Fail Australia’s Responsibility to Uphold International Law?," Publicus Consilium: Deakin Public Policy Review, vol. 3 (2014) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 14.

"Young African Female Refugees’ Sense of Acculturation and Community Connection in Western Australia," Australian Community Psychologist, vol. 26, no. 2 (Dec. 2014) [full-text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Oceania (19 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Thematic Focus: Mental Health

"Challenges in Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Refugees: Towards Integration of Evidence-based Treatments with Contextual and Culture-sensitive Perspectives," European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6: 24750 (Jan. 2015) [open access]

"Comparison of Psychiatric Disability on the Health of Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) in Resettled Traumatized Refugee Outpatients and Danish Inpatients," BMC Psychiatry, 14:330 (Dec. 2014) [open access]

"Correlates of Depression among Internally Displaced Persons after Post-election Violence in Kaduna, North Western Nigeria," Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 170 (Jan. 2015) [open access]

"A Cross-sectional Survey of the Mental Health Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers Attending a Refugee Health Clinic: A Study Protocol for Using Research to Inform Local Service Delivery," BMC Psychiatry, 14:356 (Dec. 2014) [open access]

"Duration of Residence and Psychotropic Drug Use in Recently Settled Refugees in Sweden: A Register-based Study," International Journal for Equity in Health, 13:122 (Dec. 2014) [open access]

"Psychological and Somatic Health Problems in Bosnian Refugees: A Three Year Follow-up," Psychiatria Danubina, vol. 26, Suppl. 3, Dec. 2014 [free full-text via PubMed]

"Social Phobia among Long-term Internally Displaced Persons: An Epidemiological Study of Adults in Two Internally Displaced Person Settlements in Sudan," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, OnlineFirst, 24 Dec. 2014 [full-text via ResearchGate]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Health (18 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Tip of the Week! Learn How to Use Creative Commons Licenses

I have introduced Creative Commons licenses to readers of this blog both during past Open Access Weeks and most recently on my new open access blog.  But if you would like to gain a deeper understanding of how CC licenses work and how to choose the most appropriate one for sharing your content, then you may want to take a look at Open Content: A Practical Guide to Using Creative Commons Licences (German Commission for UNESCO et al., 2014).  The guide also includes a useful chapter on "finding open content online."

This blog post provides a quick summary of what the guide has to offer.

Tagged Tips.

Thematic Focus: General

FYI:

Jeff Crisp, Senior Director for Policy and Advocacy at Refugees International, will shortly be relocating from Washington, DC to Oxford, UK, where he will continue to work on refugee-related issues as well as provide occasional book reviews and other contributions to this blog.  Jeff will retain his RI email address, jeff [at] refugeesinternational [dot] org, and can also be contacted at jefferyfcrisp [at] gmail [dot] com.

Resources:

Borders Beyond Control? (Hein de Haas Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Exodus (MSF, Dec. 2014) [access]
- Web documentary on large population movements in the 21st century.

"From Helsinki to Human Rights Watch: How an American Cold War Monitoring Group Became an International Human Rights Institution," Humanity Journal, vol. 5, no. 3 (Winter 2014) [free full-text]

Mid-Year Trends 2014 (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [access]
- "Taking into account existing displaced populations, data revisions, voluntary returns and resettlement, the number of people being helped by UNHCR stood at 46.3 million as of mid-2014 – some 3.4 million more than at the end of 2013 and a record high."

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Questions relating to Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons and Humanitarian Questions: Report of the 3rd Committee, UN Doc. No. A/69/482 (UN General Assembly, Dec. 2014) [text via Refworld]

Rescue at Sea: A Guide to Principles and Practice as Applied to Refugees and Migrants (International Maritime Organization, UN High Commissioner for Refugees & International Chamber of Shipping, Jan. 2015 [text]

Ten Years after Humanitarian Reform: How Have Internally Displaced Persons Fared? (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2014) [text]
- See also related UpFront blog post.

[Webinars on Urban Refugees] (Urban Refugee Task Team) [access]
- Several new webinars are available; scroll through the list to locate.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (18 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Regional Focus: Europe

The CEAS at a Crossroads: Consolidation and Implementation at a Time of New Challenges - UNHCR's Recommendations to Latvia for the EU Presidency January-June 2015  (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [text]

"I'm in the Dublin procedure – what does this mean?": Information for Applicants for International Protection Found in a Dublin Procedure, Pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (European Union, Jan. 2015) [text via Refworld]

Information Note on Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on Common Procedures for Granting and Withdrawing International Protection (Recast) (ECRE, Dec. 2014) [text via Refworld]

New Approaches, Alternative Avenues and Means of Access to Asylum Procedures for Persons Seeking International Protection, Liberty and Security in Europe Paper, no. 77 (CEPS, Jan. 2015) [text]

Tarakhel v. Switzerland: Where Does the Dublin System Stand Now? (EDAL, Dec. 2014) [text]

UNHCR Comments and Recommendations on the Draft Modification of Certain Migration, Asylum-related and Other Legal Acts for the Purpose of Legal Harmonisation (UNHCR, Jan. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (6 Jan. 2015)

Tagged Publications.