30 June 2015

New ETDs - Pt. 4

Last, but not least...!

Democratizing Refugee Governance through Critical Reflexivity, Dissertation (Virginia Tech, March 2015) [text]

EU Asylum Policy: To What Extent is the Asylum-burden, in Terms of Physical Distribution, Shifted Towards the EU External Border Countries, after the Adoption of the Dublin Regulation?, Bachelor thesis (University of Twente, 2015) [text]

Migration in the Mediterranean: Media Portrayals of Refugees and Migrants, Thesis (University of Tampere, March 2015) [text]

Mobilities of Self and Place: Politics of Well-being in an Age of Migration, Dissertation (University of Tampere, 2015) [text]

 The Refugee as Citizen: The Possibility of Political Membership in a Cosmopolitan World, Thesis (Stellenbosch University, Dec. 2014) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New ETDs - Pt. 3

A mix of ETDs... .

Contextualizing Exile: Understanding Failures of the International Refugee Regime through Narratives of Young Adult Syrian Urban Refugees in Amman, Jordan, Bachelor's thesis (Scripps College, 2015) [text]

English Language Acquisition by Chechen Programme Refugees in Roscommon, Ireland, Dissertation (Dublin Institute of Technology, 2014) [text]

Enterprising Outsiders: Livelihood Strategies of Cape Town’s Forced Migrants, Thesis (University of Western Ontario, 2015) [text]

Trafficking of Eritreans in Egypt: Facts and Misconceptions, Thesis (American University in Cairo, Spring 2015) [text]

Treatment of PTSD and Comorbid Symptoms in Adult and Elderly Refugees: Does Age Matter?, Thesis (Utrecht University, Feb. 2015) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New ETDs - Pt. 2(b)

More ETDs from Swedish academic institutions.

Refuge beyond Safety: A Study on Syrian Refugees in Jordan Preparing for Irregular Onwards Travel to Europe, Thesis (Malmö University, Spring 2015) [text]

Refugees Don’t Drink Wine, but Gay Men Should: Exploring the Intersections of Refugeehood, Sexuality and Nationality among Gay Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Thesis (Lund University, Spring 2015) [text]

Securitization of Transit Forced Migrants: An Analysis of the Changing Representations of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Indonesian Major Print Media, Thesis (Lund University, 2015) [text]

Seeking Asylum in the United States: Mandatory Detention and International Law, Thesis (Uppsala University, Spring 2015) [text]

Unaccompanied Children - The Effects of Asylum Process: A Study on the Effects of the Waiting Process of Asylum Seeking in Sweden for Unaccompanied Children, Thesis (Uppsala University, Spring 2015) [text]

When the Pain Has Gone Beyond: Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping among Congolese Refugees, Thesis (Stockholm University, 2015) [text]

Tagged Publications.


New ETDs - Pt. 2(a)

All of these ETDs were prepared by students based at Swedish academic institutions.

Challenging the Principle of Solidarity in the Common European Asylum System: Towards a More Comprehensive Approach to Sharing Asylum Responsibilities, Thesis (Lund University, Spring 2015) [text]

Credibility Assessment of Testimony in Asylum Procedures: An Interdisciplinary Analysis, Thesis (Lund University, Spring 2015) [text]

Frontex and the Right to Seek Asylum: A Critical Discourse Analysis, One year Master's thesis (Malmö University, Spring 2015) [text]

Human Trafficking in the Sinai Desert: A Case Study of Egypt, Thesis (Uppsala University, Spring 2015) [text]

Knocking on Europe's Door: Investigating Modes of Governing and the Principle of Solidarity as EU Member States Respond to the Asylum Pressure on its Southern Borders, Thesis (Lund University, May 2015) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New ETDs - Pt. 1

(ETD = Electronic Theses & Dissertations)

I have accumulated quite a large number of references to ETDs and university student projects which I will share in the next several posts.  I have grouped them roughly by geography.  The titles below examine the situation of forced migrants in Canada and the United States.

Assessing and Addressing Protection Needs of Undocumented Migrant Children in North Carolina, Master's project (Duke University, May 2015) [text]

Assessing the Social and Mental Health Services Provided to Middle-Eastern Newcomers in the Resettlement Process in the National Capital Region, Thesis (University of Ottawa, 2015) [text]

Attitudes toward Refugees Entering the United States of America, Bachelor's thesis (University of Southern Mississippi, May 2015) [text]

Community and Identity among Iraqi Refugees in San Diego, Bachelor's thesis (Colorado College, May 2015) [text]

The Effect of Community Gardening on Social Integration of Refugees: A Process Evaluation of Global Growers Network, Atlanta, Georgia, Thesis (Emory University, 2014) [text]

The 'Good' Refugee is Traumatized: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder as a Measure of Credibility in the Canadian Refugee Determination System, Master's project (Ryerson University, 2014) [text]

Resettlement and Self-Sufficiency: Refugees' Perceptions of Social Entrepreneurship in Arizona, Thesis (Arizona State University, May 2015) [text]

The Role of Social Ties in the Process of Settlement of Migrant Survivors of Political Violence: A Critical Ethnographic Study, Dissertation (University of British Columbia, 2015) [text]

"When Are We Going To Be Settled Down and Know This Is Our Place?”: A Phenomenological Examination of Iraqi Refugee Families’ Lived Experiences with Resettlement, Dissertation (University of Tennessee, 2015) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: MENA, incl. Syria

Publications:

3RP Regional Progress Report (UNHCR, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

At the Breaking Point: Refugees in Jordan and Egypt (Refugee Council USA, March 2015) [text]

Imprisonment, Torture and Statelessness: The Darkening Reality of Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain (World Organisation against Torture, June 2015) [text]

Iraq: IDPs Caught between a Rock and a Hard Place as Displacement Crisis Deepens (IDMC, June 2015)[text]

Migration Trends across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots (IOM & Altai Consulting, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity among Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: Data from a Household Survey," PLoS ONE 10(6): e0130724 (June 2015) [open access]

Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/29/52 (UN Human Rights Council, June 2015) [access]
- Follow link for text and other related documents. See also related IRIN news story.

Save the Children Egypt-Libya-Tunisia Assessment Report (Save the Children, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Syrian Refugees and the UK, Briefing Paper, no. 06805 (UK House of Commons Library, June 2015) [text]

Turkey's Asylum Procedure and Plans for Reception and Detention Centres (AIDA, June 2015) [text]

Uprooted Livelihoods: Palestinian Villages and Herding Communities in the Jordan Valley (MA'AN Development Center, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

What You Need to Know about Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (BADIL, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Web site: 

Voices for Refugees [access]
- New UNHCR initiative to ensure voices of Syrian refugees continue to be heard.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Middle East (19 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

29 June 2015

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

Opportunity:

CFP: Statelessness Working Paper Series [info]
- Submission deadline is 15 September 2015.

Publications:

Civil Society in the Asia Pacific Agrees to Unite to End Statelessness (Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, June 2015) [text]

Dominican Republic Urged not to Deport Stateless Dominicans (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]

The Jus Sanguinis Bias of Europe and What It Means for Childhood Statelessness (ENS Blog, June 2015) [text]

Ministerial Regional Conference on Statelessness, Abidjan, 23-25 Feb. 2015 (UNHCR & ECOWAS, 2015) [text]
- A summary of the meeting; more conf. docs. accessible via this earlier post.

Stateless at Sea: The Moken of Burma and Thailand (Human Rights Watch, June 2015) [text]

Stateless in the Sahel (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Statelessness, esp. Affecting Children (15 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

New Issues of AULR, Intl. Migr., Intervention, JEMIE, JIRS, JMHS, Perspective, Res. Horizons

American University Law Review, vol. 64, no. 5 (2015) [full-text]
- Articles focus on immigration issues in the U.S., and include one entitled "Bordering Persecution: Why Asylum Seekers Should not be Subject to Expedited Removal."

International Migration, vol. 53, no. 3 (June 2015) [contents]
- Includes special section on "Discourses of Displacement and Deservingness: Interrogating Distinctions between 'Economic' and 'Forced' Migration."

Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas, vol. 13, no. 2 (July 2015) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, vol. 14, no. 1 (2015) [full-text via ISN]
- Mix of articles, including "Remembering Homeland in Exile: Recollections of IDPs from the Abkhazia Region of Georgia."

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 13, no. 2 (2015) [contents]
- Special issue on "Immigration and Civil Society." Also includes "The Integration of Forced Migrants into the Italian Labor Market."

Journal on Migration and Human Security, vol. 3, no. 2 (June 2015) [open access]
- Special edition released on "The US Refugee Protection System on the 35th Anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980: A Comprehensive Assessment of the System’s Strengths, Limitations, and Need for Reform Journal on Migration and Human Security."

Perspective, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]
- Focus is on education.

Research Horizons, no. 23 (Feb. 2014) [full-text]
- Includes Spotlight feature on "migration."

Tagged Periodicals.

Regional Focus: Asia

2014 Trends Analysis: Protection in the Urban Refugee Context in the Asia Pacific (Refugee Studies Forum, 2014?) [text]

A Case for Clarification: European Asylum Policy and North Korean Refugees (European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea, June 2015) [text]
- See also related The Diplomat article.

"Life after the Boat Journey in Malaysia," New Internationalist, 19 June 2015 [text]

Resolving Post-disaster Displacement Crises: Insights from the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan, Washington, DC, 24 June 2014) [info]
- Follow link for audio of this event.

The Rohingya Migrant Crisis (Council on Foreign Relations, June 2015) [text]

Rohingya Refugees: Turks to the Rescue, RSIS Commentary, no. 122 (RSIS, May 2015) [text via ISN]

A Socio-Economic Review of Japan's Resettlement Pilot Project, New Issues in Refugee Research, Paper no. 276 (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]

Stateless at Sea: The Moken of Burma and Thailand (Human Rights Watch, June 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Asia (17 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: General

Publications:

EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in 2014 (Council of the European Union, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Fragile States Index 2015 (Fund for Peace, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Free to Think: Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project (Scholars at Risk Network, June 2015) [text via Clark Univ.]

Internal Displacement: Lessons Learned after 20 Years and Challenges Ahead, Washington, DC 26 June 2015 [info]
- Follow link for video of event.

Landmines/ERW, Refugees and Displacement (International Campaign to Ban Landmines, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Note: ERW = Explosive Remnants of War

The Perfect Storm: The Role of Public Health and Ethnic Composition in Refugee-related Conflict Initiation, Davis, California, 23 April 2015 [info]
- A copy of the paper presented is available here.

Refugees around the Globe: Statistics and Research on Living Conditions, Health, Assistance Efforts (Journalist's Resource, June 2015) [text]

Revealing the Routes to Policy in Practice (ODI, June 2015) [text]

Web sites:

Emerging Scholars and Practitioners on Migration Issues (ESPMI) [access]
- "Formerly known as the New Scholars Network, the ESPMI Network strives to connect emerging scholars, practitioners, policymakers, journalists, artists, and all those involved in forced migration and refugee studies to meaningful work and professional connections, as well as to produce new research and new interest in these important issues."

François Crépeau [access]
- "François Crépeau is United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. He holds the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law at the McGill University Faculty of Law where he teaches Migration Law, Immigration and Refugee Law, and Constitutional Law. The focus of his current research includes migration control mechanisms, the rights of foreigners, the conceptualization of security as it applies to migrants, and the Rule of Law in the face of globalization."

Refugee Research Review Blog [access]
- New blog aiming to serve two purposes: "First, RRR is meant to facilitate studies in the area of forced migration by centralizing online research in the form of journal articles, informative websites, and current news concerning forced migrants. Furthermore, book reviews, scholarly critiques of journal articles, and original research can also be found here. Second, RRR provides access to practical resources and information for those seeking to minister to and serve refugees within their own communities. Brief answers to frequently asked questions, service ideas and how to’s can all be found here."

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (17 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.


26 June 2015

News: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 were released by the U.S. State Department yesterday. From the DipNote blog:
"Today, Secretary Kerry will release the State Department’s 39th annual Human Rights Reports, a comprehensive review of human rights conditions in 199 countries and territories around the world. Mandated by Congress, these reports are the United States’ factual and authoritative statement on the progress of international human rights and the most widely read document issued by the State Department.
     The Human Rights Reports detail the violence and abuse suffered both at the hands of governments and of non-state actors by people all over the world. In some cases, as a result of civil society groups and sustained international pressure, conditions have changed for the better. Yet in others, human rights violations continue unchecked or have worsened. ..."

The Country Reports are frequently consulted by country of origin information researchers as part of the refugee status determination process. As such, they, along with other regularly issued human rights and conflict surveys, will eventually be incorporated into the repositories of country conditions databases produced by ecoi.net and Refworld.

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Africa

Assessment of the Feasibility of Cash Transfer in Selected Refugee Settlements (WFP & USAID, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Chad: A Country on the Cusp - Humanitarian Brief (OCHA, June 2015) [text]

Forced Displacement in the Great Lakes Region: A Development Approach (World Bank & UNHCR, 2015) [text]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/29/41 (Human Rights Council, June 2015) [text via Refworld]

Responsibility to Respond to Internal Displacement in the ECOWAS Region: Case Studies of Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Nigeria (ECOWAS & UNHCR, March 2015) [text]

Socioeconomic Impact of the Crisis in North Mali on Displaced People, Policy Research Working Paper, no. 7253 (World Bank, May 2015) [text]

The Unexpected Creativity That Thrives in Refugee Camps (The Conversation, June 2015) [text]
- See also related RSC announcement.

Zambia Shouldn’t Make Integration and Freedom of Movement Contingent on Registration with Rwandan Authorities (Justice Matters in Africa Blog, June 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Africa (11 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: More on Resettlement

I just circulated a post on resettlement, but here are a few additional items from UNHCR that have just been published:

- A Socio-Economic Review of Japan's Resettlement Pilot Project, New Issues in Refugee Research, Paper no. 276 [text]

- UNHCR-NGO Toolkit for Practical Cooperation on Resettlement: A Repository for Exchanging Ideas on Resettlement Partnerships [access]

- UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Trends 2015 [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Resettlement (23 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

25 June 2015

Regional Focus: Europe

Event & opportunity:

"Drowning Humanity?" High-level Panel Discussion on the Mediterranean Migrant Crisis, Cambridge, UK, 25 June 2015 [info]

CFP: "Asylum in Europe," Forced Migration Review [info]
- Submission deadline is 7 September 2015.

Resources:

The Creaking Dublin System: Hungary Pulls the Plug (Free Movement Blog, June 2015) [text]

EU: Bold Steps Needed on Mediterranean Crisis (Human Rights Watch, June 2015) [text]

EU States at Odds on Eve of Summit on Migration Crisis (Thomson Reuters Foundation, June 2015) [text]
- *Update*: "EU to take in 40,000 migrants from Italy, Greece - draft communique" (Thomson Reuters Foundation, June 2015); see also UNHCR news release.

EU Toughens Stance on Migrant Returns (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Europe's Migration Crisis, Washington, DC, 24 June 2015 [info]
- Follow link for audio.

How Should Europe Respond to the Mediterranean Refugee Crisis?, Oxford, 17 June 2015 [info]
- Follow link for podcast.

Migration Trends across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots (IOM & Altai Consulting, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Refugee Crisis: Challenges for Europe (BBVA, June 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (19 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

24 June 2015

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items

Event & opportunity:

Contemporary Issues in Refugee Law, Lancaster, UK, 7 July 2015 [info]

The Guy S. Goodwin-Gill Scholarship [info]
- Scholarship to support students seeking an "MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies by distance learning" at the University of London. Application deadline is 17 August 2015.

Publications:

The Case Law of the European Regional Courts: The Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights - Refugees, Asylum-seekers, and Stateless Persons (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]

Guidelines on International Protection, no. 11: Prima Facie Recognition of Refugee Status (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]
- Other guidelines are available here.

"The International Human Rights Regime and Supranational Regional Organizations: The Challenge of the EU," Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 36, no. 1 (2014) [full-text]

Report from the Nordic Asylum Law Seminar (Lund/Uppsala Migration Law Network, June 2015) [text]

The Right to 'Seek' Asylum in Customary International Law? (Asher Hirsch Blog, April 2015) [text]

*Statement of the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, 63rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme, Geneva, 24-26 June 2015 [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Law & Protection Policy (15 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


23 June 2015

News: OIOS Evaluation(s) of UNHCR

The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) recently completed an evaluation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  The office's objective was to "determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the relevance, effectiveness and impact of UNHCR in achieving its mandate with regard to protection, assistance and solutions in emergency and non-emergency contexts, with a focus on durable solutions to protracted refugee situations."

The Annex of the report includes a brief management response from UNHCR.

This appears to be the first such overall evaluation of UNHCR.  To date, the OIOS' examinations of UNHCR have taken the form of annual internal audits of programmes and operations, the findings of which are published as EXCOM documents for consideration during EXCOM plenary sessions (here is the most recent one).

Some of the individual audit reports themselves can be found on the OIOS web site, dating back to June 2013.  A list of those published in 2015 include (organized chronologically):

  • Audit of the operations in Kenya for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Jan. 2015)
  • Audit of the participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representation in Pakistan in the implementation of the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas programme (Jan. 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Burkina Faso for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Feb. 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Colombia for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Feb. 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Eritrea for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Feb. 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Kazakhstan for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Audit of the arrangements for supporting education programmes for refugees in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (April 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Mozambique for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (May 2015)
  • Review of recurrent implementing partnership management issues in internal audit reports for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (June 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Chad for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (avail. July 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Jordan for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (avail. July 2015)
  • Audit of the operations in Rwanda for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (avail. July 2015)


Tagged Publications.


Thematic Focus: Resettlement

Events:

Public Discussion: Resettling Increasingly Diverse Refugee Populations in the United States: Integration Challenges and Successes, Washington, DC, 26 June 2015 [info]
- Event held to discuss forthcoming MPI report, "The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees: Successes and Challenges."

Publications:

Instruments de Réinstallation des Réfugiés: Appréciation des Programmes à l’Échelle Européenne et Suisse (CIPADH, June 2015) [text]

[New Factsheets] (Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, June 2015)
- History of U.S. Refugee Resettlement
- United States Refugee Assistance and Resettlement Programs

New Zealanders Urged to Share the Peace and Welcome Refugees (Human Rights Commission, June 2015) [text]
- Supporter of campaign to #RaiseTheQuota of refugees resettled in New Zealand.  See also Doing Our Bit Facebook page for links to more press on this issue.

"The Pilot Refugee Resettlement Program in Japan: What Is Needed for the Successful Integration of Resettled Refugees?," The Journal of the Graduate School of Toyo Eiwa University, no. 11 (2015) [full-text]

Position Paper: Resettlement in the European Union (National Red Cross Societies in the European Union & IFRC, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Resettlement of Syrian Refugees: UK Bottom of League Table (Free Movement Blog, June 2015) [text]

UNHCR Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2016 (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]
- Prepared for the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, which will be held in Geneva on 29 June-1 July 2015.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Durable Solutions (11 June 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 




22 June 2015

Regional Focus: Australia

Publications:

"Food Security among Asylum Seekers in Melbourne," Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Early View, 11 June 2015 [open access]

Interception of Asylum Seekers at Sea: Extraterritorialisation and the Case of CPFC V. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (Asher Hirsch Blog, April 2015) [text]

A Just and Sustainable Solution to the Boat People Predicament in Australia?, Honors Theses, Paper no. 233 (Univ. of New Hampshire, Spring 2015) [text]

"Operation 'Sovereign Borders': The High Court of Australia Considers Implications of International Law," ASIL Insights, vol. 19, no. 12 (June 2015) [text]

RAC Response to ‘Beyond the Boats’ Report (Refugee Action Committee, June 2015) [text]

Refugee Obligations Shirked: Australia’s Unwanted Refugees Arrive in Cambodia from Nauru (RI Blog, June 2015) [text]

"Resettlement Experiences and Resilience in Refugee Youth in Perth, Western Australia," BMC Research Notes, 8:236 (June 2015) [open access]

Campaign:

#SingThe2ndVerse (Refugee Advice and Casework Service) [access]
- Campaign that aims to remind Australians about the words in the second verse of their national anthem.



Related post:
- Regional Focus: Oceania (20 May 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

The Benefits of Hosting Refugees (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Book Review: Displacement Economies in Africa: Paradoxes of Crisis and Creativity, edited by Amanda Hammar (Africa at LSE Blog, Jan. 2015) [text]

Ending the Second Exile (UNHCR Tracks, June 2015) [text]

How Can We Solve the Global Refugee Crisis? (World Economic Forum) [text]

Palestine Refugees from Syria: Are Jordan’s Policies and the Right to Work Mutually Exclusive? (Refugee Work Rights, June 2015) [text]

Political Economy and Forced Displacement : Guidance and Lessons from Nine Country Case Studies (World Bank, Dec. 2014) [text]

Rapid Assessment for Markets: Guidelines for an Initial Emergency Market Assessment (ICRC, 2014) [text]

Refugee Economies: Misplaced Extrapolation? (Justice Matters Blog, June 2015) [text]

The Upside of Accepting Refugees (Center for Global Development, June 2015 [info]
- Follow link for podcast.

What are the Development Solutions for Displacement? (UNDP Blog, June 2015) [text]

Workshop on Forced Migration and Development, Washington, DC, 8 Sept. 2014 [summary]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (2 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Human Trafficking & Smuggling

News:

Council Launches EU Naval Operation to Disrupt Human Smugglers and Traffickers in the Mediterranean (European Council, 22 June 2015) [text]

Publications:

"Australia’s Policy on Migrants Questioned after Smuggler Says He Was Bribed to Turn Back," New York Times, 21 June 2015 [text]

Checking Human Smuggling: The Bangladesh-Myanmar Borderland (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Financing the Smuggling of Migrants in Australia," Criminal Law Journal, vol. 38, no. 5 (2014) [full-text via SSRN]

Freedom for All: An Attorney's Guide to Fighting Human Trafficking (American Bar Association, 2015) [info]
- Sample chapter available.

Gender, Migration, ‘Trafficking’ and the Troublesome Relationship between Agency and Force (Border Criminologies Blog, June 2015) [text]

*Journey into Hell: On the Trail of the Traffickers Exploiting the Most Unwanted People on the Planet (ABC's Four Corners, June 2015) [access]

The New "Wretched of the Earth" (IOM Blog, June 2015) [text]

"On the Cusp of a Crisis: Human Trafficking in Eastern Sudan," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 59 (May 2015) [full-text]

The Use of Force against People Smugglers: Conflicts with Refugee Law and Human Rights Law (EJIL Talk Blog, June 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: EU Response to Human Trafficking & Smuggling (26 May 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Human Trafficking (15 April 2015)

Tagged Publications.

20 June 2015

World Refugee Day 2015

World Refugee Day is commemorated on June 20th each year.  Visit UNHCR's special WRD web site for profiles of a number of refugees who share their stories.

Here is a small sampling of what is being said/disseminated to mark the day. Much more can be found via #WorldRefugeeDay.

Media reports/blog posts:
- "17 Ways the Unprecedented Migrant Crisis is Reshaping our World," Washington Post, 20 June 2015 [text]
- “Celebrating” World Refugee Day with four million Syrian refugees on our doorstep (Migration Policy Centre) [text]
- Ending the Second Exile: As conflicts grind on, we must find ways to help the displaced overcome exclusion and dependency, says UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner (UNHCR) [text]
- For refugees, actions speak louder than words (OUP Blog) [text]
- Highest levels of global forced displacement on record—World Refugee Day 20 June 2015 (FlagPost Blog) [text]
- How can we solve the global refugee crisis? (World Economic Forum) [text]
- June 20, World Refugee Day (EPRS) [text]
- On World Refugee Day: Palestinian Refugees lack protection and indicate how to ensure it (BADIL) [text]
- On World Refugee Day, Stories of Resettlement and Unsettlement from Nepal (The Migrationist) [text]
- Refugee Week: Days 1-5 (Refugee Research Review Blog) [access]
- Refugees as Survivors (Order from Chaos Blog) [text]
- Refugees deserve support in America, not just a home (The Hill Blog) [text]
- Refugees: Existence. Resistance. Persistence (Huffington Post) [text]
- UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt calls for action on World Refugee Day (UNHCR) [text]
- U.S. Must Show Global Leadership on World Refugee Day (Human Rights First) [text]
- The US Should Be a Home for Refugees (Cato Institute) [text]
- World Refugee Day: 60 million displaced (Women's Refugee Commission) [text]
- World Refugee Day: a starting block for better pooled governance in refugee protection and migration (ICMC) [text]
- World Refugee Day: Beyond the Numbers (RI Blog) [text]
- World Refugee Day 2015 (ICRC) [text]
- World Refugee Day 2015: 60 million lives upended (International Rescue Comm.) [text]
- World Refugee Day 2015: The Urgent Need for a Fresh Perspective on Global Migration (UN Dispatch) [text]
- World Refugee Day takes place against backdrop of worsening global crisis (UNHCR) [text]

Statements:
- Joint Statement ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June (European Commission) [text]
- Statement by António Guterres on World Refugee Day 2015 (UNHCR) [text]
- Statement by the President on World Refugee Day (The White House) [text]
- World Refugee Day (U.S. State Dept.) [text]

Resources:
- Global Refugee Crisis (IRIN) [access]
- The Global Refugee Crisis: A conspiracy of neglect (Amnesty International) [text]
- Global Trends 2014: World at War (UNHCR) [text]
- Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, ECHO Factsheet (European Commission, Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection) [text]
- A World of Forgotten Refugees (WFP) [access]
- World Refugee Day 2015 (BioMed Central) [access]
- World Refugee Day Collection (OUP) [access]

I will add more as the day progresses.

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


19 June 2015

Thematic Focus: Detention

Dilemma at the Gate: Family Detention vs. Open Borders (The Asylumist Blog, June 2015) [text]

Justice for Immigrants Detention Webinar, 18 June 2015 [access]
- Follow link to access podcast.

Manual for Detention Visitors (JRS Europe, March 2015) [text]

"Migration-related Detention Centers: The Challenges of an Ecological Perspective with a Focus on Justice," BMC International Health and Human Rights, 15:13 (June 2015) [open access]

"'A prison with extra flavours': Experiences of Immigrants in Swedish Immigration Detention Centres," International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 11, no. 2 (2015) [open access]

U.S. Detention of Families Seeking Asylum: A One-year Update (Human Rights First, June 2015) [text]

*"We have no rights": Arbitrary Imprisonment and Cruel Treatment of Migrants with Mental Health Issues in Canada (University of Toronto, June 2015) [text]

Widespread Detention Practices Run Afoul of International Legal Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (ATHA Blog, June 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Detention (1 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Children

2014 Annual Results Report: Humanitarian Action (UNICEF, June 2015) [text]
- See also a related synthesis.

Children and Armed Conflict, Cross-Cutting Report (Security Council, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"The Negotiation of Culture in Foster Care Placements for Separated Refugee and Asylum Seeking Young People in Ireland and England," Childhood, vol. 22, no. 2 (May 2015) [full-text via Univ. College Dublin]

Policies, Practices and Data on Unaccompanied Minors in the EU Member States and Norway (European Migration Network, May 2015) [access]
- Follow link for synthesis report and individual country submissions.  A summary of the report is also available.

"Refugee Youth, Belonging and Community Sport," Leisure Studies, vol. 34, no. 3 (2015) [postprint]

Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration of Asylum-seeking Children Affected by War and Armed Conflict (Centre for Intercultural Communication, 2015) [text]

"Resettlement Experiences and Resilience in Refugee Youth in Perth, Western Australia," BMC Research Notes, 8:236 (June 2015) [open access]

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Statelessness, esp. Affecting Children (15 June 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Children (18 May 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Middle East

Breaking the Hourglass: Partnerships in Remote Management Settings - The Cases of Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan (Feinstein International Center, Feb. 2015) [text]

Electronic Cash Grants in Emergencies: Approaches and Lessons Learned (Catholic Relief Services, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

High Time for a Fair Israeli Asylum Regime (MigRefLaw Blog, June 2015) [text]

Jadaliyya: Roundtable on Citizenship for Palestinian Refugees (PRRN Blog, June 2015) [text]

Jordan: Syrians Blocked, Stranded in Desert (Human Rights Watch, June 2015) [text]

Keynote Address by UNHCR's Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Syria and Iraq Situations at Berlin Summer Dialogue 2015 - International Responsibility in Refugee Situations: Prevention – Regional Stability – Peace Work, Berlin, 17-18 June 2015 [text]
- The programme for the summer dialogue is available here.

*Notes from the Syrian-Turkish Border (Order from Chaos Blog, June 2015) [text]

RAND on the Costs of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Refugee Dimension (PRRN Blog, June 2015) [text]

Time for a New Deal for Middle East's Displaced? (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Turkey at the Crossroads: A Case of Solidarity over Security? (Regional MMS, June 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Housing & Shelter, esp. for Syrians (18 June 2015)
- Regional Focus: MENA (9 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Europe

European Justice for Migrants and Refugees (Verfassungsblog, June 2015) [text via RSC]
 
Extraterritorial Processing of Asylum Claims (EPRS, June 2015) [text]

First Measures of the European Agenda on Migration (EPRS, June 2015) [text]

*How Should Europe Respond to the Mediterranean Refugee Crisis?, Oxford, 17 June 2015 [info]
- Follow link for podcast.

IRC President David Miliband Speech on European Migrant Crisis at the Van Heuven Goedhart Lecture at Knights Hall, The Hague (International Rescue Committee, June 2015) [text]

*Irregular Migration Routes to Europe and Factors Influencing Migrants’ Destination Choices (Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, June 2015) [access]
- Follow link for text and management summary.

The Mediterranean Migration Crisis: Why People Flee, What the EU Should Do (Human Rights Watch, June 2015) [text]

Migration Risk Warning Campaigns are Based on Wrong Assumptions (DIIS, May 2015) [text]

Would You Advise a Friend to Follow You across the Mediterranean? (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: More on Mediterranean Refugee Crisis (16 June 2015)

Tagged Publications.

18 June 2015

Thematic Focus: Housing & Shelter, esp. for Syrians

Opportunity:

Course: Master Level Short Course in Humanitarian Shelter Coordination [info]
- Blend of distance learning (3 August- 6 September 2015) and face-to-face workshop (28 September-3 October 2015); apply by 12 July 2015.

Publications:

Evaluation of the Norwegian Refugee Council's Lebanon Host Community Shelter Programmes (NRC, May 2015) [text]

Global Strategy for Settlement & Shelter, 2014-2018 (UNHCR, 2014) [text]
- Scroll to p. 6 of this report to learn about progress made in implementing this strategy.

Guidance on Including Older People in Emergency Shelter Programmes (IFRC & HelpAge, 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Note: While this is an older document, I discovered that I had not yet referenced it.

In Search of a Home: Access to Adequate Housing in Jordan (Norwegian Refugee Council, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

No Place to Call Home: How Syria’s Displaced Millions Struggle to Keep a Roof over Their Heads (Norwegian Refugee Council, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Transitional Shelter Guidelines (Shelter Cluster, May 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Note: I previously referenced the draft version of these guidelines, but not the final set.

Urban Informal Settlers Displaced by Disasters: Challenges to Housing Responses (IDMC, June 2015) [text]

Which Way is up? Flatpacks Alone Can't Solve Global Shelter Crisis (IRIN, May 2015) [text]


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Event:

Webcast: Humanitarian Negotiation in Practice, 25 June 2015 [info]

Publications:

"Core Humanitarian Standard: Do NGOs Need Another Set of Standards?," The Guardian, 11 June 2015 [text]

Do Bright Ideas in Aid Need Checks and Balances? (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Exploring Coordination in Humanitarian Clusters (ALNAP, June 2015) [text]

Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2015 (Development Initiatives, June 2015) [text]
- One key finding: "International humanitarian assistance rose for a second year running to a record US$24.5 billion in 2014. All of 2013’s largest donors gave more in 2014, and many gave their largest amounts. Despite this rise, funding was not sufficient to meet needs. In response to the scale of need in 2014, UN-coordinated humanitarian appeals requested the highest amount of funding to date – a total of US$19.5 billion – yet a record US$7.5 billion of requirements went unmet."

Global Humanitarian Overview: Status Report (OCHA, June 2015) [text]
- "A consolidated appeal to support people affected by disaster and conflict." See also the companion web site, "The State of Humanitarian Aid."

Independent Whole of System Review of Protection in the Context of Humanitarian Action (Norwegian Refugee Council & IASC, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Making Accountability Accountable (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Placing Protection at the Centre of Humanitarian Action: A Contribution to the World Humanitarian Summit (UNHCR, May 2015) [text]

*"Regime Change for Humanitarian Aid: How to Make Relief More Accountable," Foreign Affairs (July/Aug. 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (8 June 2015)

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

News: Global Trends 2014 Report Released

In the lead-up to World Refugee Day on June 20, UNHCR has released the 2014 edition of its Global Trends report. Subtitled "World at War," the report "shows a sharp escalation in the number of people forced to flee their homes, with 59.5 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago. The increase since 2013 was the highest ever seen in a single year."

Where is the displacement occurring?
"In the past five years, at least 15 conflicts have erupted or reignited: Eight in Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and this year in Burundi); three in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, and Yemen); one in Europe (Ukraine) and three in Asia (Kyrgyzstan, and in several areas of Myanmar and Pakistan)."

Who is being displaced?
"Syria is the world's biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014). Afghanistan (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million) are the next biggest refugee source countries." ..."Alarmingly, over half the world's refugees are children."

Which countries receive the most refugees?
"For the first time, Turkey became the largest refugee-hosting country worldwide, with 1.59 million refugees. Turkey was followed by Pakistan (1.51 million), Lebanon (1.15 million), the Islamic Republic of Iran (982,000), Ethiopia (659,500), and Jordan (654,100).  ...Developing regions hosted 86 per cent of the world’s refugees – at 12.4 million persons, the highest value in more than two decades. The Least Developed Countries provided asylum to 3.6 million refugees or 25 per cent of the global total."

Much more information is available in the report and on the companion web page.

(emphasis added)

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: General (17 June 2015)
- World Refugee Day 2014

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

17 June 2015

Thematic Focus: General

Opportunity:

IRIN Twitter Q&A on Refugees and Migrants, 18 June 2015 [info]
- Follow #AskIRIN.

Publications:

Global Peace Index 2015 (Institute for Economics and Peace, June 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]
- See also related Bloomberg article.

The Global Refugee Crisis: A Conspiracy of Neglect (Amnesty International, June 2015) [text]

Global Report 2014 (UNHCR, June 2015) [access]
- "[P]rovides information for governments, private donors, partners and other readers interested in the organization’s activities and achievements in 2014."

Political Economy and Forced Displacement: Guidance and Lessons from Nine Country Case Studies (World Bank Global Program on Forced Displacement, June 2014) [text]
- Countries covered include Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Liberia, Philippines, Senegal, Somlia, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

Refugee Versus Migrant: Time for a New Label? (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Who is Who in Migration Studies: 107 Names Worth Knowing (Jørgen Carling Blog, June 2015) [text]

Why Border Controls are now a Global Game (IRIN, June 2015) [text]

Web site:

Global Focus: UNHCR Operations Worldwide [access]
- "UNHCR’s main operational information portal for donors and other key partners. This site provides an overview of the protection risks that refugee and other populations of concern to UNHCR face across the world; operation plans; the results and impact of UNHCR’s programmes; the organization’s global financial requirements; and donor contributions to UNHCR’s work."

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (8 June 2015)

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