16 August 2021

Regional Focus: Asia Pacific

The Situation in Afghanistan:

This Twitter thread from Phil Orchard (15 Aug. 2021) provides an assessment of the potential scale of Afghan displacement and recommendations for an appropriate humanitarian response. 

Here is UNHCR's just released "Position on Returns to Afghanistan." [Here is the Spanish version.] See also this related briefing note.

News & analysis (in chronological order):

"‘No more refugees’ is not the answer to Afghanistan’s displacement crisis," The New Humanitarian, 11 Aug. 2021 [text]

"Six EU Countries Want to Maintain Deportations of Afghan Asylum-Seekers," VOA News, 11 Aug. 2021 [text]

"Fast-moving Afghanistan crisis ‘has hallmarks of humanitarian catastrophe’," UN News, 13 Aug. 2021 [text]

"A Perilous Journey and an Uncertain Future: The Plight of Afghan Refugees in Turkey," Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2021 [access]

"Albania, Kosovo say ready to temporarily house Afghan refugees," Reuters, 15 Aug. 2021 [text]

Internal Displacement in Kabul (OCHA) 
- OCHA began issuing daily flash updates on 12 Aug. 2021; four have been published as of 15 Aug. 2021: See No. 1No. 2No. 3No. 4
- More generally, see OCHA's web page for Afghanistan.

Joint Statement on Afghanistan (15 Aug. 2021) [text]
- Released by 60+ nations.

*Afghan refugees can no longer wait — Australia must offer permanent protection now (The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2021) [text]

"Expected Afghan influx reopens divisions over refugees in Europe," The Guardian, 16 Aug. 2021 [text]

External Update: Afghanistan Situation, no. 2 (UNHCR, 16 Aug. 2021) [text]
- Note: The first update was issued on 21 July 2021.

"In Afghanistan, aid groups wrestle with the new reality of Taliban control," The New Humanitarian, 16 Aug. 2021 [text]

There is No Good Reason to Block Afghan Refugees (CATO at Liberty Blog, 16bAug. 2021) [text]

*Afghanistan: when migration is the only lifeline available all efforts must be ensured to provide safe passage (Mixed Migration Centre, 17 Aug. 2021) [text]

*Countries prepare for influx of Afghan refugees as crisis deepens (ImmigrationProf Blog, 17 Aug. 2021) [text]

*"India Must Champion the Cause of Afghan Refugees More Inclusively," The Diplomat, 17 Aug. 2021 [text]

Opportunity:

Call for proposals: Establishing research chairs on forced displacement in South and Southeast Asia, and Central and South America [info]
- The submission deadline is 30 September 2021.

Blog posts & press: 

"A Belarusian Olympic Athlete Found Protection in Japan. Most Refugees Do Not," Time Magazine, 5 Aug. 2021 [text]

COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps (UNHCR, Aug. 2021) [text]

Exploring the foundations of Philippine refugee policy towards Vietnamese refugees (Refugee History Blog July 2021) [text]

“Under Xi Jinping, the number of Chinese asylum-seekers has shot up,” The Economist, 28 July 2021 [text]

UNHCR Asia-Pacific Regional Consultations with NGOs 2021, 21-30 June 2021 [info]
- Follow link for the agenda, concept note and outcomes of an earlier survey.

Reports & journal articles:

Diaspora organizations and their humanitarian response in Pakistan (Danish Refugee Council, Aug. 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Improving Outcomes for Displaced Rohingya People and Hosts in Cox’s Bazar (Joint Data Center, July 2021) [text]

"Investigating the resilience of refugee camps to COVID-19: A case of Rohingya settlements in Bangladesh," Journal of Migration and Health, vol. 4 (2021) [open access]

Multimedia:

Fleeing and Staying: A Nuanced View of the Bangladesh Refugee Crises of 1971, 4 June 2021 [access]

Living with Rohingya Refugees: Everyday experiences of host community, 7 Aug. 2021 [access]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

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