Urban Displacement

According to UNHCR, "almost half of the world’s 10.5 million refugees now reside in cities and towns, compared to one third who live in camps." In response to this trend, the organization has developed a new policy relating to urban refugees that replaces its 1997 policy approach.

The High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges, scheduled for 9-10 December 2009, will focus on "people of concern to UNHCR in urban settings." Visit the meeting's web page for links to evaluation reports and New Issues in Refugee Research papers that focus on the situation of refugees and IDPs in urban contexts.

Forced Migration Review will also spotlight this issue in a forthcoming issue. Read the CFP for more information. Contributions must be submitted by 28 September 2009.

For previously published articles and reports on urban displacement, browse through postings on this blog that have been labeled "urban areas."

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Publications.

Even More Publications: DRC, IDPs/Georgia, National Law/UK, R2P, Sports/Kakuma Refugee Camp

The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (Refugee Council, Sept. 2009) [text]

DR Congo: Protect Civilians & End Military Operations (Refugees International, Sept. 2009) [text]

Out of the margins - Securing a voice for internally displaced people: lessons from Georgia (Conciliation Resources, 2009) [text]

"Reconstructing the Responsibility to Protect in the Wake of Cyclones and Separatism," Tulane Law Review, vol. 84 (2009) [text via SSRN]
- See also commentary on IntLawGrrls.

"Young Peacemakers in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Mathare Slums in Kenya," 6th Play the Game World Communications Conference on Sport and Society Coventry, United Kingdom, June 8-12, 2009 [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Aid Worker Safety/DRC, Asylum Glossary, Burundians/Tanzania, RSD/Canada, WDR

Asylum and Migration Glossary: A tool for better comparability (European Migration Network, July 2009) [text via Refworld]

Fast, Fair and Final: Reforming Canada’s Refugee System (Maytree, Sept. 2009) [access]

“I don’t know where to go”: Burundian Refugees in Tanzania under Pressure to Leave (Centre for the Study of Forced Migration & International Refugee Rights Initiative, Sept. 2009) [text]

Security Incidents against humanitarian workers: OCHA North Kivu (DR Congo) (OCHA, Aug. 2009) [text]

World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change (World Bank, Sept. 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Disasters, J. Conflict Res., J. Emp. Res. Human Res. Ethics, Women's Asylum News

Disasters, vol. 33, no. 4 (Oct. 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Cross-sectional survey methods to assess retrospectively mortality in humanitarian emergencies" and "Using the 'protective environment' framework to analyse children's protection needs in Darfur."

Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 53, no. 5 (Oct. 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, vol. 4, no. 3 (Sept. 2009) [contents]
- Special focus on refugee research: "Assessing the Needs of Refugee Populations."

Women's Asylum News, no. 86 (Sept. 2009) [full-text]
- Lead article is "Key US cases relating to women asylum seekers."

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Climate Migration, Displacement/Africa, OAU Convention, Peace & Conflict, Statelessness/Dominican Rep.

Climate-related Migration Estimates Flawed, Researchers Say (IRIN, Sept. 2009) [text via Towards Recognition]
- Note: This article references the forthcoming report "Crisis or adaptation? Migration and climate change in a context of high mobility"; an earlier version of it is available via UNFPA.

Helpdesk Research Report: Climate Change and Migration (GSDRC, Sept. 2009) [text]
- This report was referenced in the IRIN story noted above.

Migration and Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Security-Migration Nexus II (Bonn International Center for Conversion, 2009) [text via Human Security Gateway]

Peace and Conflict 2010 (Center for International Development and Conflict Management, Sept. 2009) [exec. summary]

Q&A: OAU Convention remains a key plank of refugee protection in Africa after 40 years (UNHCR, Sept. 2009) [text]

"State of Uncertainty: Citizenship, Statelessness, and Discrimination in the Dominican Republic," Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, vo. 32, no. 2 (Spring 2009) [text]
- Article begins on p. 377.

Tagged Publications.

More New Issues: Equal Rts. Rev., ICRC Rev., RTDH, Sec. & HR

Equal Rights Review, vol. 3 (2009) [full-text]
- Focus is on stateless people.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 91, no. 873 (March 2009) [contents]
- Focus is the "Typology of armed conflicts."

Revue trimestrielle des droits de l'homme, no. 79 (juillet 2009) [sommaire]
- Mix of articles, with several focusing on the European Court of Human Rights, including "L’accès au territoire et la détention de l’étranger demandeur d’asile (Cour eur. dr. h., Gde Ch., Saadi c. Royaume-Uni, 29 janvier 2008)."

Security and Human Rights, vol. 20, no. 3 (Sept. 2009) [contents]
- Continues "Helsinki Monitor"; mix of articles, including "A human rights based approach to trafficking in human beings."

Tagged Periodicals.

New Issues of AJEM, APMJ, IJMHSC, Intl. Mig., JIRS, JRS

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal Collection on CD-ROM [info]
- Includes articles from 1992 to 2006. A list of titles is available here.

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 24, no. 3 (August 2009) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 5, no. 1 (June 2009) [selected full-text]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration, vol. 47, no. 4 (Oct. 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 7, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Immigrant and Refugee Experiences in North American Cities."

Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 22, no. 3 (Sept. 2009) [contents]
- Special Issue on "Representation and Displacement."

Tagged Periodicals.

Training Items: IDPs, Human Trafficking, Refugee Protection, U.S. Asylum

Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners (UNODC, 2009) [access]
- "Purpose is to...support criminal justice practitioners in the prevention of human trafficking, the protection of its victims, the prosecution of its culprits and in the international cooperation needed to achieve these goals." Includes 15 modules, the first of which is entitled "Definition of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants."

Asylum Division Training Programs (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, updated 2009) [access]
- Provides access to the training modules used in the "Asylum Officer Basic Training Course." One module is entitled "Country Conditions Research and the Country of Origin Information Research Section (COIRS)."

Standards and Training (UNHCR) [access]
- Section in Refworld which provides access to a series of self-study modules relating to refugee protection. One on statelessness is forthcoming.

Training Material (IDMC) [access]
- These modules review "key aspects of the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs)" and can be used for self-study or to facilitate training workshops.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: APRRN, Forced Evictions/Chad, Health Info. System/Lebanon, Human Trafficking/New Zealand, Resettlement/EU

Broken homes, broken lives: end forced evictions in Chad (Amnesty International, Sept. 2009) [text]

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Establishment of a Joint EU Resettlement Programme, COM(2009) 447 final (European Commission, Sept. 2009) [text via Refworld]

"Design and implementation of a hospital information system for the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon," Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, vol. 15, no. 3 (2009) [text]

Dislocation and Resettlement in Development: From Third World to the World of the Third (Routledge, Sept. 2009) [full-text]

"New refugee rights initiative goes beyond prevention," Asian Human Rights Defender, vol. 5, no. 1 (May 2009) [text]
- Introduces the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN); scroll to p. 42.

Plan of Action to Prevent People Trafficking (New Zealand Dept. of Labour, July 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Citizenship St., CS&D, Dev. in Practice, EJML, JEMS

Citizenship Studies, vol. 13, no. 4 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Asylum, welfare and civil society: a case study in civil repair."

Conflict, Security & Development, vol. 9, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Humanitarian crises and peace operations: a personal view of UN reforms during Kofi Annan's first term."

Development in Practice, vol. 19, no. 7 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 11, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Focus is on the European Court of Human Rights and immigration; includes "The Soering (th)reshold: Why Only Fundamental Values Prohibit Refoulement in ECHR Case Law" (see related article in the Amsterdam Law Forum).

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 10 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Migration and Development: The Moroccan Experience."

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Asylum/EU, Climate Refugees, Statelessness, Ten Stories, UNHCR & UN Missions

ECRE’s recommendations for the Stockholm Programme (ECRE, Sept. 2009) [text]

Finding a (Legal) Home for Climate Migrants (Towards Recognition, August 2009) [text]

Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About (UN, 2009) [access]

Statelessness: International Blind Spot Linked to Global Concerns (Refugees International, August 2009) [text]

UNHCR's Engagement with Integrated UN Missions: Report of a Lessons Learned Workshop (UNHCR, August 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of FMR, Health & HR, JEMS, NTS-Asia

Forced Migration Review, no. 33 (Sept. 2009) [full-text]
- Focus of this issue is "Protracted Displacement." Includes a spotlight on Sri Lanka and a mini feature on collective centres. (See also CFP for next FMR issue on urban displacement.)

Health and Human Rights: An International Journal, vol. 11, no. 1 (2009) [open access]
- Theme is "Participation."

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 9 (2009) [contents]
- Theme is "Measuring Population Dynamics, Segregation, Diversity and Integration."

NTS-Asia Newsletter, no. 18 (July-August 2009) [full-text]
- From the Consortium of Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia.

Tagged Periodicals.

UNHCR's 2009 Executive Committee Meeting

The 60th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme will be held in Geneva from 28 September to 2 October 2009. A provisional agenda is online here. Some reports and documents to be reviewed at EXCOM are already available, including the Note on International Protection. The main themes highlighted in this year's Note are: "protecting persons of concern in emergencies; improving access to international protection; ensuring refugee protection within mixed migration movements; strengthening implementation of the 1951 Convention; preventing and responding to statelessness; and securing durable solutions for persons of concern."

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Publications.

UN Documents

Refworld collects UN documents relating to human rights and humanitarian issues. Many of these can be accessed via their UN Human Rights System page, which groups documents and publications as follows:

• Legal Documents Related to Human Rights
• Declarations and Resolutions Related to Human Rights
• UNHCR Policy Documents Related to Human Rights
• UNHCR ExCom and Standing Committee
• Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
• United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies
• Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council
• Documents Related to Human Rights
• Country-Specific Information
• Tools

Examples of UN documents recently added to Refworld include:

Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, A/HRC/12/49 (July 2009) [text]

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: note by the Secretary-General, A/64/187 (July 2009) [text]

Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons: note by the Secretary-General, A/64/214 (August 2009) [text]

Protection of migrants: report of the Secretary-General, A/64/188 (July 2009) [text]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Including Its Causes and Consequences, Gulnara Shahinian, A/HRC/12/21 (July 2009) [text]

Summary of background paper entitled "Displacement, statelessness and questions of gender equality and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," CEDAW/C/2009/II/WP.3 (July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Bulletin of the WHO, Conflct Trends, German Yrbk. of Intl. Law, Human Rights Law Rev., IMR

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 87, no. 8 (August 2009) [full-text]
- Theme is "public health communication." Includes "Reaching a hard-to-reach population such as asylum seekers and resettled refugees in Canada."

Conflict Trends, no. 2 (2009) [full-text]
- Focus is on South Africa's experience with free and fair elections.

German Yearbook of International Law, vol. 51 (2008) [contents]
- Includes focus section on "Poverty as a Challenge to International Law: The Millennium Development Goals and the Guise of Humanitarianism."

Human Rights Law Review, vol. 9, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration Review, vol. 43, no. 3 (Fall 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Boat Arrivals/Australia, Climate Change, Pakistan, Protracted Situations, Refugee Employmt./UK, Returnees/Afgh., Urban IDPs/Uganda

Afghanistan: What Now for Refugees? (International Crisis Group, August 2009) [text]

Boat arrivals in Australia since 1976 (Parliamentary Library, August 2009) [text]

A Clash of Principles? Humanitarian Action and the Search for Stability in Pakistan (HPG, Sept. 2009) [text]

Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide (International Council on Human Rights Policy, August 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

Court decisions on entitlement to work for asylum seekers (Refugee Council, August 2009) [text]

Refugee trends: Lost in limbo (The Economist, August 2009) [text]

Violence, Exile, and Transitional Justice: Perspectives of Urban IDPs in Kampala (Refugee Law Project, August 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Legal Items: Commentary, Event, Legal Decisions

7th Circuit Opinion by Judge Posner on Particular Social Group (ImmigrationProf Blog, August 2009) [text]

"Asylum and Voluntary Repatriation applied to the Sub-Saharan African Legal Context: Are They Two Viable Solutions for Refugees?," Revue de droit international de sciences diplomatiques et politiques, vol. 86, no. 3 (2008)
- Journal article just published; earlier version of text available online.

"Effective Interaction?: The Role of the European Court of Justice and National Courts and Tribunals in EU Asylum Law, with particular reference to the Qualification Directive," European Asylum Law Judges Association Workshop, Berlin, 19‐20 October 2009 [info]

Environmental Refugees from the Maldives: Are They Protected? (SSRN, July 2009) [text]

The Ninth Circuit's Latest on FGM (ImmigrationProf Blog, August 2009) [text]

"Trying to Understand the Tanzania National Refugee Policy of 2003," International Refugee Law News, vol. 2, no. 2 (Summer 2009), pp. 2-5 [access]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Asylum Procedures

The Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) has published Asylum Procedures: Report on Policies and Practices in IGC Participating States (2009). The description notes:

The 2009 Asylum Procedures report contains 17 standardised country reports that aim to facilitate a quick comparison of policies and practices while also providing a comprehensive picture of asylum determination, from entry to appeal. Complementary information on pre-entry measures, decision-making, reception, return and integration is also presented. The report is supplemented by statistical data on applications, top countries of origin and decisions, and by extracts of national, regional and international laws relevant to asylum procedures.

IGC states include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Asylum Law/Asia, Human Security, Persecution of Witches, Remittances, UNHCR

Asylum Law – Surrogate Protection: Asian Perspectives, Challenges and Contributions (IARLJ, July 2009) [text]

Global and Swedish Migrant Remittances. An Overview (Nordic Africa Institute, August 2009) [text]

"Human Security and the Rights of Refugees: Transcending Territorial and Disciplinary Borders," Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 30, no. 3 (Spring 2009) [text]

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, UN Doc. No. A/HRC/11/2 (Human Rights Council, May 2009) [text]
- Includes survey of the persecution of witches; see related press release.

"The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)," Reports on International Organizations (ASIL, August 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Cash Transfers, Climate Change, Donors, Gaza Needs Assessment, IDPs/Philippines, Refugee Law/Korea, Returnees/Greece

Be a Better Donor: Practical Recommendations for Humanitarian Aid (PAHO, July 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

Cash Transfers in Emergencies: A Synthesis of World Vision's Experience and Learning (HPG, August 2009) [text]

Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Human Displacement: A UNHCR Perspective (UNHCR, August 2009) [text]
- Update of the October 2008 paper.

Philippines: Shattered lives, beyond the 2008 – 2009 Mindanao armed conflict (Amnesty International, August 2009) [text]

The Situation of Persons Returned by Austria to Greece Under the Dublin Regulation. Report on a Joint Fact-Finding Mission to Greece (May 23rd - 28th 2009) (Austrian Red Cross, August 2009) [text via Refworld]

UNHCR's Comments on the 2009 Draft Bill on Refugee Status Determination and Treatment of Refugees and Others (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]
- Comments on draft legislation in the Republic of Korea.

Updated Quick Response Plan for Gaza: An Assessment of Needs Six Months after the War (UNRWA, August 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of al-Majdal, Disasters, FEX, J. of Peace Research

al-Majdal, no. 39/40 (August 2008/Winter 2009) [full-text]
- Theme is "Palestine's Ongoing Nakba."

Disasters, vol. 33, no. 4 (Oct. 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including one that focuses on child soldiers and one on the protection needs of children in Darfur.

Field Exchange, no. 36 (July 2009) [full-text]
- Includes "Fresh Food Vouchers for Refugees in Kenya."

International Migration, early view (August 2009) [contents]
- Several relevant articles are available, such as "Asylum Legislation and Asylum Applications: A Geographical Analysis of Belgian Asylum Policy by Country of Origin (1992-2003)," "DEPORTED: The Right to Asylum at EU's External Border of Italy and Libya," "Protecting Women Asylum Seekers and Refugees: From International Norms to National Protection?," and "Why seek asylum? The roles of integration and financial support."

Journal of Peace Research, vol. 46, no. 5 (Sept. 2009) [contents]
- Includes "Negotiating the Right of Return."

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Economic Dev. & Conflict, Gaza, Humanitarian Assistance, Palestinian Refugees, UN Resolutions, UNHCR/NGO Consultations

Analysis: Humanitarian action under siege (IRIN, August 2009) [text]

Compilation of United Nations Resolutions on Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA, 2009) [text]
- See also companion Reference Guide.

Israel-Palestine: solving the refugee question (openDemocracy, August 2009) [text]

Locked in: The Humanitarian Impact of Two Years of Blockade on the Gaza Strip (OCHA, August 2009) [text]

Report on UNHCR's Annual Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations (29 June - 1 July 2009, Geneva, Switzerland) (UNHCR, August 2009) [text]

Sustainable Economic Development in Conflict-Affected Environments: A Guidebook (GTZ, June 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

World Humanitarian Day

August 19th was designated as World Humanitarian Day by the UN General Assembly to "honor all humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause." It is being commemorated for the first time this year. More information about the day, the symbolism of August 19th and the people honored is available on the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation site. Ideas and materials for promoting the day and its significance are provided by OCHA.

Resources for, by and about humanitarian assistance and personnel:

• Aid Worker Daily [access]
• Aid Workers Network [access]
• AlertNet [access]
• Change.org - Humanitarian relief [access]
• Humanitarian Practice Network [access]
• International Aid Workers Today [access]
• Journal of Humanitarian Assistance [access]
• ReliefWeb [access]

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools.

CEDAW/UNHCR Joint Seminar

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and UNHCR recently held a joint seminar to promote the advancement of gender equality and non-discrimination among asylum-seeking, refugee, internally displaced and stateless women and girls. UNHCR prepared a background paper for the event, entitled "Displacement, Statelessness and Questions of Gender Equality under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women." A summary of the paper is also available.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Upcoming September Events

14th International Metropolis Conference: Migration and Mobility - National Responses to Cultural Diversity, Copenhagen, 14-18 September 2009 [access]
- "This conference will examine the role of policy in determining the outcomes of immigration and the presence of immigrants in, as well as their contribution to different societies."

Cuenca Colloquium on International Refugee Law, 30 September-3 October 2009 [access]
- "Focus is on the development of the Common European Asylum System Phase II."

How Country of Origin Information can help win asylum cases: Practical Country Specific Courses, various dates [access]
- "Free half-day training courses on Country of Origin Information...will be held in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds. The country courses on offer include: Iran; Iraq; Somalia; General course on Internal Flight Alternative."

Protecting People in Conflict & Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World, Harris Manchester College and Queen Elizabeth House, 22-24 September 2009 [access]
- Aim is to "review the state of policy and practice in the broad field of humanitarian protection."

Refugee Futures Conference 2009, Monash University Prato Centre, Italy, 10-12 September 2009 [access]
- Topics to be covered include "the future challenges faced in the strategic management of refugee movements and settlement; protracted refugee situations and the difficulty of finding solutions; the scope for refugee resettlement; refugees, crime and security; climate change and displacement of people; refugee children: how can the international community improve outcomes; the future of the global refugee regime."

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Accelerated Procedures, EU Asylum Stats., High School Curriculum Unit, Sri Lanka Camps, UK Asylum Policy

Asylum applicants and decisions on asylum applications in Q1 2009 (Eurostat, July 2009) [text]

Curriculum unit on refugee and migration issues (JRS/USA, August 2009) [text]

Guidelines on human rights protection in the context of accelerated asylum procedures (Council of Europe, July 2009) [text via Refworld]

ICAR 'Focus On' July 2009: European Elections and UK Asylum Policy [text]

Unlock the Camps in Sri Lanka: Safety and dignity for the displaced now (Amnesty International, August 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions - the "bedrock of international humanitarian law" - turned 60 August 12th.

For more information on the role these international instruments have played in protecting victims of armed conflict, visit:

- The Geneva Conventions are 60 years old: time to know them better - take our test! (TRIAL)

- The Geneva Conventions at Sixty (Crimes of War Project)

- Live Seminar: Geneva Conventions at 60 (International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative)

- Sixty years of the Geneva Conventions: learning from the past to better face the future (ICRC)

General resources:

- Brief Primer on IHL (International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative)

- The Geneva Conventions: the core of international humanitarian law (ICRC)

- Reference Guide to the Geneva Conventions (Society of Professional Journalists)

- Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project (Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights)

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

New Issues of INSCAN, J. Conflict & Sec. Law, JEMS, Sec. Dialogue, Women's Asylum News

INSCAN: International Settlement Canada, vol. 23, no. 1 (Summer 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Conflict and Security Law, vol. 14, no. 1 (Spring 2009) [contents]
- Includes articles from a symposium on Darfur.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 8 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "The Early-Morning Phonecall: Remittances from a Refugee Diaspora Perspective" and "'The Golden Country': Ex-Yugoslav and African Refugee Experiences of Settlement and 'Depression'."

Security Dialogue, vol. 40, no. 3 (June 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Women's Asylum News, no. 85 (July/August 2009) [full-text via Refworld]
- Lead article on the Testimony Project, which gives a "voice to refugee and asylum seeking women."

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Accountability, EXCOM Conclusions, Human Trafficking, Sexual Orientation Refugee Claims, Sri Lankan Tsunami Refugees

Model Law against Trafficking in Persons (UNODC, June 2009) [text]

"Sri Lankan tsunami refugees: A cross sectional study of the relationships between housing conditions and self-reported health," BMC International Health and Human Rights, 9:16 (2009) [open access text]

Taking the Initiative - Exploring Quality and Accountability in the Humanitarian Sector: An Introduction to Eight Initiatives (Sphere Project, July 2009) [text]

Thematic Compilation of Executive Committee Conclusions, 4th ed. (UNHCR, Aug. 2009) [text]

"The UNHCR's Guidance Note on Refugee Claims Relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity," ASIL Insight, vol. 13, no. 10 (July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Immigrant Detention Update

(updated)

Developments since my earlier post on U.S. immigrant detention facilities:

- A recap on the current situation from IntLawGrrls: "Humanizing Immigration Detention"

- A note from Human Rights First on an "Important Detention Reform Bill Introduced Last Week in Senate"

- A NYT article announcing "U.S. to Reform Policy on Detention for Immigrants"

- A statement on ImmigrationProf Blog re. "Improvements in Immigrant Detention?"

- And another: "ICE Announcement on Detention: Smoke and Mirrors?"

More generally, check out the International Detention Coalition's "Compendium of international law, standards and guidelines related to the detention of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants."

Tagged Publications.

New Films

Forced to Flee: New series of short films on displacement (IRIN) [access]

Short film about the lives and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers (Hatnews and Leicester Libraries) [access]

UNHCR/NGO Consultations, Film Agenda [access]
- Search for these films on the UNHCR web site.

Video Advocacy (Refugee Law Project) [access]
- Currently, two films available on urban IDPs in Uganda.

Future:

"Talk Together 2009 examines the situation facing an estimated 170,000 people living in refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, separated from their families in the city of Layounne. Layounne sits in an area known by the UN as Western Sahara, and claimed by the Moroccans as Moroccan Sahara." Two films documenting the project will be released. For updates on the project as it unfolds, follow the blog.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

New Issues of E. African J. Peace & HR, HR Brief, HRQ, JIMI, R2P, Refugee Rts. News

East African Journal of Peace & Human Rights, vol. 14, no. 2 (2008) [contents]
- Includes an article on the Uganda Refugees Act and one on gender and forced migration.

Global Responsibility to Protect, vol. 1, no. 2 (March 2009) [contents]
- Articles focus on humanitarian crises.

Human Rights Brief, vol. 16, no. 4 (Spring 2009 special ed.) [full-text]
- Reproduces presentations from the International Conference on the Prevention of Torture and Other Ill-Treatment.

Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 3 (August 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of International Migration and Integration, vol. 10, no. 3 (August 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Refugee Rights News, vol. 5, no. 4 (June 2009) [full-text]
- Lead article entitled "Repatriation or Else: Closing the Mtabila Refugee Camp in Tanzania."

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Detention/UK, ECHO Report, Forced Resettlement, Peacekeeping, Zimbabweans

"Development-Forced Displacement and Resettlement: A Global Human Rights Crisis," Chapter one in Development and Dispossession: The Crisis of Forced Displacement and Resettlement (School for Advanced Research Press, June 2009) [text]
- See table of contents.

Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid - (ECHO): Annual Report 2008 (Commission of the European Communities, July 2009) [text]

Greater Expectations: UN Peacekeeping & Civilian Protection (Refugees International, July 2009) [text]

National and international responses to the Zimbabwean exodus: implications for the refugee protection regime, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 175 (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Out of sight, out of mind: experiences of immigration detention in the UK (Bail for Immigration Detainees, July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Media Resources for Past Events

Even if you missed these events, you can still catch all or some of them via pod- or webcast.

2nd Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, University of Ottawa, June 1-2, 2009 [access]
- Two keynote addresses available.

6th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, Georgetown University Law Center, 24 June 2009 [access]

12th International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) Conference, Nicosia, Cyprus, 28 June – 2 July 2009 [access]
- The first podcast is now available. More will be posted over the coming weeks.

Climate Change and Global Justice: Crafting Fair Solutions for Nations and Peoples, Harvard Law School, 5 March 2009 [access]

Tagged Events & Opportunities and Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Climate Refugee Conv., Complementary Prot./Europe, FGM/Somali Refugees, Humanitarian Crisis/Pakistan, Statelessness

Complementary protection in Europe (ECRE, July 2009) [text]

"Confronting a Rising Tide: A Proposal for a Convention on Climate Change Refugees," Harvard Environmental Law Review, vol. 33, no. 2 (2009) [text]

The Humanitarian Crisis in Pakistan (U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, July 2009) [text]

"Prevalence and associated factors of female genital mutilation among Somali refugees in eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study," BMC Public Health 9:264 (27 July 2009) [open access journal article]

Statelessness and the Benefits of Citizenship: A Comparative Study (Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Climate Change, HIV Asylum Seekers/UK, Human Trafficking/US, Shelter Projects, Urban Disaster Response

Detention, Removal and People Living with HIV: Advice for healthcare and voluntary sector professionals (National AIDS Trust, June 2009) [text]

The Future is Here: Climate Change in the Pacific (Oxfam Australia & Oxfam New Zealand, July 2009) [text]

Responding to Urban Disasters: Learning from Previous Relief and Recovery Operations (ALNAP & Provention Consortium, July 2009) [text]

Shelter Projects 2008 (IFRC, UNHCR & UNHABITAT, 2009) [text via PreventionWeb]

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress (CRS, July 2009) [text via Open CRS]

Tagged Publications.

Focus: U.S. Immigrant Detention Centers

A Broken System: Confidential Reports Reveal Failures in U.S. Immigrant Detention Centers (NILC, July 2009) [text]

IACHR Visits U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities (IACHR, July 2009) [text]

"U.S. Rejects Call for Immigration Detention Rules," NYT, 28 July 2009 [text]

For more information, visit the Detention Watch Network.

See also detention-related reports previously posted on this blog.

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Amsterdam Law Forum, Dev. in Practice, ICRC Rev., Third World Q.

Amsterdam Law Forum, vol. 1, no. 1 (2008) [full-text]
- First issue of new open access journal; focus is on "Inclusion and Exclusion in Western Immigration."

Development in Practice, vol. 19, nos. 4&5 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Citizens' media and communication."

Development in Practice, vol. 19, no. 6 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Review of the Red Cross, no. 872 (2008) [full-text]
- Full-text of this issue now available via the ICRC web site; theme is "Direct participation in hostilities."

Third World Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 6 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including several on the global food crisis.

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Access to Justice/Zambia, Asylum/EU, Donor Coordination, FGM, Refugee Rights/UK, Urban Iraqi Refugees

ECRE Interview: Thomas Hammarberg - Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (ECRE, July 2009) [text]

"An Impossible Choice: Denial of Parents’ Derivative Asylum Claims Based on their Citizen Daughter’s Risk of Female Genital Mutilation," Global Studies Law Review, vol. 8 (2009) [text]

Justice Administration in Meheba Refugee Settlement: Refugee Perceptions, Preferences, and Strategic Decisions (IntLawGrrls, July 2009) [text]

Refugee Rights and Responsibilities in the UK: Final Report (ICAR, June 2009) [access]

Study on the Mapping of Donor Coordination (Humanitarian Aid) at the Field Level (ECHO, July 2009) [text]

Surviving in the city: A review of UNHCR’s operation for Iraqi refugees in urban areas of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Afghanistan, AU Land Declaration, Eligibility/Sri Lankans, Islamic Law & Human Trafficking, RSD/Southern Africa

Afghanistan: Open Eyes to Humanitarian Needs (Refugees International, July 2009) [text]

Combating Trafficking in Persons in Accordance with the Principles of Islamic Law (UNODC et al., June 2009) [access]

Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa (African Union, July 2009) [text via UNHABITAT)

Note on the Applicability of the 2009 Sri Lanka Guidelines (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Refugee status determination in Southern Africa (Media Monitors Network, July 2009) [text via Hatnews]

Tagged Publications.

UNHCR Library

Tomorrow, the Refugee Studies Centre library is officially closing its doors and moving its collection to Oxford University’s Social Science Library. [See this post for an overview.]

The RSC library is actually the second major refugee/forced migration collection to become subsumed by a larger library in recent months. The first was the UNHCR library, which quietly closed its doors in March 2008 and transferred some 20,000 documents and publications to the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) for incorporation into the library collection there.

While the materials are still available through UNOG, they no longer constitute a coherent, organized, readily accessible in-house collection, a great loss for an organization like UNHCR, whose staff members routinely engage in information- and research-related activities. Twenty-two years ago, Hans Thoolen, the Chief of the newly established Centre for Documentation on Refugees (CDR), noted the following:

“UNHCR’s global mandate, comprehensive concept of refugee concern and operational character are among the factors which contribute to make it an information intensive agency. The endurance of previous refugee problems, the sometimes fast changing factual situation, and the sheer size of today’s refugee population further stress the need for a well-organized information and documentation structure, which takes into account the complexity of the subject matter.
Add to these ingredients such divergent factors as UNHCR’s large number of field offices, …its cooperation with many different non-governmental organizations and its reliance on voluntary contributions from governments and the public, and one can understand why it was with a sense of relief that many persons inside and outside UNHCR received the news that finally, in April 1986, a documentation centre was established as an integral part of the organization” (1986, 3).

Today, of course, the organization has grown, the population it serves has increased, and the problems it is confronted with are that much more complex. Yet while vestiges of the original CDR remain, the core research collection is gone.

Here is a brief review of some of the milestones achieved by UNHCR’s former documentation centre.

CDR underwent a name-change in the mid-1990s to the Centre for Documentation and Research, and then was designated as the UNHCR library in 2001. Over the years, it provided in-house information services to UNHCR staff, reference and research assistance to visiting researchers, and document delivery services to those who could not visit the centre in person. Moreover, the library was instrumental in the development and promotion of tools for both organizing and accessing refugee documentation. Examples of these key tools include:

1) HURIDOCS Standard Formats for the Recording and Exchange of Bibliographic Information concering Human Rights ("Bibliographic Standard Formats") [access to English, French and Arab texts]
- Cataloguing and indexing guidelines for organizing materials.

2) International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology (ITRT) [access]
- A multilingual set of controlled vocabulary terms used for indexing purposes.

3) Refugee Abstracts
- First published in 1982, this title served as a quarterly index to refugee literature, with new books and articles organized under themes central to UNHCR's work. Each issue also included articles, book reviews, announcements, and other current information. Refugee Abstracts became the Refugee Survey Quarterly in 1994. Tables of contents can be viewed in the RSQ archive.

In addition, CDR was a forerunner in the use of information technology to provide access to both bibliographic and full-text legal information, initially over a network, then via CD-ROM. The original databases included REFLEG (national legislation), REFCAS (case law), REFINT (international instruments), and REFLIT, the library’s bibliographic database. CDR was also active in building country of origin information (COI) databases to support the refugee status determination process. These and other resources were referred to collectively as Refworld, and they can still be accessed today on the web.

UNHCR continues to embrace information technology in the form of Web 2.0 applications and social media and it remains committed to providing access to full-text legal and country information through Refworld. However, with the demise of CDR, it lacks a focal point for its former information management endeavors. The thesaurus is a case in point. To continue to be valid and useful, it needs to be updated on a regular basis. CDR was well-positioned for taking the lead on and coordinating initiatives such as this, drawing from both its own in-house expertise, as well as its network of documentalists around the world.

Many thanks to the dedicated staff of CDR who, over its 20+ years of existence, contributed so much to the organization, management and dissemination of information in the refugee field.

Reference:
Thoolen, H., "Take Off in Refugee Documentation," Refugee Abstracts, vol. 5, no. 4 (1986): 3-6.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Cash Grants, Disarmament/Uganda, Eligibility/Afghans, IDPs/Colombia, Migration/Poverty

Changing Roles, Shifting Risks: Livelihood Impacts of Disarmament in Karamoja, Uganda (Feinstein International Center, July 2009) [text]

Migration and Poverty: Linkages, Knowledge Gaps and Policy Implications (UNRISD, July 2009) [access]

Money matters: An evaluation of the use of cash grants in UNHCR's voluntary repatriation and reintegration programme in Burundi (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Protecting the Displaced in Colombia: The Role of Municipal Authorities - Summary Report (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, July 2009) [access]

UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Afghanistan (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Domestic Violence Asylum Claims

As reported in the NYT, "the Obama administration has opened the way for foreign women who are victims of severe domestic beatings and sexual abuse to receive asylum in the United States."

For additional commentary, see:

• "Asylum for Battered Women," NYT, 19 July 2009 [text]
• "New Policy Grants Asylum to Battered Women," Seeking Asylum, 16 July 2009 [text]
• "Obama Administration sets guidelines for asylum for survivors of domestic violence," IntLawGrrls, 19 July 2009 [text]
• "Time to End an Asylum Limbo for Abused Women," Washington Post, 18 July 2009 [text]

For a recent law review article that suggests "how asylum claims based on domestic violence should be decided," see:

• "Protecting Foreign Victims of Domestic Violence: An Analysis of Asylum Regulations," New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, vol. 12, no. 1 (2008) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of International Migration, KANERE, Praxis, Refuge

International Migration, Early View (July 2009) [contents]
- Three refugee-related articles: "Refugees: On the Economics of Political Migration"; "Serb Returnees in Croatia - the Question of Return Sustainability"; and "Learning Strategies of Highly Educated Refugees in the Netherlands: Habitus or Calculation?"

Kakuma News Reflector (May-June 2009) [full-text]
- Mix of articles in this blog-format news service from Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.

Praxis: The Fletcher Journal of Human Security, vol. 24 (2009) [contents]
- Focus is on "Human Security at the Margins"; includes "Unsafe Haven: Security Challenges Facing LGBT Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Turkey" and "Reflections on Liberian Refugee Repatriation from Ghana."

Refuge [access]
- While no new issues have been posted for a while, all back issues as of vol. 1, no. 1 (1981) are now available online.

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Annual Reports: Freedom, Humanitarian Aid, Minority Groups

Freedom in the World 2009 (Freedom House, July 2009) [access]
- This annual review "examines the state of freedom in 193 countries and 16 strategic territories, assigning each a status of Free, Partly Free or Not Free."

GHA Report 2009 (Global Humanitarian Assistance, July 2009) [access]
- This report "presents the latest data on financial flows to humanitarian crises, making the links between short-term acute crises and long-term chronic poverty."

State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009: Events of 2008 (Minority Rights Group International, July 2009) [access]
- Focus is on education. The report "details how minority and indigenous children have been systematically excluded, discriminated against, or are too poor to afford an education."

Tagged Publications.

Iraq Resources Round-up

Country of Origin Information Report: Iraq (UK Border Agency, July 2009) [text via Refworld]

IOM Emergency Needs Assessments: Post February 2006 Displacement in Iraq (IOM, June 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

IOM Monitoring and Needs Assessments: Assessment of Iraqi Return (IOM, May 2009) [text]
- See related press release.

Iraqi Refugees: Women's Rights and Security Critical to Returns (Refugees International, July 2009) [text]

Going Home? Prospects and Pitfalls for Large-Scale Return of Iraqis (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, July 2009) [access]

On the Resettlement Expectations of Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria (ICMC, May 2009) [text]

Protection, mobility and livelihood challenges of displaced Iraqis in urban settings in Jordan (ICMC, May 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Climate Impact, Destitution/UK, Detention Alternatives, Health/Trafficked Persons, Mental Health/Uganda, Zimbabweans/UK

Caring for Trafficked Persons: Guidance for Health Providers (IOM, GIFT & LSHTM, 2009) [text]

Case Management as an Alternative to Immigration Detention: The Australian Experience (International Detention Coalition, June 2009) [text]

Human Impact Report: Climate Change - The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis (Global Humanitarian Forum, May 2009) [access]

"I hate being idle": Wasted Skills and Enforced Dependence among Zimbabwean Asylum Seekers in the UK (Refugee Council, July 2009) [access]

"Returning home: forced conscription, reintegration, and mental health status of former abductees of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda," BMC Psychiatry, 9:23 (May 2009) [open access text]

Still Destitute: A Worsening Problem for Refused Asylum Seekers (Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Asylons, Disasters, Humanitarian Exchange, Monday Developments, Torture J.

Asylon(s), no. 6 (Nov. 2008) [full-text]
- The theme for this issue is "Exodes écologiques: l'environnement source de migrations." Includes articles in both French and English.

Disasters, virtual edition (July 2009) [full-text]
- Theme is "Emerging Perspectives on the Politicisation of Reconstructing Conflict-Affected Countries."

Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, no. 43 (June 2009) [full-text]
- Focus is on the "role of affected states in disaster response."

Monday Developments, vol 27, no. 6 (June 2009) [full-text]
- Cover story focuses on refugees, with articles on livelihoods, urban refugees and education.

Torture Journal, vol. 19, supplement 1 (2009) [full-text]
- Provides background paper and report on independent monitoring of human rights in detention; prepared for regional seminar in the Middle East and North Africa.

Tagged Periodicals.

Publications: Conflict Research & Ethics, Domestic Violence, Exclusion/Germany, IDPs/Colombia, Refugees/US

"Ethics of Conducting Research in Conflict Settings," Conflict and Health 3:7 (2009) [text]

Everything left behind: Internal displacement in Colombia (Amnesty International, July 2009) [access]

Meeting the Needs of Immigrant and Refugee Victims of Intimate Partner Violence, by Providing Comprehensive, Confidential and Holistic Services (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July 2009) [text]

Spotlight on Refugees and Asylees in the United States (Migration Information Source, July 2009) [text]

UNHCR Statement on Article 1F of the 1951 Convention (UNHCR, July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Map Resources

Global Map of Displacement [access]
- New map from Maplecroft, incorporating data from UNHCR and the IDMC. Includes a Displacement Risk Index for 191 countries. (Some data is only available to subscribers.)

Good practices in participatory mapping: A review prepared for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) [text]
- Reviews what is known about "participatory mapping," or "the creation of maps by local communities."

Maps 2.0: Geospatial Tools for Nonprofits and Humanitarian Relief [access]
- The "goal of Maps 2.0 is to enable humanitarian organizations to post, access, share, modify, and use critical, geo-referenced information in emergency relief operations, post-emergency reconstruction, and continuing development projects."

UNHCR Refugee Camps [access]
- Uses Google Earth to tour camps starting in Thailand and ending in Chad. Requires plug-in. See also: "A Nonprofit's Introduction to Google's Online Mapping Tools: How to use Google Maps and Google Earth for outreach and advocacy."

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Periodical News

Free Access to Development in Practice:
- "ELDIS provides unrestricted full-text access to articles published in the journal, and also hosts a Development in Practice Discussion Group enabling readers to comment on and discuss issues arising from our content." Visit the discussion group site for instructions on how to join.

New Journal:
- Journal of Internal Displacement; its objectives are: "to raise the profile of IDPs through academic and non-academic scholarship; to provide a platform for young scholars from internally displaced communities to be heard; to contribute to law and policy reforms related to IDPs; and to create an inclusive environment from young and emerging scholars from developing countries to engage in critical debate on IDPs." Here's more info. and a "call for editors" job description.

Progress Report on Kakuma News Reflector:
- Pambazuka has an update on the status of this grassroots refugee press entitled "Refugee Free Press at a Crossroads: Report on KANERE’s Progress."

Tagged Periodicals.

Standing Committee Documents

Documents from UNHCR's 45th Standing Committee meeting are available. Some of the topics addressed include:

- Environmental issues
- Protection of displaced women and girls
- Staff safety and security
- Statelessness

Tagged Publications.

Publications: ALNAP Review, Humanitarian Action/Somalia, Labour Trafficking, Migration/Asia-Pacific, Refugee Resettlement/EU

ALNAP 8th Review of Humanitarian Action (ALNAP, July 2009) [access]

Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region (Migration Information Source, July 2009) [text]
- Includes sub-section on "refugees."

A Summary of Challenges Addressing Human Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Agricultural Sector in the OSCE Region (OSCE, July 2009) [access]

Twelve Arguments and Seven Proposals for the EU Refugee Resettlement Scheme (Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe, June 2009) [text]

Workshop Report - Humanitarian Action in Somalia: Expanding Humanitarian Space (RSC, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Child Trafficking/EU, Colombia, Human Trafficking/West Africa, Legal Rep./UK, LGBT Asylum Seekers/Turkey

Child Trafficking in the European Union: Challenges, Perspectives and Good Practices (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, July 2009) [text via Refworld]

Colombia: Crisis Bubbling Over (Refugees International, July 2009) [text]

Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Vulnerable People at Europe's Doorstep (MSF, July 2009) [text]

The Right to Asylum between Islamic Shari'ah and International Refugee Law: A Comparative Study (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

Supporting justice: The case for publicly-funded legal representation before the Asylum Support Tribunal (Citizens Advice Bureau, June 2009) [access]

Transnational Trafficking and the Rule of Law in West Africa: A Threat Assessment (UNODC, July 2009) [access]
- Includes analysis of human trafficking flows from West Africa to Europe.

Unsafe Haven: The Security Challenges Facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Turkey (Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Turkey & Organization for Refugees, Asylum & Migration, July 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of INSCAN, J. Intl. Peace Ops., Resettlement News, REMI, Univ. St. Thomas Law J.

INSCAN, vol. 22, no. 4 (Spring 2009) [contents]
- This issue focuses on the provision of library services to new immigrants. Note: The full-text is provided for back issues.

Journal of International Peace Operations, vol. 5, no. 1 (July-August 2009) [full-text]
- Focus is on humanitarian aviation and stability operations; includes "At Long Last: Finally Peace for Sri Lanka?"

Resettlement News, no. 19 (Jan. 2009) [full-text]
- Lead article is "Development-caused Forced Displacement and Resettlement in Urban India: Preliminary Observations on Mumbai and Delhi."

Revue européenne des migrations internationales, vol. 25, no. 1 (2009) [contents]
- Focus is "Nouvelles migrations chinoises en Afrique et en Amérique latine."

University of St. Thomas Law Journal, vol. 6, no. 1 (Fall 2008) [contents]
- Special issue reproducing presentations from a symposium on "Human Trafficking: Global and National Responses to the Cries for Freedom," held September 2008.

Tagged Periodicals.

More Blogs: Blog Tips, Climate Refugees, Migrants at Sea, Migration & Asylum/Euromed, Refugee Reporting/South Africa

Blog Tips: Blogging for Non-Profit [access]
- Started by a humanitarian aid worker to provide tips to novices on how to make best use of blogs and social media generally.

Euromed-MigrAsyl [access]
- Blog of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) working group on migration and asylum.

Forced Migration: Climate Refugees [access]
- Started by an MA student in international journalism whose focus is environmental refugees.

Migrants at Sea [access]
- Monitors news and developments relating to the "general issue of migration by sea from Africa to Europe, including the subjects of maritime immigration enforcement, rescue at sea, and refugee and migrant rights and protections."

Reporting on Refugees and Xenophobia [access]
- A joint UNHCR South Africa and Institute for the Advancement of Journalism blog launched after a May 2009 workshop that "focused on building the capacity for story telling techniques and on enhancing journalists’ knowledge for reporting on refugees."

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

HIV/AIDS and Forced Displacement

The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) held its 24th meeting from 22-24 June 2009. The theme of the meeting was the "HIV-related needs of people on the move." The theme is discussed further in this background paper. The annotated agenda provides more information about the substance of the various statements and panels. The High Commissioner for Refugees gave a keynote address, while the Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons spoke at a breakout session on HIV-related issues that arise in forced displacement and humanitarian situations.

The UNAIDS site has more information about the meeting, while the UNHCR site provides additional resources relating to the HIV/AIDS and displacement.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Devel./Nepal, Labour/Colombia, Livelihoods/OPT, Palestinians/Lebanon, Peace/Uganda, Trafficking Rpt. Rev., Women Refugees/France

Aid and Violence: Development Policies and Conflict in Nepal (Feinstein International Center, June 2009) [text]

Breeding Fragmentation? Issues in the Policy and Practice of Decentralisation in Uganda, Issue Paper No. 1 (Refugee Law Project, June 2009) [text]

Building a Better Relationship: Palestinian Refugees, Lebanon, and the Role of the International Community (IDRC, June 2009) [text via ReliefWeb] [text via PRRN]

Female Asylum-Seekers and Refugees in France (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

Labour Market Effects of Migration-Related Supply Shocks: Evidence from internally displaced populations in Colombia, MICROCON Research Working Paper 14 (MICROCON, June 2009) [text]

Losing Ground: Protection and Livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, HPG Working Paper (ODI, July 2009) [text]

The Protection Project Review of the Trafficking in Persons Report (Protection Project, June 2009) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Climate Change, EU Asylum Law, Long-term Displacement, Malaria Control/Burma, Project Mgmt., Protection/Disasters

Europe's forgotten people: protecting the human rights of long-term displaced persons (Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, June 2009) [text via Refworld]

Indicators and Reference Data: A Practical Tool for Project Managers in Humanitarian Aid (Malteser International, 2009) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Internally displaced human resources for health: villager health worker partnerships to scale up a malaria control programme in active conflict areas of eastern Burma," Global Public Health, vol. 4, no. 3 (2009) [abstract] [text]

"Recent developments in asylum and immigration law before the Court of Justice," ERA Forum, vol. 9, no. 4 (April 2009) [free full-text]

Second report on the protection of persons in the event of disasters, UN doc. no. A/CN.4/615 (International Law Commission, May 2009) [text via UN Pulse]

Suffering the Science: Climate Change, People and Poverty (Oxfam International, July 2009) [text via Humanitarian Relief]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of AWR, Citizenship St., Dis. Prev. & Mgmt., GILJ, Intl. Mig., JPR, Ref. Rts. News, RSQ

(updated)

AWR Bulletin, vol. 47, no. 1 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles in Italian, English and German.

Citizenship Studies, vol. 13, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one entitled "Struggle for citizenship: interaction between political society and civil society at a Kurd refugee protest in Tokyo."

Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 18, no. 3 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, vol. 23, no. 1 (Fall 2008) [contents]
- Includes "Non-Refoulement and Jus Cogens: Limiting Anti-Terror Measures that Threaten Refugee Protection," "Doctrinal Mutilation: The Board of Immigration Appeals' Flawed Analysis of the 'Continuing Persecution' Doctrine in Claims Based on Past Female Genital Mutilation," and "The Role of the Circuit Courts in Refugee Adjudication: A Comparison of the Fourth and Ninth Circuits."

International Migration, vol. 47, no. 3 (August 2009) [contents]
- Special issue on "Migration in the Lusophone World."

Journal of Peace Research, vol. 46, no. 4 (July 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including one that analyzes armed conflict patterns between 1946 and 2008.

Refugee Rights News, vol. 5, no. 2 (May 2009) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Refugee Survey Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1 (2009) [contents]
- Theme is "Displacement, Peace Processes and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding."

Tagged Periodicals.

Blog Round-up: Aid Workers, Climate "Refugees", Fragile States/Photos, Health Care, Protection/Israel, Security

Here's a round-up of reports and resources highlighted recently by various blogs:

Comparison of self-reported health & healthcare utilisation between asylum seekers and refugees: an observational study (Hatnews, July 2009)
- The complete study is available on BMC Public Health.

How to become an aidworker? (The Road to the Horizon, updated June 2009)

Israel: Refugees, asylum-seekers and protection - analysis (IRIN via Hatnews, July 2009)

Photo Essay: Portraits of Instability (Humanitarian Relief, June 2009)

Some Not-Depressing News About Humanitarian Security (Humanitarian Relief, June 2009)

We Aren't Refugees (Towards Recognition, July 2009)
- See the original report for links.

Tagged Publications.

2009 Annual Reports: Human Development, Minority Groups, Peace Processes, Religious Freedom

Texts now available:

2009 Yearbook on Peace Processes (Escola de cultura de pau) [text]

Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom [text]

Peoples under Threat 2009 (Minority Rights Group International) [access]

Forthcoming:

The theme of the next Human Development Report is "human mobility." The research papers undertaken in preparation for the report are now available, along with other background information.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Climate Change, Displacement/Somalia, Natural Disasters/South Asia, Protection/EU, Refugee Policy/Australia

The Challenges of Mixed Migration, Access to Protection and Responsibility-sharing in the EU: A UNHCR Non-paper (UNHCR, June 2009) [text]

Environmental Change and Human Mobility: A Thematic Literature and Organisational Review (CESPI, April 2009) [text]

Leaving Mogadishu: The War on Terror and Displacement Dynamics in the Somali Regions (MICROCON, June 2009) [text]

Protecting and Promoting Rights in Natural Disasters in South Asia: Prevention and Response (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, July 2009) [text]

Putting Protection Back at the Heart of EU Asylum Policy: Memorandum to the Swedish Presidency (ECRE, June 2009) [text]

Refugee and Humanitarian Issues: Australia's Response (Dept. of Immigration and Citizenship, Australia, June 2009) [access]

Tagged Publications.