News: Launch of Political Opinion Guidelines

I mentioned in this recent Law/Policy post that the Seventh Colloquium on Challenges in International Refugee Law had convened 27-29 March 2015 to discuss the meaning of persecution on the basis of a person's political opinion.  The result of these discussions, the official "Michigan Guidelines on Risk for Reasons of Political Opinion," have now been released.

Six previous sets of Michigan Guidelines have been produced since 1999; the texts are available here.

Tagged Publications.

News: Launch of EU Border Deaths Database

The Human Costs of Border Control (HCBC) is a research project based at VU University in Amsterdam. One of its aims is to investigate the relationship between migrant mortality and European border policies. The first stage of this effort involved collecting data from official sources (such as death certificates) from Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Malta and Greece.  (Other projects that track migrant deaths have primarily relied on media reports for their data sources.) These data were then input into the Deaths at the Borders Database for the Southern EU which was made available for public use today.  A more simplified visualization version was also developed.

Visit the project site for more information, and read the preliminary findings and policy conclusions for analysis of the data.  Highlights of the research are reported in this Reuters article.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Mediterranean Refugee Crisis (28 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

Opportunity:

UNHCR Award for Statelessness Research [info] [nomination form]
- The deadline for nominations is 1 July 2015.

Publications:

Birth Registration in Turkey: Protecting the Future for Syrian Children (Refugees International, April 2015) [text]

The Campaign to End Statelessness: Update (UNHCR, May 2015) [text]

Good Practices Paper (Action 9): Acceding to the UN Statelessness Conventions (UNHCR, April 2015) [text]

"Navigating Nationality: The Rights to Birth Registration and Nationality in Refugee Magnet States," Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, vol. 53, no. 1 (2014) [full-text]

[Recent Blog Posts] (ENS Blog, April & May 2015) (organized chronologically):
- Jus Soli: A Miraculous Solution to Prevent Statelessness?
- Do Stateless People Have a Right to Die?
- Statelessness in Ireland: International Obligations and National Reality
- The Right to a Legal Identity or the Right to a Legal ID?
- Statelessness Determination Procedure in Italy: Who Bears the Burden of Proof?

The Return of Banishment: Do the New Denationalisation Policies Weaken Citizenship?, (EUI Working Paper, RSCAS 2015/14 (European Univ. Institute, 2015) [text]

Statelessness: Monthly Bulletin (April 2015) [text]

The Vulnerability of Bajau Laut (Sama Dilaut) Children in Sabah, Malaysia (APRRN, March 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Statelessness (2 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Event:

Panel discussion: Internal Displacement in Ukraine: Assessing the National Response, Washington, DC, 15 May 2015 [info]

Publications:

"Banal Crimes Against Humanity: The Case of Asylum Seekers in Greece," Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 16, no. 1 (2015) [full-text via AUSTLII]

Can the UK Opt-out of Mandatory EU Refugee Quotas? (EU Law Analysis Blog, May 2015) [text]

"Humanitarian Confinement: An Ethnography of Reception Centres for Asylum Seekers at Europe's Southern Border," International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, vol. 1, no. 4 (2015) [full-text via Academia.edu]
- Note: This article focuses on Italy.

"Migration, Resilience, and Security: Responses to New Inflows of Asylum Seekers and Migrants," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Forthcoming) [eprint via Academia.edu]
- Note: This articles focuses on France.

[New Country Reports] (AIDA, April 2015)
- New and/or updated reports available for France and Italy.

Political Bias in Court? Lay Judges and Asylum Appeals, Working Paper, no. 2015/2 (Uppsala University, May 2015) [text]
- Note: This paper focuses on Sweden.

Right to Asylum in the Republic of Serbia 2014 (Belgrade Center for Human Rights, April 2015) [text]

"'Unwanted invaders': The Representation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK and Australian Print Media," eSharp, no. 23 (Spring 2015) [full-text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (6 May 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Events:

CFP: A Quest for Humanitarian Effectiveness?, Manchester, UK, 14-16 September 2015 [info]
- Submit proposals by 15 May 2015.

Panel discussion: 'Accountability': What Do Crisis-affected People Think?, London, 2 June 2015 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

Publications:

"Assisting Uncertainty: How Humanitarian Aid Can Inadvertently Prolong Civil War," International Studies Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 1 (March 2015) [full-text via CISAC]  

Designing the Development Agency of the Future, London, 27-28 April 2015 [info]
- Follow link for framing paper, event highlights, presentations.

The Development Agency of the Future: Fit for Protracted Crises? (ODI, April 2015) [text]

Rapid Humanitarian Assessment in Urban Settings (ACAPS, April 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Reference Guide: Normative Decisions on the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council since the Adoption of General Assembly Resolution 46/182, 3rd ed. (OCHA, April 2015) [text]

Shouting towards the Sky: The Role of Religious Individuals, Communities, Organisations and Institutions in Support for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 275 (UNHCR, April 2015) [text]

Where, oh Where, do Regional Organizations Fit in the International Humanitarian System? (Order from Chaos Blog, April 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (16 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

*Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe (ILGA, 2015) [text via DocuTicker]

Canadian Appellate Level Decisions Dealing with Refugee Claims Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – Listed According to the Definition of a Convention Refugee (SSRN, April 2015) [text]

"Death Zones, Comfort Zones: Queering the Refugee Question," International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, vol. 22, no 1 (2015) [postprint via Birbeck, Univ. of London IR]

Defining a Particular Social Group Based on the Meaning of Non-Discrimination in International Human Rights Law: Utilizing the Definition in Deciding Refugee Claims Based on Sexual Orientation (SSRN, April 2015) [text]

*European Sexual Nationalism: Refugee Law after the Gender & Sexuality Critiques, Paper presented at Nordic Asylum Law Seminar, Uppsala, 8 May 2015 [text]

Forced Migration and Persecution of LGBTI Defenders in Central America, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Human Rights Brief, March 2015) [text]

LGBT Asylum Seekers: A Toxic Mix of Homophobia, Misogyny and Ignorance Corrupts the Asylum System (Free Movement Blog, April 2015) [text]

"The Ordeal for Humanity: LGBTI Asylum Seekers in Europe Facing the Limits of Human Rights," AG About Gender: International Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 4, no. 7 (2015) [open access]

Refugee System Perpetuates Trauma for LGBTQ Asylum Seekers (Trauma & Mental Health Report, May 2015) [text]

Researching the Situation of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons (LGB) in Countries of Origin, Practice Guide Series (EASO, April 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Sexual Orientation (24 Feb. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

"Allow Refugees to Work Says UN, as Turkey Prepares to Host 2.5m," Newsweek, 28 April 2015 [text]

Ad-hoc Query on Asylum Seekers Integration to Labour Market (European Migration Network, March 2015) [text]

Cash Transfer Programming and the Humanitarian System: Background Note for the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Cash Transfers (ODI, March 2015) [text]

Cash Transfer Programming for Urban Displacement: Lessons Learned from Electronic Transfers in Response to the Syria-Crisis, Evaluation Learning Brief, no. 1 (Danish Refugee Council, May 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

From Dependence to Self-Reliance: Changing the Paradigm in Protracted Refugee Situations (Migration Policy Institute, May 2015) [text]

"Getting Refugees to Work: A Street-level Perspective of Refugee Resettlement Policy," Refugee Survey Quarterly, Advance Access, 14 April 2015 [abstract]

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Assessing the Economic and Social Impact of the Syrian Conflict and ISIS (World Bank, April 2015) [text]

Small Towns, Big Returns: Economic and Social Impact of the Karen Resettlement in Nhill (AMES & Deloitte Access Economics, March 2015) [text]

State of Evidence on Humanitarian Cash Transfers: Background Note for the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Cash Transfers (ODI, March 2015) [text]

"Syrian Refugees and the Right to Work: Developing Temporary Protection in Turkey," Boston University International Law Journal, vol. 33, no. 1 (Spring 2015) [full-text]

*UNHCR Comments on the Draft General Comment on the Right to Just and Favourable Conditions of Work (Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) (UNHCR, May 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Issues (23 March 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items

Event:

Seminar: UNHCR’s Protection Guidelines: What Role for External Voices?, Oxford, 20 May 2015 [info]

Publications:

Credibility Assessment in Asylum Procedures: A Multidisciplinary Training Manual, vol. 2 (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, 2015) [text]
- Note: Vol. 1 of this manual is available here.

Credibility Assessment in Asylum Procedures: Expert Roundtable, Budapest, 14-15 January 2015 [text]

Draft Articles on the Expulsion of Aliens, with Commentaries (United Nations, 2014) [text via Refworld]

EASO Practical Guide: Evidence Assessment (EASO, March 2015) [text]

International Refugee Law and the European Union's Refugee Protection Protocol: A Study on the Ius Cogens Norm of Non-Refoulement, Working Paper, no. 49 (Institute for International Political Economy, 2015) [text]

Is Asylum a Principle of the Liberal Democratic State? (OUP Blog, April 2015) [text]

"Non-Refoulement in a World of Cooperative Deterrence," Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, vol. 53, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]

Rethinking Global Protection: New Channels, New Tools (Migration Policy Institute, May 2015) [text]

Scholars and Judges Convene at Michigan Law to Develop Influential Refugee Law Guidelines (Michigan Law School, April 2015) [text]
- This year's Michigan Guidelines will focus on political opinion.  See previous guidelines here.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy (15 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Events & Opportunities: Additional May 2015

Seminar: Not so Exceptional? Understanding the Canada-US Border as a Place of Law, Oxford, 11 May 2015 [info]

CFP: Panel on "'Boat People': Past and Present," European Social Science History Conference, Valencia, 30 March-2 April 2016 [info]
- Submission deadline extended to 13 May 2015.

Lecture: The Rule of International Law: Myth, Reality or Something in between - A Personal Reflection, Melbourne, 13 May 2015 [info]
- Note: The lecture will be given by Erika Feller, former Asst. HC at UNHCR.

CFP: A Quest for Humanitarian Effectiveness?, Manchester, UK, 14-16 September 2015 [info]
- Submit proposals by 15 May 2015.

Consultancy: Videographer on High Profile Supporter Mission to Uganda, UNHCR [info]
- Apply for short-term contract by 15 May 2015.

Conference: Migrants’ Experiences of Forced Return from Sweden, Malmo, 12 June 2015 [info]
- Register by 20 May 2015.

CFP: Migration and Exile in the Horn of Africa: State of Knowledge and Current Debates, Khartoum, 16-18 November 2015 [info]
- Submit abstracts by 23 May 2015.

Jobs: UNHCR [info]
- A variety of opportunities are available; follow link for more info.; application deadline is 25 May 2015.

Seminar: Historical Cross-border Relocations in the Pacific: Lessons for Planned Relocations in the Context of Climate Change, Oxford, 28 May 2015 [info]

Invitation to Bid: Web Archiving Solution for UNHCR [info]
- Submit bids by 29 May 2015.

Related post:
- Events & Opportunities: Even More May 2015/June 2015

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Development-induced Displacement

Publications:

Displacement in Istanbul: An Interview with Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal (Displacement Research & Action Network, Feb. & March 2015 [pt. 1] [pt. 2]

Burned Out: World Bank Projects Leave Train of Misery around Globe (Huffington Post, April 2015) [text]
- "This story is the first in a series about what can happen to people on the ground when the World Bank bankrolls big projects. ..."

"Mining-induced Displacement and Resettlement: A Critical Appraisal," Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 87 (2015) [open access]

Urban Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement: Linking Innovation and Local Benefits (World Bank, March 2015) [text]

World Bank: Address Ethiopia Findings (HRW, Feb. 2015) [text]

World Bank Acknowledges Shortcomings in Resettlement Projects, Announces Action Plan to Fix Problems (World Bank, March 2015) [text]
- This press release includes a link to the new "Action Plan for Improving the Management of Safeguards and Resettlement Practices and Outcomes." See also relate Guardian news story.

New books:

Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Causes, Consequences, and Socio-Legal Context (ibidem Press, May 2015) [info]

Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: New Perspectives on Persisting Problems (Routledge, April 2015) [info] [preview via Google Books]

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Climate Change, esp. Planned Relocation (7 May 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Development-induced Displacement (16 Dec. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Climate Change, esp. Planned Relocation

News:

The latest issue of Forced Migration Review (FMR) has been published, with 36 articles examining the problem of "Disasters and Displacement in a Changing Climate." Here's the description:

"In light of the projected increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters associated with climate change, the number of people displaced in the context of disasters will inevitably rise. Existing national, regional and international legal regimes, however, currently respond to only some of the protection concerns arising from such displacement. Crafting an appropriate response will demand a cross-sectoral approach that addresses different forms of human mobility and which also recognises the local knowledge, values and beliefs of affected communities."

Publications:

Climate Change and the Tragedy in the Mediterranean: Are There Connections? (Responding to Climate Change, April 2015) [text via UKCCMC]

Climate Change-related Disasters and Human Displacement: Towards an Effective Management System, Disaster Law Working Paper, no. 4 (IFRC, April 2015) [text]

Earth Day: Climate Change and Displacement across Borders (Planet Policy Blog, April 2015) [text]

"The Emerging New Zealand Jurisprudence on Climate Change, Disasters and Displacement," Migration Studies, vol. 3, no. 1 (2015) [full-text via Kaldor Centre]

*Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change: Elements for the UNFCCC Paris Agreement (Advisory Group on Climate Change and Human Mobility, March 2015) [text]

A "Protection Agenda" for Climate-Related Displacement Reveals Complexities, and No Easy Answers (RI Blog, April 2015) [text]

Planned Relocation: Lessons Learned:

"Climate Change and Displacement: Learning from Resettlement in the Development Context," Social Change, vol. 45, no. 1 (March 2015) [abstract]

Planned Relocation, Disasters and Climate Change: Consolidating Good Practices and Preparing for the Future, Sanremo, Italy, 12-14 March 2014 [conf. report]
- See esp. Section 4. See also background document.

"Possible Framework for Climate Change IDP’s: Disaster and Development Induced Displacement and Resettlement Models and their Integration," International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, vol. 2, no. 4 (2011) [full-text via Academia.edu]

Protection and Planned Relocations in the Context of Climate Change, Legal and Protection Policy Research Series, no. PPLA/2012/04 (UNHCR, Aug. 2012) [text]
- See esp. Section 4.

"Relocation and Resettlement from Colonisation to Climate Change: The Perennial Solution to 'Danger Zones'," London Review of International Law, vol. 3, no. 1 (March 2015) [full-text via Kaldor Centre]

*"Revisiting Planned Relocation as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: The Added Value of a Human Rights-Based Approach," Utrecht Law Review, vol. 10, no. 1 (2014) [open access]

"What Can We Learn from the Practice of Development-forced Displacement and Resettlement for Organised Resettlements in Response to Climate Change," Geoforum, vol. 58 (Jan. 2015) [abstract]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Climate Change & Natural Disasters (6 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Periodicals.

New Issues of IJMHSC, J. Health Care, J. Peace Res., JRS, Espace Pol., Migr. Letters, Researcher, Rts in Exile

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 11, no. 2 (2015) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Morning in refugee health: an introduction for medical students."

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, vol. 26, no. 2 (May 2015) [contents]
- Includes sub-section on "Refugee, Immigrant, International, and LEP Patient Populations."

Journal of Peace Research, vol. 52, no. 3 (May 2015) [contents]
- Special issue on "Communication, Technology, and Political Conflict."

Journal of Refugee Studies [contents]
- Note: This is not a new issue announcement. However, there are a number of Advance Access articles now available that may be of interest.

L’Espace Politique, no. 25 (2015) [full-text]
- The theme of this issue is "Lampedusa, îles méditerranéennes, frontières et migrations."

Migration Letters, vol. 12, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]
- Mix of articles, including "Solidarity and fairness in the Common European Asylum System – failure or progress?" and "Marginalized at the center: how public narratives of suffering perpetuate perceptions of refugees’ helplessness and dependency."

The Researcher, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 2015) [full-text]
- Includes articles on the Dublin transfer system, albinos in Tanzania, disability and asylum law, and Libya.

Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, vol. 30, nos. 3&4 (2014) [contents]
- The theme of this issue is "Les traces de la dispersion = Traces of Dispersion." Includes "Traces liquides : enquête sur la mort de migrants dans la zone-frontière maritime de l’Union européenne."

Rights in Exile, no. 59 (May 2015) [full-text]
- News and information for refugee legal aid providers.

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: Health

Happening now:

MSF Scientific Day 2015, 7-8 May 2015 [info]
- View the livestream here.

Publications:

"Foreign Medical Teams in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan 2013: Who Were They, When Did They Arrive and What Did They Do?," PLoS Currents: Disasters, Edition 1 (May 2015) [open access]

mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG): Clinical Management of Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Conditions in Humanitarian Emergencies (WHO & UNHCR, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Promoting the Inclusion of Afghan Women and Men in Research: Reflections from Research and Community Partners Involved in Implementing a ‘Proof of Concept’ Project," International Journal for Equity in Health, 14:13 (Jan. 2015) [open access]

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health Services: Guidelines for the Community Health Program (State Government of Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, 2015) [text]

"A State of Limbo – in Transition between Two Contexts: Health Assessments upon Arrival in Sweden as Perceived by Former Eritrean Asylum Seekers," Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, vol. 33, no. 5 (July 2015) [open access]

UNHCR Public Health 2014 Annual Global Overview (UNHCR, 2015) [access]
- Four regional overviews can also be accessed via the link, for Africa, Asia and MENA.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Mental Health (1 May 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

News: 2015 Edition of Global Overview on Internal Displacement

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has just released a new edition of its annual report: Global Overview 2015: People Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence.

Some main findings include:

- "As of the end of 2014, 38 million people around the world had been forced to flee their homes by armed conflict and generalised violence, and were living in displacement within the borders of their own country." 

- "Eleven million people were newly displaced during the year, the equivalent of 30,000 people fleeing a day."

- "The majority of the increase in new displacement since last year is the result of the protracted crises in Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria. These five countries accounted for 60% of new displacement worldwide."

See this IRIN news story for more key trends.

Previous editions of the Global Overview can be retrieved via my forced migration research guide.

Tagged Publications.  

Regional Focus: Europe

Last minute opportunities:

Doctoral Seminar: PhD Days in EU Immigration and Asylum Law [info]
- Application deadline is 8 May 2015.  Note: Four grants are also available.

*Training seminar: Dublin III, Two Years on: Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the EU and Beyond, Venice-Lido, 19-21 June 2015 [info]
- Application deadline is 21 May 2015.

Publications:

The Detention of Asylum Seekers in the Mediterranean Region: Global Detention Project Backgrounder (GDP, April 2015) [text]

"The Diffusion of the EU Asylum Acquis in the Eastern Neighbourhood: A Test for the EU's Normative Power," European Foreign Affairs Review, vol. 20, no. 2 (2015) [full-text via Academia.edu]
- See also related MPC blog post.

Europe's Migrant Crisis: What Can be Done?, London, 30 April 2015 [info]
- Follow link for video.

The European Agenda for Migration: A New Narrative for an Old Tale?, Briefing Note, no. 35 (ELIAMEP, April 2015) [text via SSRN]

International Migration and Asylum in the European Union: Recent Developments and Policy Reactions, Paper presented at Trends in International Affairs, NPSIA Student Association Conference, Ottawa, 18 March 2015 [text]

"Solidarity and Fairness in the Common European Asylum System: Failure or Progress?," Migration Letters, vol. 12, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]

What We Need to Learn from the Tragedy in the Mediterranean: The Migrationist Talks One-on-One with the UN’s Independent Expert on the Human Rights of Migrants (The Migrationist Blog, April 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (1 May 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Africa

Building Communities of Practice for Urban Refugees: South Africa Roundtable Report (UNHCR, 2015) [text]

A Commentary on the March 2015 Country Information and Guidance Reports Issued on Eritrea (Still Human, Still Here, May 2015) [text via Refworld]

Congolese "Refugees" and Freedom of Movement in the Kampala Urban Space (Justice Matters in Africa, April 2015) [text]

A Fresh Analysis of the Humanitarian System in Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Somalia: Somali State Agencies and Local Organisations’ Capacities to Manage Humanitarian Action (Oxfam, April 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

IDPs' Decision-making in the DRC: Defining a Framework to Support Resilience in Humanitarian Responses to Multiple Displacement (IDMC, April 2015) [text]
- See also related IDMC blog post.

Living in Fear in Nairobi (RI Blog, April 2015) [text]

Somalia: Forced Evictions of Displaced People (HRW, April 2015) [text]

Understanding Global Refugee Policy: The Case of Naturalisation in Tanzania, Oxford, 29 April 2015 [info]
- Follow link for podcast.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Africa (27 April 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: ICTs & Information-related Items

Opportunities:

Donate: eGranary Pocket Library [info]
- Help fund this "collection of customized educational web-based resources developed by experienced digital librarians and computer programmers at The WiderNet Project. The collections are curated onto portable chips and intended for use with devices in areas where Internet access is impossible or impractical." More info via this article.

Invitation to Bid: Web Archiving Solution for UNHCR [info]
- Submit bids by 29 May 2015.

Publications:

"Availability, Access and Affordability across ‘Digital Divides’: Common Experiences amongst Minority Groups," Australian Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, vol. 2, no. 2 (June 2014) [full-text via Academia.edu]

Can You Hear Me Now? Why Good Communication is Critical to the Nepal Quake Response (IRIN, April 2015) [text]

"The Digital Divide and Social Inclusion among Refugee Migrants: A Case in Regional Australia," Information Technology & People, vol. 28, no. 2 (2015) [postprint]

"The Ex-Refugee Bringing Google-like Data Tech to Everyone," Wired, 30 April 2015 [text]

Lantern: Empowering Refugees through Community-generated Guidance Using Near Field Communication, Paper presented at CHI '15, Seoul, 18-23 April 2015 [text]

"Linking Everyday Information Behaviour and Asian Immigrant Settlement Processes: Towards a Conceptual Framework," Australian Academic & Research Libraries, Latest Articles, 8 April 2015 [postprint via ResearchGate]

"Peer Support Groups, Mobile Phones and Refugee Women in Melbourne," Health Promotion International, vol. 31, no. 3 (Sept. 2016) [free full-text]

Satellite Imagery Interpretation Guide: Displaced Population Camps (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, May 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Saving Nepal: The Information Revolution (TechTank Blog, May 2015) [text]

*Welcoming the Outsider: The Practices of Public Libraries Towards Immigrants (SSRN, March 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: ICTs & Innovation (27 March 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Events & Opportunities: Even More May 2015/June 2015

May 2015:

Seminar: The Extraterritorial Application of the Non-refoulement Obligation in International Human Rights Law, London, 5 May 2015 [info]

Seminar: The New Moroccan Policy on Migration and Asylum, Cairo, 5 May 2015 [info]

Course: Refugee Law with UNHCR, London, 27 July-14 August 2015 [info]
- Application information is available here; the deadline is 31 May 2015.

June 2015:

Course: International Summer School on Refugee Law: Western Balkans in Focus, Sarajevo, 6-16 July 2015 [info]
- Application deadline is 1 June 2015.

MA Programme: International Migration and Refugee Law, VU University Amsterdam [info]
- Application deadline is 1 June 2015 for EU students.

Workshop: IARLJ European Chapter, Berlin, 1 June 2015 [info]
- The programme will focus on "Refugee Recognition and Discrete Behavior."

Forum: Global Forum on Improving Humanitarian Action, New York, 4-5 June 2015 [info]
- Invitation-only event.

Course: European Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Brussels, 29 June-10 July 2015 [info]
- Apply by 5 June 2015.

Lecture: 2015 Elizabeth Colson Lecture, Oxford, 10 June 2015 [info]
- The topic will be "Innocence: Understanding a Political Concept."

Call for panel proposals: World Conference on Humanitarian Studies, Addis Ababa, 17-20 October 2015 [info]
- Closing date is 15 June 2015.

Job: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Liverpool Law Clinic [info]
- Application deadline is 19 June 2015.

Related post:
- Events & Opportunities: More May 2015

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

New ETDs - Pt. 2

(ETD = Electronic Theses & Dissertations)

The Asylum Qualification Directive and its Implementation into the National Legislations of Austria, Ireland and Germany: Towards More Restrictive or More Favorable Provisions for Asylum Seekers?, Bachelor's thesis (University of Twente, 2015) [text]

Integration Challenges for Bhutanese Refugees in Norway via Third Country Resettlement, Thesis (Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2014) [text]

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

Securitization of Asylum Seekers in Austria during the Refugee Protests in Vienna 2012/2013, Thesis (University of Vienna, 2014) [text]

War and Pestilence: Conflict, Refugees, and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dissertation (Duke University, 2014) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New ETDs - Pt. 1

(ETD = Electronic Theses & Dissertations)

Accounting for the Business Start-up Experiences of Afghan Refugees in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thesis (University of Canterbury, 2014) [text]

Family Language Policies of Refugees: Ethiopians and Colombians in New Zealand, Dissertation (Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) [text]

Fighting for Citizenship in Kuwait, Thesis (University of Oslo, 2014) [text]

How Israel’s Denial of Palestinian Rights Affects Anti-Israeli Attitudes of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, Thesis (American University of Beirut, 2014) [text]

Into the Red: A Look into the Reasons Why Refugees Decide to Flee, Settle or Migrate to and from Morocco, Thesis (University of San Francisco, 2014) [text]

Towards a Convergence of Humanitarian and Development Assistance through Cash Transfers to Host Communities: A Case Study on Wadi Khaled and Akroum-Akkar District, Lebanon, Thesis (Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action, 2014) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Asia

*Asian Refugees: The Case of China, Vietnam, North Korea, and the International Community, Undergraduate Honors Thesis (University of Colorado Boulder, Spring 2015) [text]

Cambodia: Register, not Return, Vietnamese Asylum Seekers (HRW, May 2015) [text]

From Humanitarian to Economic: The Changing Face of Vietnamese Migration (Migration Information Source, April 2015) [text]

Lawsuit Challenges Japan’s High Standard for Refugees (The View from Above Blog, April 2015) [text]

Migrant Smuggling in Asia: Current Trends and Related Challenges (UNODC, April 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"No Easy Refuge in Ancestral Land: Kokang Refugees Receive Inadequate Humanitarian Assistance and Legal Protection in China," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 59 (May 2015) [full-text]

"Refugee Repatriation: The Sri Lankan Case," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 59 (May 2015) [full-text]

The Risk of Disaster-induced Displacement in South Asia (IDMC, April 2015) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Asia (9 April 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: General

Opportunity:

FY 2016 Annual Program Statement Requesting Concept Notes for Global Innovation Programs to Help the Humanitarian Community Better Respond to Refugees Outside of Camps [info]
- "Proposal submission deadline: Concept note submissions will be accepted year round and will be considered on a twice-yearly basis on the following review dates: 1 September 2015 & 1 March 2016.

Publications:

"16 Million Refugees Are Not Some Other Country's Problem," The American Prospect, 1 May 2015 [text]

Freedom in the World 2015 (Freedom House, 2015) [access]

Human Rights Tools for a Changing World: A Step-by-step Guide to Human Rights Fact-finding, Documentation, and Advocacy (Advocates for Human Rights, Jan. 2015) [text]

"New Keywords: Migration and Borders," Cultural Studies, vol. 29, no. 1 (2015) [full-text via ResearchGate]

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Resolution, UN Doc. No. A/RES/69/152 (UN General Assembly, Feb. 2015) [text]

Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders (OHCHR, Oct. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Note: I referenced this document earlier when it was in the form of a Conference Room Paper. It has since been released as a more formal publication with a new foreword and preface.

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (13 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Opportunity:

Summer course: European Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Brussels, 29 June-10 July 2015 [info]
- Apply by 5 June 2015.

Publications:

Annual Risk Analysis 2015 (Frontex, April 2015) [text]
- See also related Migrants at Sea blog post.

Drowning Refugees, Migrants, and Shame at Sea: The EU’s Response (Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog, April 2015) [text]
- Two-part blog post.

"Dublin III Regulation: An Overview and its Potential Impacts," The Researcher, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 2015) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 2.

The Human Cost of Borders: Refugees, Detainees and Families (Free Movement, April 2015) [text] [video access]

"Implications of Tarakhel v Switzerland on the Dublin Transfer System," The Researcher, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 2015) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 21.

Position Paper on the EU Return Directive (PICUM, April 2015) [text]

Resolution 2050 - The Human Tragedy in the Mediterranean: Immediate Action Needed (Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, April 2015) [text via Refworld]
- See also related background report.

UNHCR Annotated Comments to Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and Council of 26 June 2013 Laying Down Standards for the Reception of Applicants for International Protection (Recast) (UNHCR, April 2015) [text]

What Priorities for the New European Agenda on Migration? (CEPS, April 2015) [text]

Related posts:
- Regional Focus: Mediterranean Refugee Crisis (28 April 2015)
- Regional Focus: Europe (17 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

New Book Titles

Please visit my Pinterest page to learn about new books due out in May 2015. I've also added information about a few new titles to the March 2015, April 2015, and New Legal Texts book boards.

If you are not a member of Pinterest, these new titles are listed below for your reference (organized by title).

May 2015:

Klaus Neumann, Across the Seas: Australia's Response to Refugees - A History, Black Inc., May 2015

Iris Berger, Tricia Redeker Hepner, Benjamin N. Lawrance, Joanna T. Tague & Meredith Terretta, eds., African Asylum at a Crossroads: Activism, Expert Testimony, and Refugee Rights, Ohio University Press, May 2015

Shepard Masocha, Asylum Seekers, Social Work and Racism, Palgrave Pivot, May 2015

Keith David Watenpaugh, Bread from Stones: The Middle East and the Making of Modern Humanitarianism, University of California Press, May 2015

Bogumil Terminski, Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Causes, Consequences, and Socio-Legal Context, ibidem Press, May 2015

Jane Freedman, Gendering the International Asylum and Refugee Debate, 2nd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, May 2015

Amy Nethery & Stephanie J Silverman, eds., Immigration Detention: The Migration of a Policy and its Human Impact, Routledge, May 2015

Sandra Grady, Improvised Adolescence: Somali Bantu Teenage Refugees in America, University of Wisconsin Press, May 2015

Emma Cox, Performing Noncitizenship: Asylum Seekers in Australian Theatre, Film and Activism, Anthem Press, May 2015

April 2015:

Kim Huynh, Bina D'Costa & Katrina Lee-Koo, Children and Global Conflict, Cambridge University Press, April 2015

Ian Harper, Tobias Kelly & Akshay Khanna, eds., The Clinic and the Court: Law, Medicine and Anthropology, Cambridge University Press, April 2015; see esp. Chapter 4, “The Causes of Torture: Law, Medicine and the Assessment of Suffering in British Asylum Claims”

Tom K. Wong, Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control, Stanford University Press, April 2015

Rodolfo Tello, Social Safeguards: Avoiding the Unintended Impacts of Development, Amakella Publishing, April 2015

March 2015:

Marie-Bénédicte Dembour, When Humans Become Migrants: Study of the European Court of Human Rights with an Inter-American Counterpoint, Oxford University Press, March 2015

New Legal Texts:

Steve Peers, Violeta Moreno-Lax, Madeline Garlick & Elspeth Guild, eds., EU Immigration and Asylum Law (Text and Commentary): Second Revised Edition - Volume 3: EU Asylum Law, Brill/Nijhoff, April 2015

David James Cantor, Luisa Feline Freier & Jean-Pierre Gauci, eds., A Liberal Tide?: Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy in Latin America, Institute of Latin American Studies, April 2015

Dana Baldinger, Vertical Judicial Dialogues in Asylum Cases: Standards on Judicial Scrutiny and Evidence in International and European Asylum Law, Brill/Nijhoff, April 2015


Tagged Books.

Thematic Focus: Mental Health

Opportunity:

Refugee Adjustment Study, Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney [info]
- "[A]n Australia-wide study, which aims to examine the potential role of settlement on refugee adjustment over time. We also hope to understand the possible mechanisms through which settlement might affect psychological wellbeing. If we can understand more about how settlement stress impacts on how refugees and asylum seekers think, feel and behave when living in Australia, we can improve treatments for individuals who are experiencing ongoing difficulties related to the refugee experience."

Publications: 

"Associations of Conflict-related Trauma and Ongoing Stressors with the Mental Health and Functioning of West Papuan Refugees in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG)," PLoS ONE 10(4): e0125178 (April 2015) [open access]

"Beyond the Crisis: Building Back Better Mental Health Care in 10 Emergency-affected Areas Using a Longer-term Perspective," International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 9:15 (March 2015) [open access]

"Pregnant Migrant and Refugee Women’s Perceptions of Mental Illness on the Thai-Myanmar Border: A Qualitative Study," BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 15:93 (April 2015) [open access]

"Violence against Congolese Refugee Women in Rwanda and Mental Health: A Cross-sectional Study Using Latent Class Analysis," BMJ Open, 5:e006299 (April 2015) [open access]

"War Trauma and Torture Experiences Reported during Public Health Screening of Newly Resettled Karen Refugees: A Qualitative Study," BMC International Health and Human Rights, 15:8 (April 2015) [open access]

Young People from Refugee Backgrounds Talk about Their Experiences of Mental Health Services: Guidance for Practitioners (Foundation House, Dec. 2014) [text]

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Health (17 April 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Vicarious/Secondary Trauma (8 April 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.