Events & Opportunities: Last Minute Oct. 2012

Stabilization in Situations Other than War: The Rio Experience, Copenhagen, 23 October 2012 [info]
- Register by 22 October 2012.

Treatment of African Asylum-Seekers in Israel, Oxford, 23 October 2012 [info]

ELENA Advanced Course on "The Rights of Refugees," Madrid, 30 November-2 December 2012 [info]
- The closing date for registration is 26 October 2012.

Rescuing Migrants in Libya: The Political Economy of State Responses to Migration Crisis – The Case of Ghana, Copenhagen, 30 October 2012 [info]
- Register by 29 October 2012.

Community Conversation: Responding to Young Asylum Seekers' Trauma, Footscray, Australia, 1 November 2012 [info]
- Register by 29 October 2012.

Supporting Teachers in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States, Washington, DC, 30 October 2012 [info]
- Register to attend.

Photo Contest: "Envisioning Safe Livelihoods" [info]
- Submit photo(s) by 30 October 2012.

Voices of Courage Awards 2013: "Refugees and Displaced Persons with Disabilities" [info]
- Submit nomination for honoree by 31 October 2012.

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Children

Upcoming opportunity:

Research Assistant, RSC [info]
- Will "work on a project exploring transitions to adulthood of former unaccompanied children in Europe." Apply by 12 November 2012.

Publications:

Education Cannot Wait: Protecting Children and Youth’s Right to a Quality Education in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Situations (Global Partnership for Education, Sept. 2012) [access]

Forced From Home: The Lost Boys and Girls of Central America (Women's Refugee Commission, Oct. 2012) [access]

Protecting Children on the Move: Addressing Protection Needs through Reception, Counselling and Referral and Enhancing Cooperation in Greece, Italy and France (UNHCR et al., July 2012) [text]

Syria's Children: A Damaged Generation (Refugees International Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Event after the fact:

International Day of the Girl Child, 11 October 2012 [access]
- First observance of this day; theme was "Ending Child Marriage."  See also related Huffington Post story.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Statelessness

Publications:

Denationalisation and the Politics of Citizenship in Zimbabwe (ENS Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Finally an Important Step towards the Solution for the Legally Invisible and Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia (ENS Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Recommendations Relevant to Statelessness Made during the First Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (2008-2011) (UNHCR, Sept. 2012) [text]

Stateless in Burma: Rohingya Word Wars (openDemocracy, Oct. 2012) [text]

Stateless in the United States: Current Reality and a Future Prediction (SSRN, Sept. 2012) [text]

"Statelessness in Japan: Management and Challenges," Journal of Population and Social Studies, vol. 21, no. 1 (July 2012) [full-text]

State action:

Latest accessions:  As this news story reports, "Ecuador became a party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, Honduras to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and Portugal became party to both conventions."

Pledges: Maps showing accessions to the statelessness conventions and pledges for various actions relating to statelessness have been updated.  Scroll to the bottom of the State Action page to view them.

Tagged Publications. 

Focus: Development-induced Displacement

Publications:

Americas: Governments Must Stop Imposing Development Projects on Indigenous Peoples’ Territories (Amnesty International, Aug. 2012) [text]

"Broadening the Concept of Forcible Displacement to Include Development-Induced Displacement," Chapter in Forcible Displacement Throughout the Ages: Towards an International Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Forcible Displacement (Martinus Nijhoff, Aug. 2012) [info]

Community Action Guide to the Asian Development Bank: Making Safeguard Policies Work for Justice, Draft (International Accountability Project, 2011/2012) [access]

"Development and Displacement: Hidden Loser from a Forgotten Agenda," Chapter in World Disasters Report 2012 (IFRC, Oct. 2012) [text]

Development's Collateral Damage: The World Bank, Involuntary Resettlement and Human Rights, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Law (University of Oslo, Dec. 2011) [text]

Mining-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Social Problem and Human Rights Issue (A Global Perspective) (SSRN, Aug. 2012) [text]

On the Edge: Roma, Forced Evictions and Segregation in Italy (Amnesty International, Sept. 2012) [text]

The Rights of Project-Affected Persons (Advocates for International Development, Sept. 2012) [text]

Upcoming opportunity:

Call for Papers: Goettingen Journal of International Law [info via EJIL: Talk!]
- The focus is on the "law and politics of indigenous peoples in international law." Deadline for submissions is 1 March 2013.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

World Disasters Report 2012

Today, the IFRC launched the 2012 edition of its World Disasters Report.  This year's theme is "forced migration and displacement."  It was edited by Roger Zetter, former director of the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC).  Here is part of the description:

The report analyses the complex causes of forced migration and its consequences and impacts on displaced populations, their hosts and humanitarian actors. It looks at the significant gaps in humanitarian protection for ever-increasing numbers of forced migrants who do not fit into conventional categories of protection, and the public health challenges caused by forced displacement, particularly for women, children and those with mental ill-health problems. It examines the ‘urbanization’ of forced migration, the role of climate change and environmental factors in forced displacement and how new communications, information and social networking technologies are reshaping the links between aid providers and migrants. It also tracks humanitarian funding for forcibly displaced populations, as well as the positive and negative economic impacts they have on host communities and countries.

The report is provided as a complete PDF in English; alternatively, readers can access individual chapters via the special microsite established for WDR2012.  Also available is a "data dashboard," with statistical figures for specific disasters and their consequences, and a video section.

Summaries of the report can be retrieved in Arabic, French, and Spanish.

The Overseas Development Institute is hosting a launch event on 18 October 2012, in London and online.  Coverage can be followed via #DisasterReport on Twitter.

Tagged Publications.

Employment, Property Rights

Events after the fact:

Joint Colloquium on the Right to Work for Refugees in Europe, Strasbourg, 27 September 2012 [info]
- See also related UNHCR news story and interview with the UNHCR Representative to the European Institutions in Strasbourg.

Labour Mobility for Refugees, Geneva, 11-12 September 2012 [info]

Publications:

Beyond Restitution: New Book Explores Property Rights and Durable Solutions for the Displaced (Terra Nullius, Sept. 2012) [text]

The Right to Work in Ecuador: A Positive Development within a Restrictive New Law (Refugee Work Rights, Sept. 2012) [text]

"Socio-structural Influences on the Work Participation of Refugees: An Exploratory Systematic Mixed Studies Review," Vulnerable Groups & Inclusion, vol. 3 (Sept. 2012) [open access text]

Understanding the Informal Economic Activity of Refugees in London (Community Links & Refugee Council, April 2011) [text]
- HT to the Right to Work for Asylum Seekers and Refugees blog!

Upcoming opportunity:

2013 Mid-Year Meeting Workshop on Poverty, Immigration and Property, San Diego, 10-12 June 2013 [info via IntLawGrrls]
- Proposals sought from Association of American Law Schools faculty members on variety of themes including "International: Land Distribution, Land Reform, Forced Migration" and "Climate Refugees: Property, Poverty, Immigration."  Deadline for submissions is 26 October 2012.


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Middle East, esp. Syrians

*(updated)

BADIL's Preliminary Position Paper on Arab-Jewish Refugees (Badil, Oct. 2012) [text]

Health in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2012 (The Lancet, Oct. 2012) [access]
- Presents series of abstracts of papers presented at a conference in March 2012 reporting "findings about the health status of a people dispersed across refugee camps, occupied territory, and land under violent siege."  See also related IRIN news story.

*Lebanon, Yesterday's and Today's Refugees (Reset DOC, Oct. 2012) [text]

Palestinians Escaping Syria Find Little Relief in Lebanon (openDemocracy, Oct. 2012) [text]

Trapped between the Fences (Israel Democracy Institute, Sept. 2012) [text]

Syrians:

And the Displacement in Syria Goes On (UpFront Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Armed Conflict in Syria: U.S. and International Response (U.S. Congressional Research Service, Aug. 2012) [text via Refworld]

"The Human Cost of Sanctuary," The World Today, vol. 68, nos. 8/9 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]
- "The impact of Syrian refugees on Turkey and Jordan."

Syrian Refugees: Containing the Crisis (Refugees International, Oct. 2012) [text]

"We must help shelter Syria's refugees," Financial Times, 11 Oct. 2012 [text via PDES FB page]
-  Article by Angelina Jolie and António Guterres.

Tagged Publications.

New Publications on Causes of Displacement, Human Rights Education, Human Security, Migration Control, Refugee Camps

A Critical Introduction to Immigration and Asylum (International State Crime Initiative, Sept. 2012) [text]

Human Security Report 2012: Sexual Violence, Education, and War - Beyond the Mainstream Narrative (Human Security Report Project, Oct. 2012) [access]
- See also related IRIN news article and IntLawGrrls blog post.

Important but Neglected: A Proposal for Human Rights Education in Refugee and Displacement Camps (SSRN, Oct. 2012) [text]

"Refugee Camps not Designed for Refugees," DW, 9 Oct. 2012 [text]

Warfare, Political Identities, and Displacement in Spain and Colombia, HiCN Working Paper 124 (Households in Conflict Network, Oct. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Urban Issues

"Addressing Endemic Urban Violence," Part 4 in Modern Warfare: Armed Groups, Private Militaries, Humanitarian Organizations, and the Law (University of British Columbia Press, May 2012) [contents]

Dangerous Cities: Urban Violence and the Militarization of Law Enforcement, Online Seminar, 2 October 2012 [info]
- Follow the link to access a recording of the event. Includes discussion of the role of humanitarian actors in urban conflicts.

"Refugees and the City: An Urban Discussion," Geography Compass, Forthcoming (2012) [abstract]

Researching the Urban Dilemma: Urbanization, Poverty and Violence (IDRC & DFID, 2012) [text]
- Baseline study for "Safe and Inclusive Cities research initiative."

Select Bibliography on Urban Refugees (UNHCR, Sept. 2012) [text]

Urban Humanitarian Response Portal (ALNAP & UN Habitat) [access]
- Established to "share knowledge on urban humanitarian crises."  Locate information by topic, resource type, agency, region or date.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.  

Research & Writing Opportunities

Research:

Policy and Research Development Manager, Refugee Action [info]
- Apply by 16 October 2012.

Researcher, Refugee and Migrants' Rights (Europe), Amnesty International [info]
- Apply by 31 October 2012.

Research Posts, University of Exeter [info]
- Focus is on disparities in UK asylum appeals success rates.  Deadlines are 26 October 2012 and 22 November 2012, respectively.

Writing:

ASIL Reports on International Organizations [info]
- The last report on UNHCR was Aug. 2009.  Other possibilities: EXCOM, ICRC, OCHA... .

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter [info]
- Contributions sought for the newsletter; submissions due by the 15th of each month.

Refugee Law Initiative Working Paper Series [info]
- Submissions are considered on a rolling basis.

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

EXCOM 2012 after the fact

The 63rd session of UNHCR's Executive Committee ended on 5 October 2012, with High Commissioner António Guterres calling for more "international solidarity and support as UNHCR responds to a proliferation of new emergencies" at the same time that it is providing assistance to millions in protracted refugee situations.

Here are a few of the statements made during the week:
- High Commissioner's opening statement (and related news release)
- Assistant High Commissioner's (protection) statement (and related news release)
- Statement by Head of Policy Development and Evaluation Service (note esp. the para. which states, "[T]his will be the last opportunity that I will have to address the Executive Committee..."!)
- NGO statement on the general debate
- NGO statement on international protection
- Cessation Clause Working Group statement
- U.S. delegation statement
- HC's closing remarks (edited)

Side events:
- Taking forward UNHCR's Urban Refugee Policy
- Briefing by the High Commissioner on the Syrian Refugee Situation
- Launch of the Nansen Initiative by Norway and Switzerland
- Launch of UNHCR's new Guidelines on Detention
- Access to justice for victims of sexual and gender-based crimes
- Seeds of Hope; exhibit on tertiary education (DAFI Scholarships)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Upcoming events & opportunities:

Do Good Abroad: A Panel Discussion on Jobs in Humanitarian Aid and Relief, New York, 15 October 2012 [info]

UNHCR Consultancy, Funding to the Protection Sector in Non-Refugee Humanitarian Emergencies [info via ReliefWeb]
- Apply by 15 October 2012.

The International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance: Detailed Overview [info]
- Three IDHA programmes currently scheduled: 4 November 30-November 2012 in Pretoria, South Africa; 24 February–22 March 2013 in Berlin, Germany; 2 June–28 June 2013 in New York, US.  Applications accepted on a rolling basis until course is full.

Publications:

Blogging on Burnout Part I (AidSource, Oct. 2012) [text]

Gender Sensitive Response and Recovery: An Overview (Oxfam, Oct. 2012) [text]

"International Paternalism and Humanitarian Governance," Global Constitutionalism, vol. 1, no. 3 (November 2012) [free full-text]

Negotiating Humanitarian Access: Challenges and Compromises, Brussels, 19 Sept. 2012 [info] [event summary]

"Psychological Distress, Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout among International Humanitarian Aid Workers: A Longitudinal Study," PLoS ONE, vol. 7, no. 9: e44948 (Sept. 2012) [open access text]

The Relevance of 'Resilience'? HPG Policy Briefs, no. 49 (Humanitarian Policy Group, September 2012) [text]
- Output from the ODI Resilience and Humanitarian Action Project.

[Image credit: Chart from PLoS ONE study referenced above.]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Europe

Asylum Credibility: Timely New Case from Strasbourg (Free Movement, Oct. 2012) [text]

"Distrust and Collaboration: Exploring Identity Negotiation among Asylum Seekers in East Anglia, Britain," Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 33, no. 2 (2012) [free full-text]

"Europe's Uncoordinated Refugee Policy," DW, 5 Oct. 2012 [text]

"European Union Common Asylum System: To what Extent has the Uniformity in Positive and Rejection Decisions among the EU Countries been Obtained?," Polis Bilimleri Dergisi Cilt = Turkish Journal of Police Studies, vol. 14, no. 3 (2012) [full-text]

Italy End-of-Mission Statement (UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Oct. 2012) [text]
- See also related news release.

"Obligatory Solidarity: Does the EU Need a Formula for Redistributing Asylum-Seekers Internally?," PISM Bulletin, no. 86 (419) (Sept. 2012) [text via ISN]

Trapped: Destitution and Asylum in Scotland (Scottish Poverty Information Unit, Oct. 2012) [text] [summary]

"Was Hungary the First EU Country of Arrival? Legal Responsibility before Human Rights: A Short Story on Dublin," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 30 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]

Tagged Publications. 

Focus: Africa

Crisis in Mali (U.S. Congressional Research Service, Aug. 2012) [text]

"The Double Burden of Obesity and Malnutrition in a Protracted Emergency Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study of Western Sahara Refugees," PLoS Medicine, 9(10): e1001320 [open access text]

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 55 (Sept. 2012) [full-text]
- Special feature on the crisis in the Sahel; eight articles included.

From Refugee to IDP in Somaliland (Refugees International Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Limbo for Ex-Liberian Refugees (IRIN, Oct. 2012) [text]

Mali in Crisis: Tens of Thousands of Refugees (openDemocracy, Sept. 2012) [text]

Returning Home after Civil War: The Consequences of Forced Displacement for Food Security, Nutrition and Poverty among Burundese Households, HiCN Working Paper 123 (Households in Conflict Network, Sept. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

U.S. Aid Runs through Displacement Camp ‘Gatekeepers’ in Mogadishu (Refugees International Blog, Sept. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Focus: Children

Publications:

Commission Staff Working Document on the Implementation of the Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors (European Commission, Sept. 2012) [text]

Deportation, Non-deportability and Precarious Lives (Postcards from..., Oct. 2012) [text]

Educating the Refugee Child: A Resource Guide for Teachers Working with Refugee Students from Burma (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aug. 2012) [text]

Ensuring a Fair and Effective Asylum Process for Unaccompanied Alien Children (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, Sept. 2012) [text]
- See also related blog post.

"‘I felt that I was benefiting someone’: Youth as Agents of Change in a Refugee Community Project," Health Education Research, vol. 27, no. 5 (Oct. 2012) [open access text]

Into the Unknown: Children’s Journeys through the Asylum Process (The Children's Society, Sept. 2012) [text]

Multimedia:

To Say Goodbye [access] [press release]
- "Through innovative animation, the film tells the story of the 4000 Basque children evacuated to the United Kingdom in 1937. Forced to bid a hurried farewell to their parents, these children were told they would only be in the UK for three months. 75 years later, some are still there, forever separated from their parents and their homeland, their families torn apart and their childhood destroyed by a brutal and bloody conflict."

Tagged Publications.

CFP/New Issues of FRLAN, Humanit. Exch., JEMS, J. Intl. Humanit. Legal Stud., Soc. & Legal Stud.

Call for papers:

Anti-Trafficking Review is seeking submissions for a special issue on "Human Rights at the Border.  The deadline is 31 December 2012.

New issues:

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter,  no. 30 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]
- News and discussion on refugee legal aid

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 55 (Sept. 2012) [full-text]
- Special feature on the crisis in the Sahel.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 38, no. 9 (2012) [contents]
- Special issue on "Migration and the Internet: Social Networking and Diasporas."  The introductory article is provided as a free full-text.

Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, vol. 2, no. 2 (2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "An Analysis of Soft Law Applicable to Humanitarian Assistance: Relative Normativity in Action?"

Social & Legal Studies, vol. 21, no. 3 (Sept. 2012) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "‘Hearing the Right Gaps’: Enabling and Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence within the UK Asylum Process" and "The Occupation of Public Space in Bogotá: Internal Displacement and the City."

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Detention

An Economic Analysis of Alternatives to Long-Term Detention: Final Report (Matrix Evidence, Sept. 2012) [text]

Greek Authorities Unlawfully Detained an Afghan Asylum Seeker in Degrading Conditions (European Court of Human Rights, Sept. 2012) [text via Detention in Europe]
- Summary of Ahmade v. Greece judgment.

"Ins" and "Outs" of Immigration Detention (Human Rights First, 2012) [access]
- Infographic.

Invisible in Isolation: The Use of Segregation and Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention (National Immigrant Justice Center & Physicians for Human Rights, Sept. 2012) [text]

"Unlawful Detention and Refoulement of Asylum Seekers in South Africa," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 30 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]

Tagged Publications. 

Fellowship Opportunities

Post-Graduate Training Fellowship, Refugee Law Initiative [info]
- Apply for this award for "an individual studying or researching in the refugee or human rights field" by 15 October 2012.

Rayne Fellowships for Refugees, Praxis [info]
- Opportunity for refugees in the UK to receive support for ideas that can "make a real difference to people's lives"; application deadline is 30 November 2012.

Graduate Teaching Fellowships, Center for Applied Legal Studies [info]
- Apply for two-year teaching fellowship for July 2013 - June 2015; candidates with asylum/immigration law experience will be given preference.  Deadline is 3 December 2012.

Human Rights Fellowship, Oak Institute [info] [application]
- Focus is on "Human Rights Protection in Situations of Internment or Displacement"; apply by 15 December 2012.

Arthur C. Helton Fellowship, American Society of International Law [info]
- Provides financial assistance for "law students and young professionals to pursue field work and research on significant issues involving international law, human rights, humanitarian affairs, and related areas."  Application period runs from 15 October 2012 to 7 January 2013.

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

Focus: Asia

"Afghan Refugees in Pakistan," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 30 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]
- See also news stories from UNAMA and UNHCR Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Country of Origin Information for Use in the Asylum Determination Process (Danish Immigration Service, May 2012) [text via Refworld]

"China's New Exit-Entry Law," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 30 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]

CORI Country Report: Bangladesh (Country of Origin Research and Information, March 2012) [text]

"The Factors Affecting the Development of National Identity as South Korean in North Korean Refugees Living in South Korea," Psychiatry Investigation, vol. 9, no. 3 (2012) [open access text]

The Flight of the Rohingya (Virginia Quarterly Review Blog, Sept. 2012) [text]
- Part 1 of two-part series.

Forced Labour during the Arakan Crisis: An Overview of Forced Labour Practices in North Arakan, Burma (Arakan Project, Aug. 2012) [text]

Will Aung San Suu Kyi Ignore the Rohingya? (Virginia Quarterly Review Blog, Sept. 2012) [text]
- Part 2 of two-part series.

[Photo credit: © UNHCR/N.Farhad in "Afghan returns pass 50,000 in first eight months, up on last year," UNHCR, Aug. 2012]

Tagged Publications. 

Multimedia Resources

Afghan Refugees and Returnees through the Eyes of Women on the Ground [access]
- Photo exhibit which will be shown in Geneva during the EXCOM sessions held this week.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea [access]
- Documentary that looks at the "circumstances and decisions that lead someone to become a 'boat person'."

Hamedullah: The Road Home [access]
- Documentary that follows an Afghan youth who sought protection in the UK, was placed in a detention center after he turned 18, then subsequently deported to Afghanistan.

How Gendered is Citizenship? A Teaching Resource [access]
- Video of roundtable debate.  Includes questions to guide classroom discussion.

How Much Further [access]
- A "film about the lives of refugees in Greece."

Leave to Remain [access]
- Film project that focuses on young unaccompanied asylum seekers in the UK is seeking support.

My Life as a Refugee [access]
- iPad/iPhone/Android app from UNHCR that "players contemplate the same life-changing decisions refugees make in a true-to-life quest to try to survive, reach safety, reunite with loved ones and re-start their lives."

The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons [access]
- Podcast from the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement.

Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony = Hijos de las Nubes, la última colonia [access]
- Documentary focusing on the plight of the Saharawis.

A Stand in the Sinai [access]
- A documentary from the CNN Freedom Project that focuses on "Egypt’s Sinai Desert where people-smugglers abuse, rape and hold for ransom desperately poor refugees."

For similar resources, browse the label "audiovisual media" that I use to index blog posts when they include references to photo collections, videos or podcasts.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.