Regional Focus: Asia Pacific

Afghan Refugees and Returnees: Corruption and Lack of Afghan Ministerial Capacity Have Prevented Implementation of a Long-term Refugee Strategy (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Aug. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"As Europe Makes Room for Refugees, Some in Japan Ask: Why Not Us?," Washington Post, 8 Sept. 2015 [text]

"Cambodia’s Montagnard Problem," The Diplomat, 8 Sept. 2015 [text]

"Concept Note for the High-level Segment on the Afghan Refugee Situation, 6-7 October 2015," 69th Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, UN Doc. No. HLS/2015/CRP.2, 9 Sept. 2015 [text]

Getting Ready to Respond: Is Our Region Prepared to Respond to the Mass Displacement of People? (APPS Policy Forum, Sept. 2015) [text]

Refugees, Displacement and Forced Migration in Asia: Charting an Inclusive Research Agenda, Working Paper, no. 236 (Asia Research Institute, April 2015) [text]

A Regional Approach towards Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Asia Pacific (APRRN, Auckland Refugee Council & Amnesty International, Sept. 2015) [text]
- Briefing paper for panel on Refugees: A Regional Vision, Auckland, 12 Sept. 2015.

Regional Dialogue on Forced Migration in the Asia-Pacific (Centre for Policy Development, 2015) [access]

Spotlight on the Vulnerable: Key Issues Impacting on the Human Rights of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in New Zealand (Amnesty International, May 2014) [text]

Thailand’s Uighur Refugees: Security Implications for Southeast Asia, RSIS Commentary, no. 160 (Nayang Technological University, July 2015) [text]

"Time to Protect Southeast Asia's Refugees: Regional Cooperation Must Focus More on Protection Solutions," The Diplomat, 12 Sept. 2015 [text]
- Part of a series on Southeast Asia's refugee crisis.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Asia Pacific, incl. Australia (31 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Middle East

Middle East:

Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM Iraq, Sept. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

"I was left with nothing": "Voluntary" Departures of Asylum Seekers from Israel to Rwanda and Uganda (International Refugee Rights Initiative, Sept. 2015) [text]
- See also related Guardian article.

In Israel, Refugees Welcome Gains Small Foothold (IRIN, Sept. 2015) [text]

In the Land of Hidden Legislative Aims: HCJ 8665/14 (Detention of Asylum-seekers in Israel - Round 3) (Versa: Opinions of the Supreme Court of Israel, Sept. 2015) [text]

Iraq Crisis: Stories from the Most Vulnerable (IOM, July 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Long Journey of Palestine Refugees: A Chronology of Palestinian Displacement and Dispossession (Europa, May 2015) [access]
- Photo essay.

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support internally displaced persons in Yemen (UNHCR, Sept. 2015) [text]

Syrian Refugees: Recently Reported Numbers

The Migrant Crisis, by the Numbers (NPR, 8 Sept. 2015) [text]

Resettlement and Other Forms of Admission for Syrian Refugees (UNHCR, updated 9 Sept. 2015) [text]

Syria's Refugee Crisis in Numbers (Amnesty International, 4 Sept. 2015) [text]

Syrian Refugees: Which Countries Welcome Them, Which Ones Don't (CNN, 10 Sept. 2015) [text]

Related posts:
- Regional Focus: Middle East, incl. Syria (2 Sept. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Australia

Events: 

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Panel Discussion, Sydney, 14 September 2015 [info]

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: What Should be Australia's Response?, Melbourne, 16 September 2015 [info]

Publications:

Australia’s Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis (FlagPost Blog, Sept. 2015) [text]

Boat Arrivals and Boat 'Turnbacks' in Australia since 1976: A Quick Guide to the Statistics (Parliamentary Library of Australia, Sept. 2015) [text]

FactCheck: Does Australia Take More Refugees Per Capita through the UNHCR Than Any Other Country? (The Conversation, Sept. 2015) [text]

The Fifth Estate: Safe Harbour (Wheeler Centre, July 2015) [access via APO]
- Follow link for video.

Report on 2015 UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs: Advocating on Refugee Protection with UNHCR (Refugee Council of Australia, Aug. 2015) [text]

Safe Havens: Two Cautionary Tales (Inside Story, Sept. 2015) [text]

Taking Responsibility: Conditions and Circumstances at Australia's Regional Processing Centre in Nauru (Select Committee on the Recent Allegations relating to Conditions and Circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru, Sept. 2015) [text via APO]

"Why Australia is Accepting 12,000 More Syrian Migrants," The Economist, 9 Sept. 2015 [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Asia Pacific, incl. Australia (31 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Events:

Public forum: Truck 71: Europe and the Refugee Crisis, Durham, NC, 14 September 2015 [info]

Lecture: Forced Migration in the Mediterranean: Perspectives and Strategies, Albuquerque, NM 14 & 15 September 2015 [info]

Publications:

After Dublin: The Urgent Need for a Real European Asylum System (PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Sept. 2015) [text]

The Asylum Crisis in Europe: Designed Dysfunction (Migration Policy Institute, Sept. 2015) [text]
- See also related MPI video.

Asylum Statistics, Briefing Paper, no. SN01403 (House of Commons Library, Sept. 2015) [text]

Common Asylum System at a Turning Point: Refugees Caught in Europe's Solidarity Crisis - Annual Report 2014/2015 (AIDA, Sept. 2015) [text]
- See also opening speech at report launch event.

Countries of Transit: Meeting New Migration and Asylum Challenges (PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Sept. 2015) [text]

ECRE Memorandum to the Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council Meeting of 14 September 2015 (ECRE, Sept. 2015) [text]

Europe Searching for Solutions: Developments so Far (Regional MMS, Sept. 2015) [text]

Migration Pressures in Europe, Briefing Paper, no. CBP 7210 (House of Commons Library, Sept. 2015) [text]

Protection of Migrants and Asylum-seekers: States’ Main Legal Obligations under the Council of Europe Conventions (Council of Europe, Sept. 2015) [text]

Syrian Refugees and the UK, Briefing Paper, no. 6805 (House of Commons Library, Sept. 2015) [text]

UNHCR's Proposals in Light of the EU Response to the Refugee Crisis and the EU Package of 9 September 2015 (UNHCR, Sept. 2015) [text]
- See also related news story.

Welcome to the European Union: Notes from Lesbos (openDemocracy, Sept. 2015) [text]

Web site:

Asylum Corner (Lai-momo) [access]
- A project that aims to "promote the European debate on asylum by involving all relevant categories of people engaged in the field" and "voice the experiences of the workers from the field of asylum seekers’ reception and services."

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (9 Sept. 2015)

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

Regional Focus: Americas

Event & opportunity: 

Announcing #MoreThanALabel: Immigrant Stories! (SocialWork@Simmons Blog, Sept. 2015) [info]
- Campaign that aims to "raise the voices of those within the immigrant community." Submitted blog posts will be gathered together and presented mid-September.

Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers 9th Annual Conference & 9th Annual AGM, Multiple locations with webcast, 16 October 2015 [info]
- Register by 1 October 2015 for early bird rates.

Publications:

"Asylum and the American Spirit: The Shift from Foreign Policy-based Bias in Favor of Applicants from Enemy Countries to a Domestic Policy-based Bias against Applicants from 'High-Risk' Countries," Elon Law Review, vol. 7, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]

The Closing of the Canadian Border (Africa in Transition Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]

The Curse of the "Recommended Approval" (The Asylumist, Aug. 2015) [text]

"Do Mexicans Flee from Violence? The Effects of Drug-related Violence on Migration Decisions in Mexico," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 1 Sept. 2015 [abstract]
- See also earlier working paper.

"Introduction," Chapter 1 in United States Migrant Interdiction and the Detention of Refugees in Guantánamo Bay (Cambridge University Press, July 2015) [text via SSRN]

"Missed Opportunities and Second Chances: Appellate Litigation Strategies for Asylum Seekers in Reinstatement Cases," Houston Law Review-e: Off the Record, vol. 6, no. 1 (2015) [full-text]
- Note: "This is a continuing piece in a series of articles published to bring to light the challenges faced by immigrants post-deportation, and intends to highlight the unfairness that asylum seekers face in the appellate process after they are removed from the country."  The first article in the series was referenced in this earlier post.

"A Presumption of Disclosure: Towards Greater Transparency in Asylum Proceedings," Seattle Law Review, vol. 38, no. 3 (2015) [full-text]

Remembering Katrina as a Human Rights Disaster (Facing South Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]

'Stranger Danger': A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Major Research Papers, no. 6 (Wilfrid Laurier University, 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Americas (26 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Issues

Events:

RSC Seminar Series on "Refugee Economies" [info]
- Seminars run from October-December 2015; the first will be held 21 Oct. 2015 on "Refugee Economies: Forced Displacement and Development."

Publications:

The Art of Self-reliance: Stories from the Refugees Who Stay (openDemocracy, Aug. 2015) [text]

"Back to Square One: Socioeconomic Integration of Deported Migrants," International Migration Review, Early View, 18 Aug. 2015 [abstract]
- See also earlier working paper.

From Refugee Crisis to Local Economic Development (UNDP Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]

Humanitarian Migrants the Most Entrepreneurial: ABS Report (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Sept. 2015) [text]
- Here is the text of the report that is referenced in this media release.

The Impact of Syrians Refugees on the Turkish Labor Market, Policy Research Working Paper, no. 7402 (World Bank, Aug. 2015) [text via SSRN]

Migrant Dream Realized: Coming Home to Africa, with Money (Bloomberg, Sept. 2015) [text]

"Recovery from Internal Displacement in Northern Uganda," World Development, vol. 76 (Dec. 2015) [abstract]
- See also eprint via SSRN.

"The Right of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in South Africa to Self-employment: A Comment on Somali Association of South Africa v Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism," South African Journal on Human Rights, vol. 31, no. 2 (2015) [full-text]

"Why Welcoming More Refugees Makes Economic Sense for Europe," New Scientist, 9 Sept. 2015 [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (31 July 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

Belize Accedes to 1961 Convention on Reduction of Statelessness (UNHCR, Aug. 2015) [text]

"No Country for Some Men?: Statelessness in the United States and Lessons from the European Union," Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 43, no. 1 (2014) [full-text]

Statelessness: Precarity or Potentiality, Thesis (University of the Witwatersrand, Feb. 2015) [text]

Strategically Litigating Childhood Statelessness (ENS Blog, Sept. 2015) [text]

"This is What Would Happen if We Repealed Birthright Citizenship," Mother Jones, 26 Aug. 2015 [text]

Transnational Migrant Families, Child Statelessness, and Decisions about Birth Registration: Implications for Policy and Practice in Indonesia (Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, June 2015) [text]
- See also one-page summary.

"'Unable to Return' in the 1951 Refugee Convention: Stateless Refugees and Climate Change," Florida Journal of International Law, vol. 26, no. 3 (2015) [eprint via SSRN]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Statelessness (6 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: General

News: 

Source: US Mission

Reuters has reported that the current UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres, will be stepping down at the end of the year, once his term is completed.  Here is the vacancy announcement (apply by 14 Sept. 2015!).  ICVA notes in its Aug. 2015 bulletin that it will "be seeking to identify potential candidates and invite them to publicly respond to some key questions." (See also Jeff Crisp's Twitter feed for some of his questions regarding the selection process.) So far, the only official announcement of a nomination that I have seen is for Denmark's Ms. Helle Thorning-Schmidt.  Unofficially, I have heard that other potential candidates might include Jan Egeland (currently the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council), Filippo Grandi (former UNRWA Commissioner-General), Kristalina Georgieva (formerly a European Commissioner for humanitarian aid), and Karin Landgren (formerly the head of the UN Mission in Liberia).

Publications:

Biennial Programme Budget 2016-2017 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, Aug. 2015) [text]

Data Privacy: An Ethical Dilemma (Government Dept. at LSE Blog, Sept. 2015) [text]
- See also related journal article on data consent.

Data Protection in International Organizations and the New UNHCR Data Protection Policy: Light at the End of the Tunnel? (EJIL Talk Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]
- Note: UNHCR's "Policy on the Protection of Personal Data of Persons of Concern to UNHCR" is available on Refworld.

Internal Displacement (Oxford Bibliographies, April 2015) [text]

"Population Resettlement in War: Theory and Evidence from Soviet Archives," Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 59, no. 7 (Oct. 2015)  [eprint via author site]

A Review of UNHCR’s Engagement with the ‘Delivering as One’ (DaO) Initiative, PDES/2015/02 (UNHCR, May 2015) [text]

Urban Refugees Twitter Chat Summary (held July 2015; summary posted Aug. 2015) [access]

"What's the Best Bit of the UN? No. 1: The UNHCR," The Guardian, 7 Sept. 2015 [text]

Resource:

Emerging Scholars Network (Kaldor Centre) [access]
- "[A]n interdisciplinary network of early career scholars in the fields of refugee & migration studies. The aim is to create opportunities for us to collaborate, converse and disseminate our research."

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (21 Aug. 2015)

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

Regional Focus: Europe

Source: UNHCR

Events:

Panel discussion: Refugee Crisis: What Next?, London, 10 September 2015 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

Panel Discussion: The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Sydney, 14 September 2015 [info]

Publications:

The 2015 Refugee Crisis in the European Union, CEPS Policy Brief, no. 332 (Centre for European Policy Studies, Sept. 2015) [text]

Europe's Refugee Crisis, Explained (Vox, Sept. 2015) [text]

Europe’s Refugee Emergency: Update #1 on the Situation in Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, 30 June-1 September 2015 (UNHCR, Sept. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Initial Response Plan for the Refugee Crisis in Europe: June 2015-December 2016 (UNHCR, Sept. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Refugee Crisis: European Commission Takes Decisive Action (European Commission, Sept. 2015) [text]
*- Some comments from Human Rights Watch, IRIN.

The Refugee Crisis: What Should the EU Do Next? (EU Law Analysis, Sept. 2015) [text]

A Union of Protection: Amnesty International's Agenda for Refugee Protection in Europe (Amnesty International, Sept. 2015) [text via Refworld]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (5 Sept. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Events & Opportunities: More Sept. 2015/New Oct. 2015

September:

Conference: 5 Years of EASO and the CEAS: Results and Perspectives, Valletta, Malta, 23 September 2015 [info]
- Register by 11 September 2015.

Vacancy: UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva [info]
- Apply by 14 September 2015.

Symposium: Rethinking Europe’s Asylum System: Towards Better Protection and Equal Standards, Brussels, 15 September 2015 [info]

Panel discussion: How Cash Transfers Can Transform Humanitarian Aid, London, 15 September 2015 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

Seminar Series: Centre for Refugee Studies, Toronto, 17 September-1 December 2015 [info]
- The first seminar will be held 17 September on "Framing Refugee Protection in the context of Forced Migration in South East Asia."

RFP: An Evaluation of UNHCR's Implementation of Three of Its Protection Strategies: The Global Education Strategy, the Updated Strategy of SGBV, and the Child Protection Framework [info]
- The submission deadline is 24 September 2015.

CFP: "Contemporary Migration by Boat and Border Enforcement: The Governance, Representation, Spatialities and Humanitarian Realities of People Migrating by Boat at Sea," Session at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, 29 March-2 April 2016 [info]
- Submit abstracts by 28 September 2015.

October:

CFPs: World Conference on Humanitarian Studies, Addis Ababa, 5-8 March 2016 [info]
- NOTE: This conference was *postponed*; it was originally scheduled to take place in October. The new deadlines for submitting panel and paper proposals are as follows: 1 Oct. 2015 for panels, 25 Dec. 2015 for papers.

CFP: Undesirable and Unreturnable? Policy Challenges around Excluded Asylum-seekers and Other Migrants Suspected of Serious Criminality but Who Cannot be Removed, London, 25-26 January 2016 [info]
- Submit abstracts by 5 October 2015.

Meetings: 66th Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, Geneva, 5-9 October 2015 [info]

Conference: Protection Elsewhere, but Where? National, Regional and Global Perspectives on Refugee Law, Sydney, 20 November 2015 [info]
- Early bird registration deadline is 19 October 2015.

École d’automne sur l’Union européenne: migrations et mobilité de la main-d’œuvre, Québec, 25-30 Octobre 2015 [info]
- Register by 22 October 2015.

Conference: 12th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, Washington, DC, 29 October 2015 [info]

CFP: Children and War: Past and Present, Salzburg, Austria, 13-15 July 2016 [info]
- Submit abstract by 31 October 2015.

Related post:
- Events & Opportunities: Even More August & September 2015

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

CFP/New Issues of ACME, CESifo Econ. Stud., FEX, IJMHSC, ICRC Rev., Migr. Mob. Displ., OxMo, Rts. in Exile News.

CFP:

Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration [info]
- Articles sought for vol. 5, no. 2.  Submission deadline is 30 September 2015.

New issues:

ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies, vol. 14, no. 2 (2015) [open access]
- Features a themed section on "Migration and Activism," which includes the following articles: "An 'Invented People': Palestinian Refugee Women and Meanings of Home," "Stories Told By, For, and About Women Refugees: Engendering Resistance" and "Precarious Lives: Refugees and Asylum Seekers’ Resistance within Unfree Labouring."

CESifo Economic Studies, vol. 61, nos. 3-4 (Sept. 2015) [contents]
- Focus of this volume is on "Migration Policies," and includes "Asylum Policy in the EU: the Case for Deeper Integration" and "Tradable Refugee-admission Quotas and EU Asylum Policy."

Field Exchange, no. 50 (August 2015) [full-text via ReliefWeb]
- This 50th edition includes a mix of articles relating to nutrition programming and research.

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 11, no. 3 (2015) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "Risks and Responses in Addressing the Healthcare Needs of Migrants and Refugees," "Alcohol use among Bhutanese refugees in Nepal" and "Community Health Worker Model: Its implementation and importance in reaching refugee populations in the U.S."

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 96, no. 893 (Spring 2014) [contents]
- Theme is "Scope of the Law in Armed Conflict."

Migration, Mobility & Displacement, vol. 1, no. 1 (June 2015) [open access]
- Inaugural issue of open access journal that focuses on the Asia Pacific region.

Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, vol. 5, no. 1 (Aug. 2015) [full-text]
- "In this issue of OxMo, the Editors of each section have independently selected an array of articles that touch upon the tensions underlying the compulsion to solve 'refugee crises.' ...One set of articles focuses on ways in which states and policymakers attempt to govern human mobility. ...Countering these pieces on increasingly restrictive state practices are narratives that focus on the resistance, resolve, and agency of individuals."

Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 62 (Sept. 2015) [full-text]
- News and information for refugee legal aid providers.

Tagged Periodicals.

Regional Focus: Europe

Syrians in Austria; ©UNHCR/M. Henley

Event: 

Symposium: Rethinking Europe’s Asylum System: Towards Better Protection and Equal Standards, Brussels, 15 September 2015 [info]

Publications:

2,400 Reasons to Care (IRIN, Sept. 2015) [text]

Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014: A Synthesis of Annual Policy Reports 2014 Submitted by EU Member States and Norway (European Migration Network, June 2015) [text via EMN Belgium]

Building a Legal Fence: Amendments to the Hungarian Asylum Law Seriously Endanger Access to Protection (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Aug. 2015) [text]

"Decision-making Processes and Asylum Claims in Europe: An Empirical Analysis of Refugee Characteristics and Asylum Application Outcomes," Decyzje, no. 23 (2015) [full-text]

The Dublin System and the Right to an Effective Remedy (EDAL, Sept. 2015) [text]

*EU Migratory Challenge: Possible Responses to the Refugee Crisis (European Parliamentary Research Service, Sept. 2015) [access]

Europe Doesn't Have a Migrant Crisis, It Has a Syrian Crisis (IRIN, Sept. 2015) [text]

Forced Return Monitoring Systems (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, updated Aug. 2015) [access]

Manuel de Droit Suisse des Migrations: Bases Légales Européennes et Fédérales du Droit Suisse des Etrangers et de l’Asile (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2015) [text via Refworld]

UNHCR Chief Issues Key Guidelines for Dealing with Europe's Refugee Crisis (UNHCR, Sept. 2015) [text]

Why 100,000s of Syrian Refugees are Fleeing to Europe (Order from Chaos Blog, Sept. 2015) [text]

Web sites: 

EU MED Crisis: A Humanitarian Emergency (Statewatch) [access]
- "This Observatory covers the arrival of migrants and the reactions and failures within the EU (both governmental and within communities)."

*Refugees/Migrants Emergency Response: Mediterranean (UNHCR) [access]
- "UNHCR has launched a comprehensive data portal on the Mediterranean refugee and migrant situation and the various responses. The portal contains data, statistical information, maps, reports, situation updates, and other information." (HT to Migrants at Sea)

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (2 Sept. 2015)

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

Thematic Focus: Health (General)

"Audit of Antenatal Screening for Syphilis and HIV in Migrant and Refugee Women on the Thai-Myanmar Border: A Descriptive Study," F1000Research, 3:123 (May 2015) [open access]

Cost of Exclusion from Healthcare: The Case of Migrants in an Irregular Situation (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Sept. 2015) [text]

Cut Off from Care: The Health Crisis of Populations Displaced by Conflict, Washington, DC, 25 June 2015 [info]
- Follow the link for podcasts and transcripts of conference presentations.

"Developing Institutional Capacity for Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings: A Descriptive Study," PLoS ONE 10(9): e0137412 (Sept. 2015) [open access]

"Effect of Restricting Access to Health Care on Health Expenditures among Asylum-Seekers and Refugees: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Germany, 1994-2013," PLoS ONE 10(7): e0131483 (July 2015) [open access]

"High HIV Prevalence among Asylum Seekers Who Gave Birth in the Netherlands: A Nationwide Study Based on Antenatal HIV Tests," PLoS ONE 10(8): e0134724 (Aug. 2015) [open access]

"Overcoming Language Barriers in Community-based Research with Refugee and Migrant Populations: Options for Using Bilingual Workers," BMC International Health & Human Rights, 14:11 (April 2014) [open access]

"A Pilot Study of a Portable Hand Washing Station for Recently Displaced Refugees during an Acute Emergency in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia," Conflict and Health, 9:26 (Aug. 2015) [open access]

Related posts:
- Thematic Focus: Maternal, Child & Reproductive Health (11 Aug. 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Health (General) (22 July 2015)

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of JRS

The latest issue of the Journal of Refugee Studies (JRS) has been published. Contents of vol. 28, no. 3, Sept. 2015 include:

• Searching for Directions: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges in Researching Refugee Journeys [abstract]
• Refugee Health and Wellbeing: Differences between Urban and Camp-Based Environments in Sub-Saharan Africa [abstract] [ResearchGate]
• The Resilient Voter? An Exploration of the Effects of Post-Election Violence in Kenya’s Internally Displaced Persons Camps [abstract]
• Becoming (Im)Perceptible: Forced Migrants and Virtual Practice [abstract] [Academia.edu]
• Factors Influencing Contraception Awareness and Use: The Experiences of Young African Australian Mothers [abstract] [ResearchGate]
• Social Engineering for Reintegration: Peace Villages for the ‘Uprooted’ Returnees in Burundi [abstract] [Academia.edu]
• From Bottom-Up to Top-Down: The ‘Pre-History’ of Refugee Livelihoods Assistance from 1919 to 1979 [abstract] [related conf. presentation]

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: Women/Gender-based Violence

"Abbott’s Offshore Catastrophe: How Australia’s Treatment of Refugee Women Echoes an Older Violence," New Matilda, 20 Aug. 2015 [text]

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Gender-based Violence Prevention Programs with Refugees in Chad, Malaysia, and Uganda (Social Impact, Inc.) (U.S. Dept. of State, Oct. 2014) [access]
- Follow link for summary and further links to action plan and evaluation reports.

Falling at Each Hurdle: Credibility Assessments in Women’s Asylum Claims (Asylum Aid, June 2015) [access]
- Follow link for video.

Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Crises, Online Consultation, 6 Aug. 2015 [access]
- Follow link for video.

Guidelines for Integrating Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing Risk, Promoting Resilience and Aiding Recovery (Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Aug. 2015) [text]

"Note: Domestic Violence and American Asylum Law: The Complicated and Convoluted Road Post Matter of A-R-C-G-," Connecticut Journal of International Law, vol 30, no. 2 (2015) [access]

South Sudan/Gender Based Violence Research on Sexual Assault: Doro, Yusuf Batil, Kaya and Gendrassa Refugee Camps in Maban (Danish Refugee Council, Aug. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

 U.S. Marriage Equality Decision Highlights Disparity in Forced Marriage Asylum Adjudication (IntLawGrrls, July 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Women & Children (3 July 2015)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Durable Solutions

Opportunity:

CFP: Forced Migration Review [info]
- Articles sought for upcoming issue with theme of "Thinking Ahead: Displacement, Transition and Solutions." Submission deadline is 11 January 2016.

Publications:

"Changing How We Measure Success in Resettlement," Forced Migration Review, no. 50 (Sept. 2015) [open access]

Durable Solutions for Refugees Prove Elusive (IRIN, July 2015) [text]

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Humanitarian Engagement and Programming in Promoting Local Integration of Refugees in Zambia, Tanzania, and Cameroon (Development & Training Services, Inc.) (U.S. Dept. of State, Dec. 2014 [access]
- Follow link for summary and further links to an action plan and four evaluation reports.

Intentions Survey on Durable Solutions: Voices of Internally Displaced Persons in Georgia (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]

"Launch of a Voluntary Repatriation Program of Refugees from Kenya to Somalia," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 62 (Sept. 2015) [full-text]

Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration (PRIO, 2015) [text]
- Information about the final conference held for this project is available here.

Repatriation as a Controversial Concept: The Case of Somali Refugees in Kenya, Research Paper (Univ. of Ottawa, July 2015) [text]

Resettlement Fact Sheet 2014 (UNHCR, June 2015) [text]

"Return to Exile: Critical Continuities of Displacement Following Refugee Resettlement to a Third Country," Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, vol. 5, no. 1 (2015) [full-text]

Solution Strategies, 63rd Meeting of the Standing Committee, UN Doc. No. EC/66/SC/CRP.15 (EXCOM, June 2015) [text]

"Two Sides of the Same Coin: Factors that Support and Challenge the Wellbeing of Refugees Resettled in a Small Urban Centre," Health & Place, vol. 35 (2015) [full-text via Academa.edu]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Durable Solutions (7 July 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items

Events & opportunities:

CFP: Undesirable and Unreturnable? Policy Challenges around Excluded Asylum-seekers and Other Migrants Suspected of Serious Criminality but Who Cannot be Removed, London, 25-26 January 2016 [info]
- See also documents from this project's preliminary workshop below. Submit abstracts by 5 October 2015.

Seminars: 6th International Refugee Law Seminar Series, London, Oct. 2015-Jan. 2016 [info]
- The first seminar, "Access to Protection in the EU," will be held 23 October 2015.

Publications:

Boat Turn-backs in Australia, the United States and Italy: Parliamentary Interference, Judicial Interpretation and Regional Regulation (Asylum Insight, Aug. 2015) [text]

"A Fragmented Landscape of Protection," Forced Migration Review, no. 50 (Sept. 2015) [open access]

High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges, Geneva, 16-17 December 2015 [info]
- This year's theme is "Understanding and Addressing Root Causes of Displacement." Here is a preliminary concept paper.

"Inconsistency in Asylum Appeal Adjudication," Forced Migration Review, no. 50 (Sept. 2015) [open access]

"Military Service Evasion as Grounds for Refugee Status: The Case of Syria," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 62 (Sept. 2015) [full-text]

"The Obligations of the State of Origin of Refugees: An Appraisal of a Traditionally Neglected Issue," Connecticut Journal of International Law, vol 30, no. 2 (2015) [access]

Undesirable and Unreturnable? Policy Challenges around Excluded Asylum Seekers and Other Migrants Suspected of Serious Criminality but Who Cannot be Removed, Amsterdam, 27 March 2015 [info]
- Follow link to access individual papers and a workshop report.

What is “Persecution”? (The Asylumist Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items (5 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

New Issue of FMR

The latest issue of Forced Migration Review (FMR) is now available.  Issue no. 50 focuses on "Dayton +20: Bosnia and Herzegovina Twenty Years on from the Dayton Peace Agreement."  Here is the description:

"Twenty years on from the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in November 1995, the consequences of conflict – including the long-term effects of displacement – are still being felt in the Western Balkans. FMR 50 examines the case of people who were displaced from and within Bosnia and Herzegovina as a result of the 1992-95 war, and reflects on the lessons that may be drawn from the successes and failures of the Agreement. FMR 50 includes 20 articles on ‘Dayton +20’, plus five ‘general’ articles."

Readers can access FMR articles individually, via the expanded contents feature, or as a complete issue. Back issues of FMR are available here.

Tagged Periodicals.

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Event: 

How Cash Transfers Can Transform Humanitarian Aid, London, 15 September 2015 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

Publications:

Bright Ideas for Better Aid (IRIN, Aug. 2015) [text]

Cash and Voucher in Relief and Recovery: Red Cross Red Crescent Good Practices (IFRC, Jan. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Cash Transfer Programming Toolkit (Mercy Corps, Aug. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Crowdfunding for Emergencies, Policy & Study Series, no. 16 (OCHA, Aug. 2015) [text]

An End in Sight: Multi-year Planning to Meet and Reduce Humanitarian Needs in Protracted Crises, Policy & Study Series, no. 15 (OCHA, July 2015) [text]

Eyes Wide Shut: The Challenge of Humanitarian Biometrics (IRIN, Aug. 2015) [text]

Face of World Humanitarian Summit to Step Down (IRIN, Aug. 2015) [text]

Financial Services Primer for Humanitarians (Cash Learning Partnership, Aug. 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Guidelines for Integrating Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing Risk, Promoting Resilience and Aiding Recovery (Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Aug. 2015) [text]

Humanitarian Evidence: Going Beyond Good Intentions in Reshaping Aid (Oxfam, Tufts University, et al., Aug. 2015) [text via FIC]

Improving Humanitarian Aid: One Former Refugee's Perspective (RI Blog, Aug. 2015) [text]

Mapping Evidence Syntheses in the Humanitarian Sector: Insights and Challenges (Oxfam, July 2015) [text]

Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action (Age and Disability Capacity Building Programme, 2015) [text via ReliefWeb]

Related posts:
- News: World Humanitarian Day (19 Aug. 2015)
- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (13 Aug. 2015)


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Africa

"Cessation of Rwandan Refugee Status: Two Years On," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 62 (Sept. 2015) [full-text]

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Humanitarian Engagement and Programming in Promoting Local Integration of Refugees in Zambia, Tanzania, and Cameroon (Development & Training Services, Inc.) (U.S. Dept. of State, Dec. 2014 [access]
- Follow link for summary and further links to an action plan and four evaluation reports.

A Review of the Normative Framework in Kenya relating to the Protection of IDPs - In the Context of the Kampala Convention and Other Supranational Frameworks  (IDMC, Aug. 2015) [text]

"The State of Freedom of Movement for Refugees in Tanzania: An Overview," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 62 (Sept. 2015) [full-text]

Strategies for Adopting the National Policy on IDPs and Domesticating in Nigeria the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of IDPs in Africa (SSRN, Aug. 2015) [text]

Towards a Comprehensive Response to Internal Displacement in Kenya: A Roadmap for Action (IDMC, Aug. 2015) [text]

The True Human Rights Situation in Eritrea: The New UK Home Office Guidance as a Political Instrument for the Prevention of Migration, Working Paper, no. 14 (Refugee Law Initiative, July 2015) [text]

UNHCR Welcomes Signing of South Sudan Peace Deal as Refugee and IDP Numbers Surpass 2.6 Million Mark (UNHCR, Aug. 2015) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Africa (18 Aug. 2015)

Tagged Publications.