23 December 2008

Happy Holidays

This is my last post for the next week or so. I'll sign in again in 2009.

Best wishes for the holiday season.

Publications: Civilians/Sri Lanka, Forced Migration/Uganda, Humanit. Top 10, Iraqi Refugees, Minorities/Iraq, Protection/Darfur, Unacc. Minors/Greece

Besieged, Displaced, Detained: The Plight of Civilians in Sri Lanka’s Vanni Region (HRW, Dec. 2008) [text]

Challenging Choices: Protection and Livelihoods in Darfur (HPG, Dec. 2008) [access]

'Forced Migration' in Karamoja Uganda (Africa Leadership Institute, Dec. 2008) [access]

Left to Survive: Systematic Failure to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Greece (HRW, Dec. 2008) [text]

Minorities, Displacement and Iraq's Future (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2008) [text]

Top Ten Humanitarian Crises of 2008 (MSF, Dec. 2008) [access]

"Why Many Iraqi Refugees Who Want to Settle in Detroit Are Being Sent Elsewhere," U.S. News & World Report, 23 Dec. 2008 [text]

Posted in Publications.

Upcoming Events: January & February 2009

8th International Association of Refugee Law Judges World Conference, 28-30 January 2009, Cape Town [draft programme]
- Theme is "Where to now: Charting the future course of international protection."

Environmental Change and Migration: Evidence and Developing Norms for Response, 8-9 January 2009, Oxford [info.]

RSC Short Course on Psychosocial Responses to Conflict and Forced Migration, 7-8 February 2009, Oxford [info.]

RSC Short Course on Statelessness, 9-11 January 2009, Oxford [info.]

World Conference of Humanitarian Studies, 4-8 February 2009, Groningen, The Netherlands [info.]

Posted in Events & Opportunities.

Iraq Resources

Coming Home: The Challenge of Return for Iraq’s Displaced, USIP, 19 Dec. 2008 [info.]
- Past event; watch for transcript and/or podcast.

"For Iraqi Refugees in America, the Recession Makes It Even Harder to Find Jobs," U.S. News and World Report, 22 Dec. 2008 [text]
- News story.

How to Confront the Iraqi Refugee Crisis: A Blueprint for the New Administration (Human Rights First, Dec. 2008) [text]
- Report.

Iraq: Humanitarian Profile (ReliefWeb, Dec. 2008) [access]
- Map.

Iraq Report (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Dec. 2008) [text]
- Report.

Symposium: Rethinking the Future: The Next Five Years in Iraq [full-text]
- Journal issue; includes article on Iraq's displaced.

Posted in Publications.

22 December 2008

Publications: African Migration, Asylum Policy/EU, Detention, Displaced Children/Education, Rohingya, Western Sahara

Amnesty International's Recommendations to the Czech Presidency of the EU (Amnesty International, Dec. 2008) [text]

Conflict, Disasters, and No Jobs: Reasons for International Migration from Sub-Saharan Africa, Research Paper No. 2008/85 (UNU-WIDER, Oct. 2008) [text via Human Security Gateway]

ECRE Information Note on the Returns Directive (ECRE, Dec. 2008) [access]

Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps: Morocco/Western Sahara/Algeria (HRW, Dec. 2008) [access]

Memorandum to the Czech Presidency - "Redefining the building blocks of the Common European Asylum System" (ECRE, Dec. 2008) [access]

Migration-related Detention: A Global Concern (Amnesty International, Dec. 2008) [text]

Protecting Displaced Children in Emergencies and Preparing for the Future: The Role of Education, Summary of Seminar (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Nov. 2008) [text]

Rohingya: Burma's Forgotten Minority (Refugees International, Dec. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

19 December 2008

CFP: Human Rights of People on the Move

A call for papers has been issued by the Human Rights University Network-Sur and UNHCR for a special issue of Sur's International Journal on Human Rights on the "Human Rights of People on the Move: Migrants and Refugees." The deadline for submissions is 30 January 2009.

Posted in Events & Opportunities.

Asylum and Environmental Refugees

A reader of this blog posed a question as a comment on an older post relating to environmental refugees. Rather than have it get lost in the shuffle, I thought I'd build a post around it.

"Has anyone come across research linking national asylum policies to the often misconceived perception of environmental refugees in international politics?"

For context, I've listed a few articles below that consider 1) what international protection currently exists for people who are environmentally displaced, both internally and externally; and 2) whether or not a person displaced for environmental reasons qualifies as a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention definition and/or a person of concern under UNHCR's mandate.

"Climate Change and Displacement: Legal and Normative Frameworks," Forced Migration Review, no. 31 (2008) [text]

Climate change, natural disasters and human displacement: a UNHCR perspective (UNHCR, Oct. 2008) [text]

Environmental Causes and Consequences of Migration: A Search for the Meaning of "Environmental Refugees," Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, vol. 16, no. 2 (Winter 2004) [text]

"Environmental Refugees: Meeting the Requirements of the Refugee Definition," Environmental Law Journal, vol. 6, no. 2 (1997) [text]

"The protection of environmentally-displaced persons in international law," Environmental Law, vol. 37 (Spring 2007) [text]

"Turning the Tide: Recognizing Climate Change Refugees in International Law," Law & Policy, vol. 30, no. 4 (Oct. 2008) [abstract]

As for the national/regional level: With the current trend of governments placing limits on asylum, one would not expect existing national policies to be readily extended to the environmentally-displaced. This appears to be the conclusion drawn in this paper, which examines the status of environmental refugees under Australian law. However, states do offer other forms of temporary/subsidiary/complementary protection, which might cover people fleeing an environmental disaster. This writer is undertaking research on the question "Can the expected increase of climate refugees receive subsidiary protection within the existing legal framework of the European Union? A case study of the Qualification Directive." (He also tentatively concludes in this post that there is "not much protection for climate refugees in the EU.")

This Feb. 2009 symposium will look, in part, at "US immigration policies and their impact on environmentally induced migration" and "a comparison of US policies to those of other countries." Proceedings will be published in a future issue of the Fordham Environmental Law Review, so this is something to keep an eye out for.

I would be happy to post any other relevant references that readers wish to share.

Posted in Publications.

18 December 2008

Publications: Climate Change, EU Asylum, HIV Care/Kenya, UK Asylum, UK Border Controls

Asylum Matters: Restoring Trust in the UK Asylum System (Centre for Social Justice, Dec. 2008) [text]

Climate of Displacement, Climate for Protection?, DIIS Brief (Danish Institute for International Studies, Dec. 2008) [access]

ECRE Comments on EU plans to establish a European Asylum Support Office (EASO) (ECRE, Dec. 2008) [access]

"A Europe Without Barriers": UNHCR's Recommendations to the Czech Republic for its European Union Presidency (January - June 2009) (UNHCR, Dec. 2008) [text]

"Providing HIV care in the aftermath of Kenya's post-election violence: Medecins Sans Frontieres' lessons learned January - March 2008," Conflict and Health 2:15 (Dec. 2008) [text]

Remote Controls: How UK Border Controls are Endangering the Lives of Refugees (Refugee Council, Dec. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

16 December 2008

New Issues of AJEM, CS&D, Disasters, E&RS, FMR, IJMHSC, JHA, REMI

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 23, no. 4 (Nov. 2008) [full-text]
- Focus is on risk assessment.

Conflict, Security and Development, vol. 8, no. 4 (2008) [contents]
- Focus is on "decentralization and conflict."

Disasters, vol. 33, no. 1 (Jan. 2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including a review of literature relating to the health effects of post-disaster relocation.

Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 32, no. 1 (2009) [contents]
- Special issue on migration; includes an article on asylum seekers in Scotland.

Forced Migration Review Special Supplement, "Islam, Human Rights and Displacement" (Dec. 2008) [info; online text will be available soon]

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 4, no. 2 (Oct. 2008) [contents, sample article]
- Mix of articles including one on refugee communities in Sri Lanka.

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (Dec. 2008) [full-text]
- Three articles by Oxfam on the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, vol. 24, no. 2 (2008) [contents]
- Theme is "Pratiques transnationales - mobilité et territorialités."

Posted in Periodicals.

13 December 2008

RSC Policy Briefings

The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) has launched a new Policy Briefing series. The first title available is "Environmentally Displaced People: Understanding the Linkages between Environmental Change, Livelihoods and Forced Migration" (Nov. 2008). Read more about these briefings on page 3 of the RSC Newsletter, another new publication endeavor.

Posted in Publications.

12 December 2008

Publications: Cyprus, Employment Policy/Disabled Persons, Family Reunification, Food Insecurity, Human Trafficking, Sexual Orientation, Somalia

(updated)

Family Reunification: A Right for Forced Migrants?, Working Paper no. 51 (RSC, Dec. 2008) [text]

Legal Response to Human Trafficking Series (ABA, Dec. 2008) [access]
- Available are three texts that provide guidance to attorneys working on human trafficking cases in the U.S.

Report by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, following his visit to the Republic of Cyprus on 7-10 July 2008. Issues reviewed: Asylum, Detention of Migrants and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Cyprus (COE, Dec. 2008) [text]

"So Much to Fear": War Crimes and the Devastation of Somalia (HRW, Dec. 2008) [text]

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008 (FAO, Dec. 2008) [access]

UNHCR Guidance Note on Refugee Claims Relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (UNHCR, Nov. 2008) [text]

UNHCR Policy on the Employment of Persons with Disabilities (UNHCR, Nov. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

11 December 2008

Protracted Refugee Situations Meeting

A UNHCR-sponsored two-day meeting of governmental and non-governmental representatives opened yesterday in Geneva. Here is the the High Commissioner's opening statement. Also available is the just-released "Protracted Refugee Situations: High Commissioner's Initiative" (Dec. 2008), which proposes action plans for dealing with long-term Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Eritrean refugees in eastern Sudan, Croatian and Bosnian refugees in Serbia, and Burundian refugees in Tanzania. (Also in French.) See also the discussion paper prepared for the meeting (in English, Arabic and French).

For additional information on this theme, visit this document collection.

Posted in Events and Publications.

09 December 2008

Legal Resources

i.lex: The Legal Research System for International Law in U.S. Courts (American Society of International Law)
- Described as an "online database of select U.S. court cases and related materials...designed to serve as a practical resource for members of the judiciary and other legal professionals to identify and understand how international law is interpreted and applied by U.S. courts at both the federal and state level." Search by topic (e.g., "refugee and asylum law"), jurisdiction, treaty (e.g., "Convention relating to the Status of Refugees"), or statute (e.g., "Immigration and Nationality Act"). Users can also search by keyword.

Lexis Web (LexisNexis)
- Search engine for selected authoritative legal-oriented web sites. Read the user guide for search tips.

State Responses to Immigration: A Database of All State Legislation (Migration Policy Institute)
- Described as a "free, searchable data tool designed to generate information about all immigration-related bills and resolutions introduced in state legislatures." Search by region/state, legislative typology, bill status, year, or subject. There is also a report on that looks at state immigration legislation in 2007.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

08 December 2008

Publications: Asylum/Ireland, Asylum/U.S., Borders/Europe, Darfur, Illegal Migration/Central & Eastern Europe, Iraqi Refugees

2007 Yearbook on Illegal Migration, Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe (ICMPD, 2008) [abstract]
- Note: The 2003 and 2006 Yearbooks are available in full-text.

Handbook on Immigration and Asylum in Ireland 2007, Research Series no. 5 (Economic and Social Research Institute, Oct. 2008) [access]

How to Repair the U.S. Asylum System: Blueprint for the Next Administration (Human Rights First, Dec. 2008) [text]

Rhetoric vs. Reality: The Situation in Darfur (Save Darfur & Human Rights Watch, Dec. 2008) [text]

Services at Borders: A Practical Co-operation. Final Report (Italian Council for Refugees et al., 2008) [text]

Top 10 Issues of 2008: Issue #10 — Struggles of Iraqi Refugees Continue (Migration Information Source, Dec. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

04 December 2008

Research/Policy Papers: Bhutanese/Nepal, EU Refugee Protection, IDPs/Colombia, Returnees/Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, UNHCR in Kosovo

New titles:

Ibáñez, Ana María and Andrea Velásquez, Public Policies to Assist Internally Displaced Persons: The Role of Municipal Authorities, Occasional Paper (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2008) [text]

McKittrick, Ann, UNHCR as an Autonomous Organization: Complex Operations and the Case of Kosovo, Working Paper Series, no. 50 (RSC, Nov. 2008) [text]

Older titles:

Banki, Susan, Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal: Anticipating the Impact of Resettlement, Briefing Paper (A Place to Call Home Research Project, June 2008) [text]

Harpviken, Kristian Berg, From “Refugee Warriors” to “Returnee Warriors”: Militant Homecoming in Afghanistan and Beyond, Global Migration and Transnational Politics
Working Paper no. 5 (Center for Global Studies, March 2008) [text]

Lang, Hazel and Anita Knudsen, Sri Lanka - Protracted Conflict: Protection Challenges for Humanitarian Agencies, Briefing Paper (A Place to Call Home Research Project, June 2008) [text]

Lax, Violeta Moreno, Must EU Borders Have Doors for Refugees? On the Compatibility of Schengen Visas with EU Member States’ Obligations to Provide International Protection to Refugees, CRIDHO Working Paper 2008-3 (Interdisciplinary Research Cell in Human Rights, 2008) [text]
- See also abstract of article with the same title in European Journal of Migration and Law.

Posted in Publications.

03 December 2008

Publications: Asylum/EU, Durable Solutions/IDPs, Elderly/Emergencies, Refugees/Australia, Women Asylum Seekers

Durable Solutions for IDPs in Protracted Situations: Three Case Studies (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Oct. 2008) [text]

Face the Facts 2008: Some Questions and Answers about Indigenous Peoples, Migrants and Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Australian Human Rights Commission, Oct. 2008) [text]

Older persons in emergencies: An active ageing perspective (WHO, 2008) [access to Eng. and French texts]
- See also "Older people in emergencies: considerations for action and policy development" (2008)

Putting the asylum seekers at the heart of a human and fair procedure: the EU Commission proposes to modify the Common European Asylum System (Europa, Dec. 2008) [text]
- See also ECRE's response.

Relocation, Relocation: The Impact of Internal Relocation on Women Asylum Seekers (Asylum Aid, Nov. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

02 December 2008

Expanded Refugee Law Reader

The fifth edition of the Refugee Law Reader is now available. This resource is "designed to provide a full curriculum for a 48-hour course in International Refugee Law and contains over 700 documents and materials." This expanded version now includes "sections on international and regional frameworks of refugee law, covering Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America."

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

FMO's Open Access Repository

The Forced Migration Online (FMO) team has just completed a project to migrate its full-text documents and journals collection to an open access repository. Before this move occurred, the information was housed in a structured, proprietary database that had its own search engine and was more difficult to maintain and update. Now, while the content has stayed the same, it is much easier and faster to search and it is more open to being discovered by web search engines like Google. This development also means that all FMO resources across the web site are now searchable, via one standard search interface.

To search just the document/journal collection, go to the advanced search page. One caveat: Currently, journals can only be searched via the "full text" option; in the future, they will be searchable by field as well (i.e., title, author, publication year, etc.). So, for example, enter "kakuma" in the title field, and you will retrieve five documents. Enter "kakuma refugee camp" in the full-text field, and you will retrieve 80 items, a mix of documents and journal issues.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

01 December 2008

Three Research Guides

Here are three recent guides that are designed to help with different facets of the research process:

Guide to Locating Migration Policies in the European Commission, 2nd ed. (Migration Policy Group, Oct. 2008) [access]
- This guide helps readers to locate migration policy measures in the rather complex machinery of the European Commission.

Immigration Data Matters (Population Reference Bureau & Migration Policy Institute, Oct. 2008) [text]
- Points readers to the best online sources for U.S. immigration data and international migration data.

Participatory Impact Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners (Feinstein International Center, Oct. 2008) [text]
- "Other than in some health, nutrition, and water interventions in which indicators of project performance should relate to international standards, for many interventions there are no ‘gold standards’ for measuring project impact. For example, the Sphere handbook has no clear standards for food security or livelihoods interventions. This guide aims to bridge this gap
by outlining a tried and tested approach to measuring the impact of livelihoods projects."

Posted in Publications.

29 November 2008

Event: Left in the Dark

On 4 December 2008, ODI, the BBC World Service Trust, and the Humanitarian Practice Network (HPN) will host "Left in the Dark: The Unmet Need for Information in Humanitarian Response." Speakers will discuss the power of information to save lives during disasters and how the humanitarian community can better address the information needs of affected populations.

A BBC World Service Trust policy brief will also be officially launched. Here's a summary and here's the text.

Related resources:
- After Disaster: Information for Life (Oct. 2008) [text]
- Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book (Dec. 2007) [text]
- The Right to Know: The Challenge of Public Informaton and Accountability in Aceh and Sri Lanka (Oct. 2006) [text]
- World Disasters Report 2005: Focus on Information in Disasters [summaries]

Posted in Events and Publications.

New Issue of IJRL

It never fails, as soon as I post a listing of the latest journal issues, then another one pops up! This time it's IJRL:

International Journal of Refugee Law, vol. 20, no. 4 (Dec. 2008) [contents]
- Includes articles on country guidance and asylum in the UK; the responsibility to protect; risk and fear in RSD; the application of the cessation clauses in Australia; and housing rights for asylum seekers in Ireland.

Additional resources relating to the "responsibility to protect" standard:
- The Responsibility to Protect: Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (Dec. 2001) (available in all UN languages)
- The Responsibility to Protect: Research, Bibliography, Background: companion volume to the initial report; this web site provides access to the contents of this volume; "[t]he first part contains background research in the form of nine substantial research essays; the second part is a comprehensive new bibliography; and the third, about the Commission, contains background information on how the Commission functioned and summaries of the consultations held around the world during its year-long mandate."
- R@PCS web site: project of the Institute of Global Policy that "works to advance Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and to promote concrete policies to better enable governments, regional organizations and the U.N. to protect vulnerable populations."

Posted in Periodicals and Web Sites/Tools.

28 November 2008

New Issues of Citizen. Studies, FEX, Intl. Mig., JIRS, Mig. Letters, Torture

Citizenship Studies, vol. 12, no. 6 (2008) [contents]
- Special issue on "Europeanization and migration: challenging the values of citizenship in Europe?"

Field Exchange, no. 34 (Oct. 2008) [full-text]
- Focus is on infant and young child feeding in emergencies.

International Migration, vol. 46, no. 5 (Dec. 2008) [contents]
- Articles discuss health and disease in diasporas.

Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, vol. 6, no. 4 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on human trafficking into the U.S.

Migration Letters, vol. 5, no. 2 (Oct. 2008) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Torture Journal, vol. 18, no. 2 (2008) [full-text]
- Mix of articles including one on the health status of asylum-seekers in Denmark.

Posted in Periodicals.

26 November 2008

Spotlight on Kakuma

Final word on Kakuma?

by Jeff Crisp
26 Nov. 2008

Regular readers of the Forced Migration Current Awareness blog will have realized by now that of all the refugee camps in the world, Kakuma in north-west Kenya receives by far the most attention from researchers, journalists, diplomats and other visitors. How can we explain this phenomenon?

There would appear to be a number of answers.

First, while Kakuma (like many refugee camps) is to be found in a remote, isolated and somewhat dangerous location, Kenya itself is well connected to Europe and the USA and is the centre of East Africa's transportation network. In addition, Kakuma is a reasonably short flight (or a much longer but still manageable drive) from the capital city of Nairobi. It is thus more accessible than many other refugee camps in Africa.

Second, Kakuma is a relatively stable camp. Refugees have come and gone for many years, but the camp itself has remained, as have the many humanitarian organizations that work with the refugees (most of whom are Sudanese) accommodated there. Moreover, while the residents of Kakuma are undoubtedly confronted with many intense daily hardships, the camp is not without hope: the education and training programmes available in Kakuma, for example, are renowned throughout the region, while Kakuma's lively market attests to the fact that at least some of the refugees living there have access to cash and are able to purchase consumer goods. In this respect, Kakuma presents relatively few moral dilemmas for the foreign visitor, especially when compared to an IDP camp in Darfur or DRC.

Third, Kenya is an English-speaking country and a good proportion of the Sudanese (and other) refugees living there, as well as the local population, are able to converse in that language. This makes research and 'fact finding' considerably easier for expatriates. At the same time, Kakuma has an exotic tinge, derived from the very distinctive cultures of both the Sudanese sub-groups represented in the camp (Nuer, Dinka, etc.) as well the local Turkana population. Global interest in Kakuma has also been sparked and sustained by the arrival and subsequent resettlement of the 'lost boys' of Sudan, young refugees who came to the camp after a long and arduous journey from their homeland, many of them transiting through Ethiopia.

Finally, while refugee researchers sometimes complain about the fact that they are denied access to refugee camps by the authorities and/or UNHCR, that does not seem to be the case in relation to Kakuma. Dozens, hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of visitors have passed through the camp since it was established, and many of them have left a written record of their visit. No doubt they will continue to do so.

Publications: Asylum, Children/CAR & DRC, Climate Change, EU, Iraqi Refugees/EU, Palestinian Refugees/Iraq, Protracted Ref. Situations

"Asylum: A New Perspective," 9th Annual Harrell-Bond Lecture (RSC, Nov. 2008) [text]

Climate change, natural disasters and human displacement: a UNHCR perspective (UNHCR, Oct. 2008) [text]
- See also related web pages.

"The EU's failed asylum rules," International Herald Tribune, 20 Nov. 2008 [text]

From Fast Death to Slow Death: Palestinian Refugees from Iraq Trapped on the Syria-Iraq Border. Summary Report of an International NGO Delegation (Refugees International, Nov. 2008) [text]

Protracted Refugee Situations: A discussion paper prepared for the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges, UNHCR/DPC/2008/Doc. 02 (UNHCR, Nov. 2008) [text]
- See also provisional agenda for upcoming HC Dialogue.

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, S/2008/693 (UN, Nov. 2008) [access via UN Pulse]

State of Neglect: Displaced Children in the Central African Republic (IDMC, Nov. 2008) [English text] [French text]

Stuck in a Revolving Door: Iraqis and Other Asylum Seekers and Migrants at the Greece/Turkey Entrance to the European Union (HRW, Nov. 2008) [text]
- Also available in Greek and Turkish.

Posted in Publications.

25 November 2008

International Studies Association Papers

(updated)

In my last post, I included a reference to a paper housed in the International Studies Association (ISA) archive. These annual meetings regularly include presentations relating to forced migration issues. For example, search on "refugee* or displace*" and you will come up with 26 references just for the 2008 ISA conference alone. The archive includes papers as of the 2004 meeting. See also the web site for the Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Section (ENMISA) of ISA. The next ISA convention will be 15-18 February 2009 in New York City. The theme is "Exploring the Past, Anticipating the Future."

Posted in Web Sites/Tools and Events.

Kakuma Continued

The Kakuma references continue, thanks to Jeff Crisp!

Amollo, Maurice O. 2008. The Power of Theatre in Transforming Conflicts at Kakuma Refugee Camp [access]

Bartolomei, Linda, Eileen Pittaway and Emma Elizabeth Pittaway. 2003. "Who Am I? Identity and citizenship in Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya." Development, vol. 46, no. 3: 87-93 [abstract]

Rigg, Julianna. 2006. "Trust in Transition: An Applied Statistical Network Analysis of Trust Networks in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, San Diego, California [access]

Tachiiri, K. & I. Ohta. "Assessing impact of a large-sized refugee camp on the local vegetation condition with remote sensing: a case study of Kakuma, Kenya." In Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2004. IGARSS '04. Proceedings. 2004 IEEE International, 20-24 Sept. 2004, vol. 3, pp: 1547-1550 [abstract]

Posted in Publications.


24 November 2008

Making Research/Policy Recommendations More Visible

Several organizations have recently launched web sites or added sections to their sites devoted to "research" and/or "policy." Here are a few I've noticed:

Human Rights Watch (HRW), "Policy Makers" [access]
- Includes policy recommendations and commentary, as well as regional/topical access to their news and publications. Three additional sections can be accessed: experts, letters and Q&As (the latter was not functional at the time of this writing). RSS available.

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), "Research and Documentation" [access]
- From the web site: "The objective of ICMPD’s research Unit is to further knowledge on migration related issues, to facilitate co-operation and synergy within and beyond the research community and to respond to an increased demand for a more policy relevant research. It has built up a reputation for research on international migration trends, patterns and policies in the wider European context based on comparative analysis. The programme is based on policy oriented, empirical research with an interdisciplinary and international approach."

MSF Field Research [access]
- From the web site: "MSF is well known for its humanitarian medical work, but it has also produced important research based on its field experience with vulnerable populations. Its studies have been published in over 90 peer-reviewed journals and have often changed clinical practice and been used for humanitarian advocacy. This website archives MSF's scientific articles and makes them available free, with full text, and in an easily searchable format." RSS available.

Refugees International (RI), "For Policy Makers" [access]
- RI has always had policy recommendations, but its newly re-organized web site now includes a specific section for policy makers, with the following sub-sections: Congress, UN, US administration, field reports, and in depth reports.

Posted in Web Sites and Tools.

New Issues of Dev. in Practice, EJML, IMR, JRS, Researcher

(updated)

Development in Practice, vol. 18, no. 6 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 10, no. 4 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on the right to seek asylum in Europe and a book review of Forced Migration, Human Rights and Security.

International Migration Review, vol. 42, no. 4 (Dec. 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 21, no. (Dec. 2008) [contents]
- Special issue on "Invisible Displacement."

The Researcher, vol. 3, no. 3 (Nov. 2008) [full-text]
- Mix of articles on immigration and refugee law in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Posted in Periodicals.

21 November 2008

AU Meetings on Forced Displacement in Africa

The African Union recently held several meetings on the challenge of forced displacement in Africa. A group of experts met from 5-7 November 2008 while a ministerial conference convened 10-11 November 2008. For meeting agendas and programmes, visit the November 2008 event archive on the African Union site. See also a conference paper for an overview and a background paper that examined the "Evolution and Current Situation of Forced Displacement in Africa"

Information about the April 2009 Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa was also made available.

Posted in Publications and Events.

20 November 2008

Publications: Disabled Refugees, Donors, Humanitarian Assistance/Yemen, Refugees/Egypt & Israel, Security/Somalia, UN Human Rights

Fatal Insecurity: Attacks on Aid Workers and Rights Defenders in Somalia (Amnesty International, Nov. 2008) [text]
- Available in English and French.

Humanitarian Response Index 2008 (Development Assistance Research Associates, Nov. 2008) [access]
- Overview and summaries available.

Invisible Civilians: The Challenge of Humanitarian Access in Yemen’s Forgotten War (HRW, Nov. 2008) [text]

Sinai Perils: Risks to Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers in Egypt and Israel (HRW, Nov. 2008) [text]

Supporting disabled refugees and asylum seekers: opportunities for new approaches (ICAR & Refugee Support, Nov. 2008) [text]

The United Nations Human Rights System: How to Make It Work for You (NGLS & OHCHR, 2008) [access via UN Pulse]
- Available in English and French.

Posted in Publications.

19 November 2008

More on Kakuma, Relations with Turkana

I was forwarded the first reference below after my last post on Kakuma refugee camp research (thanks, Jeff!). The article focuses more particularly on the relationship that has developed over time between the refugees of Kakuma camp and the Turkana, the host community. I was able to find several additional references to related resources on this issue, and I've listed the titles below.

"The Mobiliser: The demise of a refugee camp might be no tragedy, but what about the death of a town?" Inside Story (22 Oct. 2008) [text]

Kakuma - Turkana, Dueling Struggles: Africa's Forgotten Peoples (Pangaea 2002) [details]

“'It Is Better to Be a Refugee Than a Turkana in Kakuma': Revisiting the Relationship between
Hosts and Refugees in Kenya," Refuge, vol. 21, no. 3 (2003) [text]

"Multiple Socio-Economic Relationships Improvised between the Turkana and Refugees in Kakuma Area, Northwestern Kenya," Chapter 9 in Displacement Risks in Africa: Refugees, Resettlers and Their Host Population (Trans Pacific Press, 2005) [preview in Google Books]

Understanding the inter-dependencies between the Turkana and Kakuma refugees: prospective impact of repatriation (Cornell University, 2007) [details]

In the course of looking for items relating specifically to Kakuma/Turkana relations, I came across these two additional references to Kakuma refugees generally:

"Kakuma," Chapter 2 in The Longest Journey: Resettling Refugees from Africa (UNSW Press, 2006) [preview in Google Books]

"Rights and Refuge in Kakuma: An Inquiry into the Management of Humanitarian Assistance in Protracted Refugee Situations in Africa," Chapter 1 in Refugee Crisis and International Response: Towards Permanent Solutions? (Leon Koźmiński Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, 2005) [text]

Posted in Publications.

17 November 2008

New Issues of Afrika Spec., CSD, Dis. Prev. & Mgmt., Gender, Tech, & Dev., HRQ, JEMS, Refugee Rts.

Afrika Spectrum, vol. 43, no. (2008) [contents]
- Special issue on the Horn of Africa; includes articles on the "productivity of refugee camps" and "international aid to refugee camps."

Conflict, Security and Development, vol. 8, no. 3 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including one on "displaced children" and one on "remittance sending practices amongst Somalis in Norway."

Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 17, no. 5 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Gender, Technology and Development, vol. 12, no. 1 (March 2008) [contents]
- Theme issue that focuses on "human trafficking."

Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 4 (Nov. 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 1 (2009) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Refugee Rights News, vol. 4, no. 6 (Oct. 2008) [full-text]

Posted in Periodicals.

15 November 2008

Publications: Burundian Refugees/Tanzania, Burma Youth/Thailand, Detention, Governance/Africa, HIV, State of World Population, Urban IDPs/Kenya

DG ECHO HIV Guidelines (Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid, ECHO, Oct. 2008) [text]

Global Detention Survey: Summary of Findings (International Detention Coalition, Oct. 2008) [access]
- Select "IDCGlobalSurveyFindings.doc" to open the Word document.

Going Home or Staying Home? Ending Displacement for Burundian Refugees in Tanzania, Citizenship and Forced Migration in the Great Lakes Region Working Paper, no. 1 (Centre for the Study of Forced Migration, International Refugee Rights Initiative & Social Science Research Council, Nov. 2008) [text]

Ibrahim Index of African Governance (Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Oct. 2008) [access]

Living in Limbo: Burma's Youth in Thailand (Women's Commission, Oct. 2008) [text]

Special Bulletin on Urban IDPs (Refugee Law Project, Oct. 2008) [text]

State of World Population 2008 - Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights (UNFPA, 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

14 November 2008

November Events

Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights, Kuala Lumpur, 20-21 November 2008 [access]
- Organized by Forum Asia.

Beyond Humanitarianism in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Washington, DC, 19 November 2008 [access]
- Public event organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Causes of Forced Migration and Systemic Responses: Human Rights of the Displaced in Ethical, Religious, and Political Perspectives, Boston College, 20-22 November 2008 [access]
- Conference organized by the Center for Human Rights & International Justice in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service and Catholic Relief Services.

Palestinian Refugees and International Law, Oxford, 29–30 November 2008 [access]
- Two-day weekend workshop organized by the Refugee Studies Centre.

UNU Panel Discussion: Protracted Refugee Situations, New York, 25 November 2008 [access]
- Findings of recent book on this issue will be discussed.

Posted in Events & Opportunities.

Spotlight on Protracted Displacement Situations

Refugees who have been confined to refugee camps for extended periods are referred to as being "warehoused" or trapped in "protracted refugee situations." Millions of refugees' lives and livelihoods have been left hanging in limbo as a result. The challenge of finding a solution has resulted in a flurry of research and publication, and the convening of high-level meetings.

Two edited volumes have been published this month alone on protracted situations. The first is entitled Protracted Refugee Situations: Political, Human Rights and Security Implications, and is edited by Gil Loescher, James Milner, Edward Newman and Gary Troeller, with contributions from both scholars and practitioners. The book "explore(s) the sources, nature and consequences of these situations and the record of the international community’s attempts to find durable solutions." Its findings will be discussed at a UNU panel in New York, November 25th.

Gil Loescher and James Milner are Co-Directors of the PRS Project: Towards Solutions to Protracted Refugee Situations, based at the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford. Prof. Loescher, Edward Newman and Gary Troeller also took part in a United Nations University project called "The Politics, Human Rights and Security Implications of Protracted Refugee Situations," which resulted in this policy brief.

The second book, Protracted Displacement in Asia: No Place to Call Home, "reviews the situation and results of research and policies that have left refugees as a forgotten group in protracted situations." The editor, Howard Adelman, and several of the contributors have been involved in the research project, A Place to Call Home, which is a joint partnership between the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice & Governance, Griffith University and AUSTCARE.

The second meeting of the High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges will also take up these issues in December, with working groups that focus on such questions as solutions to protracted situations, how to ensure sustainable returns, and providing protection and assistance in protracted situations. A concept paper outlining key discussion points will be available shortly. A diverse collection of UNHCR documents on protracted refugee situations compiled by the Policy Development and Evaluation Section (PDES) is available here.

Finally, an African Union Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa will convene in April 2009 to address "the challenge of forced displacement in Africa" generally. The problem of protracted displacement will be among the issues discussed.

Building on the momentum from all of these activities, the Forced Migration Review (FMR) plans to devote a forthcoming issue to "protracted displacement situations." Interested contributors must submit articles by 19 January 2009.

Many thanks to Jeff Crisp for providing information for this post!

Posted in Events & Opportunities and Publications.

13 November 2008

International Emergency Medicine Current Awareness

In order to promote more timely access to important research, the Emergency Medicine Residents Association (EMRA) recently began producing a quarterly review. This review serves as an update to EMRA's annual survey of research undertaken in the field of international emergency medicine, which was initiated to facilitate access to a scattered literature base.

The three annual literature reviews that have been produced to date have all been published in the journal, Academic Emergency Medicine. References to these can be accessed in my forced migration research guide via the index term "emergency medical care." And this post in my other blog provides a strategy for accessing the actual texts of the literature reviews.

Posted in Publications.

12 November 2008

Kakuma Refugee Camp Research

Since it has been over a year since my last post on Kakuma refugee camp, I thought I'd take a look to see 1) what other information resources have become available in the interim, and 2) what I might have missed the last go-round.

Eidelson, Roy J. & Rebecca Horn. 2008. "Who Wants to Return Home? A Survey of Sudanese Refugees in Kakuma, Kenya." Refuge, vol. 25, no. 1.

Feyissa, Abebe & Rebecca Horn. 2008. "Traveling Souls: Life in a refugee camp, where hearts wander as minds deteriorate." UTNE Reader (Sept.-Oct.). [An earlier version of the article, with photos and related links, was published in the Boston College Magazine. And a chapter by the same author on his experiences as an Ethiopian refugee in Kakuma is included in the book, Refugee Rights: Ethics, Advocacy, and Africa, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, April 2008; preview the book here.]

Horn, Rebecca. 2006. "Kenya: When Resettlement is the Only Long-term Option." Servir, no. 38 (Sept.) : 6-7.

Jansen, Bram J. 2008. "Between vulnerability and assertiveness: Negotiating resettlement in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya." African Affairs, vol. 107, no. 429 (Oct.) : 569-87.
- This abstract notes that the article is based on fieldwork undertaken for a project entitled "Creating space in a 'naked city': violence and identity in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya."

Kamau, Michael, et al. 2004. "Psychiatric Disorders in an African Refugee Camp." Intervention, vol. 2, no. 2.

Mburu, Evans. 2004. "English Language Instruction in Kakuma Camp, Kenya." Refugee Reports, vol. 25, no. 4.

My earlier post on Kakuma elicited a reference to the following thesis:

Schechter, James Alan. 2004. Governing "lost boys": Sudanese refugees in a UNHCR camp. PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Here are a few other theses that have included fieldwork in or case studies on Kakuma:

Kelly, Michele. 2007. The Experiences of Refugee Youth from the Conflicts in the Sudan: A Collective Case Study. PhD, Louisiana State University.

Mutua, Alfred Nganga. 2002. Media for development and democracy: a new paradigm for development incorporating culture and communication. PhD, Univ. of Western Sydney.

Mwangi, Annabel Namik. 2006. Refugees and the state in Kenya : the politics of identity, rights and displacement. D.Phil, Univ. of Oxford.
- No abstract, but a copy is available in the RSC library collection.

Posted in Publications.

11 November 2008

Audiovisual Library of International Law

For reference, I posted a note on my other blog, Researching Refugees, about the UN's recent release of the Audiovisual Library of International Law. It may be of interest to readers here.

Posted in Web Sites & Tools.

10 November 2008

International Migration and Human Rights

The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) will be commemorated one month from today on December 10th. The Global Migration Group has released a report in advance of the anniversary, entitled International Migration and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities on the Threshold of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which "considers the human rights framework governing migration,
arguing that migrants are not simply agents of development, but human beings with rights which States, exercising their sovereign right to determine who enters and remains in their territory, have an obligation to protect" (p. 6). It provides definitions, reviews the legal framework, considers the human rights challenges migrants face, looks at globalization and development issues, discusses migration data, and concludes with key messages.

Posted in Publications.

08 November 2008

Research Papers: Environmentally-induced Migration, IDP Women/Sierra Leone, Subsidiary Protection, Sudanese Migrants/Egypt

Internally Displaced Woman: The Gendered Economy of Return Migration in Sierra Leone, Paper prepared for Development Studies Association Annual Conference, London, 8 Nov. 2008 [access]

Pandemic Preparedness among Sudanese Migrants in Greater Cairo (AUC Center for Migration and Refugee Studies & IOM, Oct. 2008) [text]

Preliminary Findings from the EACH-FOR Project on Environmentally Induced Migration (EACH-FOR Project Consortium, Oct. 2008) [text]

Salah Sheekh is a refugee: New insights into primary and subsidiary forms of protection, Working Paper no. 49 (RSC, Oct. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

06 November 2008

RSQ Bibliographies

Once upon a time, the Refugee Survey Quarterly published bibliographies that related to the special themes highlighted in each issue. Unfortunately, these were discontinued as of volume 27 (2008). However, since the bibliographies represent topical finding aids and as such, are useful for research purposes, I created an index to them in the forced migration wiki I recently compiled.

You will still need to access the journal in order to review the texts of the bibliographies. You can do this by following the Worldcat and journal publisher links in the individual records that describe each bibliography.

Posted in Web Sites & Tools.

05 November 2008

Publications: Disaster-displaced, Human Security, Human Trafficking, North Korea, Private Security Providers

Congress and U.S. Policy on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees: Recent Legislation and Implementation (U.S. Congressional Research Service, Oct. 2008) [text via Human Security Gateway]

Data and Research on Human Trafficking: Bibliography of Research-Based Literature (Institute for the Study of International Migration, Oct. 2008) [text]

miniAtlas of Human Security (Human Security Report Project, Simon Fraser University & World Bank, Oct. 2008) [access]
- Also available in French and Spanish.

"A Tale of Two Disasters: The plight of migrants caught up in Hurricane Katrina and the Asian Tsunami," Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (Nov. 2008) [text]

The use of private security providers and services in humanitarian operations, HPG Report 27 (ODI & Center on International Cooperation, Sept. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

04 November 2008

Arthur Helton Fellowship

The Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program was established by the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in memory of Mr. Helton, who died in the Baghdad bombing of the UN Mission in August 2003. Applications are now being accepted and may continue to be submitted until 13 February 2009. More information and an online application are available on the ASIL web site.

Mr. Helton's last book was The Price of Indifference: Refugees and Humanitarian Action in the New Century (OUP 2002).

Posted in Events & Opportunities.

03 November 2008

Publications: Asylum/Sexual Orientation, Integration, Iraqi Refugees, Peacekeeping, Statistics, UNHCR Report

(updated)

2007 Yearbook on Immigration Statistics (U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, Nov. 2008) [access via beSpacific]

The Difficulties of US Asylum Claims Based on Sexual Orientation (Migration Information Source, Oct. 2008) [text]

Does Deployment Matter? Examining the Conditions under which Peacekeeping Missions Effectively Protect Displaced Persons and Refugees (Ford Institute for Human Security, 2008) [text]

ECRE Recommendations to the 2008 Ministerial Conference on Integration (ECRE, Nov. 2008) [text]

Iraqi Refugees: Plan for Ongoing Support in an Unstable Region (Refugees International, Oct. 2008) [text]

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Doc. no. A/63/12 (UNGA, 2008) [text via UN Pulse]

Posted in Publications.

30 October 2008

Publications: Child Health Care/Emergencies, EXCOM Report, Hum. Action & Older Persons, Migrant Women/Jordan, OECD Factbook

Humanitarian Action and Older Persons: An Essential Brief for Humanitarian Actors (IASC, Oct. 2008) [text via ReliefWeb]

Isolated, Exploited, Abused: Jordan's women migrant domestic workers (Amnesty International, Oct. 2008) [access]

Manual for the Health Care of Children in Humanitarian Emergencies(WHO, Oct. 2008) [text]

OECD Factbook 2008: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics [access]

Report of the fifty-ninth session of the Executive Committee, 6-10 October 2008, Doc. no. A/AC.96/1063 (UNGA, 22 Oct. 2008) [text]
- Includes the General Conclusion on International Protection.

Posted in Publications.

29 October 2008

New Issues of Conflict & Health, ICRC Rev., JHA, JPR, Women's Asylum News

Conflict and Health (23 Oct. 2008) [open access full-text]
- New article on reproductive health for refugees in Guinea.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 90, no. 870 (June 2008) [full-text]
- Focus is on "Sanctions."

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (25 Oct. 2008) [open access full-text]
- New article entitled "Humanitarian Action on the Battlefields of the Global War on Terror."

Journal of Peace Research, vol. 45, no. 6 (Nov. 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Women's Asylum News, no. 78 (Oct./Nov. 2008) [full-text via Refworld]
- Mix of articles.

Posted in Periodicals.

27 October 2008

Publications: EU & Intl. Protection, Impact Assessment, Internal Displacement/Burma, Shelter, Statelessness, West Africa Conf.

Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Accessing Accommodation and Housing Support (Shelter, Oct. 2008) [text]

Futures Denied: Statelessness among Infants, Children and Youth (Refugees International, Oct. 2008) [text]

Impact Assessment of Humanitarian Response: A Review of the Literature (Feinstein International Center, Oct. 2008) [text]

Impact of the EU Qualification Directive on International Protection (ECRE, Oct. 2008) [access]

Internal Displacement and International Law in Eastern Burma (Thailand Burma Border Constortium, Oct. 2008) [text]

Regional Conference on Refugee Protection and International Migration in West Africa, Dakar, Senegal, 13-14 November 2008: Concept Note (UNHCR, Oct. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

24 October 2008

UN Day

October 24th is United Nations Day. It marks the day when the UN Charter went into force in 1945. The following UN information resources have recently been made available:

Yearbook of the United Nations [access]
- The complete collection of yearbooks, from 1946-2005, are now online in full-text. The yearbook reports on the organization's activities in the areas of international peace and security, human rights, economic and social questions (including refugees, displacement and humanitarian assistance), and international law. Select a year to view the text; you can also search within individual editions. Interestingly, the search across all yearbooks is only accessible once you've selected a given yearbook.

United Nations Treaty Collection [access]
- This site provides access to all multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General and the UN Treaty Series. As Intute notes, "It can be used to download full text treaties and check for the latest information on whether certain treaties are in force. "

Other UN resources include:

Official Document System of the United Nations [access]
- Find and download official UN documents and resolutions in multiple languages.

United Nations Office at Geneva Library [access]
- The UNHCR library moved its collection over to the UNOG library earlier this year. Search the catalogue for relevant titles.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

23 October 2008

New Accessions Lists

The Refugee Studies Centre library and the UEL Refugee Council Archives have both circulated accessions lists for the July-September 2008 period. View them here and here.

Posted in Publications.

21 October 2008

Workshop: Environmental Change and Migration

The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the International Migration Institute (IMI) are convening a workshop on "Environmental Change and Migration: Evidence and Developing Norms for Response." It will be held 8-9 January 2009 in Oxford; presentation abstracts can be submitted for consideration through 31 October 1008.

This blog has highlighted a number of publications and resources relating to the issue of environmentally-induced displacement. To review these in preparation for this workshop, just click on the label "climate" and scroll down through the various postings.

Posted in Events.

20 October 2008

New Issues of Conflict & Health, Conflict Trends, EJML, Hum. Exchange, RSQ

Conflict and Health, vol. 2 (Oct. 2008) [full-text]
- Three new articles posted on reproductive services for refugees in Guinea and conflict in the Indian Kashmir (2 parts).

Conflict Trends, no. 3 (2008) [full-text]
- Theme is peacekeeping in Africa.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 10, no. 3 (2008) [contents]
- Includes articles on non-refoulement and refugee protection in Europe.

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 40 (Oct. 2008) [full-text]
- Special feature on Somalia.

Refugee Survey Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 3 (2008) [contents]
- Focuses on "Asylum and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Posted in Periodicals.

17 October 2008

Recent Toolkits: Disseminating Research, Education, Healthy Living, Human Trafficking, Vocational Training

(updated)

Healthy Living Toolkit (USCRI, 2008) [access]

Interactive INEE Minimum Standards Toolkit (Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies & IASC Education Cluster, 2008) [access]

Market Assessment Toolkit for Vocational Training Providers and Youth: Linking Vocational Training Programs to Market Opportunities in Northern Uganda (Women's Commission & Columbia Univ., Sept. 2008) [text]

Toolkit: Disseminating Research Online (Global Development Network, 2008) [access]

Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Oct. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Publications: Burmese Women/Malaysia, Disaster Displaced, DRC Displaced, Human Trafficking, Protection/IDPs, Reinteg./Sudan, Unacc. Minors/Spain

Desperate Lives: Burmese Refugee Women Struggle to Make a Living in Malaysia (Women's Commission, Oct. 2008) [text]

An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008) [text]

The long road home: Opportunities and obstacles to the reintegration of IDPs and refugees returning to Southern Sudan and the Three Areas. Report of Phase II: Conflict, urbanisation and land (HPG, Sept. 2008) [text]

Moving Beyond Rhetoric: Consultation and Participation with Populations Displaced by Conflict or Natural Disasters (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Oct. 2008) [text]

Out of Site: Building better responses to displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by helping host families (Oxfam, Sept. 2008) [text]

Protecting Internally Displaced Persons: A Manual for Law and Policymakers (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Oct. 2008) [text]

Returns at Any Cost: Spain’s Push to Repatriate Unaccompanied Children in the Absence of Safeguards (Human Rights Watch, Oct. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

14 October 2008

Latest UNHCR Publications from EXCOM, PDES, Public Health

Documents/Reports from the 59th Executive Committee Meeting:

- List of documents

- Refugee Realities: Meeting the needs of refugees and other people of concern globally. Global Needs Assessment, Pilot Report (Oct. 2008) [report launched during EXCOM; related web page; press release]

Evaluation Reports from the Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES):

- Evaluation of UNHCR’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in
situations of forced displacement, PDES/2008/08 (Oct. 2008) [text]

- Evaluation of UNHCR's returnee reintegration programme in Southern Sudan, PDES/2008/05 (Sept. 2008) [text]

- Lessons learned from UNHCR's emergency operation for internally displaced persons in Kenya, PDES/2008/06 (Sept. 2008) [text]

- Review of UNHCR's efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking, PDES/2008/07 (Sept. 2008) [text]

- The use of cash grants in UNHCR voluntary repatriation operations: Report of a "lessons learned" workshop, PDES/2008/09 (Sept. 2008) [text]

New Issues in Refugee Research Papers:

- Circular repatriation: the unsuccessful return and reintegration of Iraqis with refugee status in Denmark, no. 165 (Oct. 2008) [text]

- State failure and extra-legal justice: vigilante groups, civil militias and the rule of law in West Africa, no. 166 (Oct. 2008) [text]

Public Health & HIV Section:

- Global Annual Public Health Report 2007 (2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

06 October 2008

Research/Policy Papers: Displacement/DRC, IDPs/Sri Lanka, International Migration, Local Integration

Globalization, poverty and mobility: an introduction to the developmental dimensions of international migration, New Issues in Refugee Research Working Paper, no. 164 (UNHCR, Sept. 2008) [text]

National Legal Framework for IDPs in Sri Lanka: A Critical Analysis, IPCS Research Papers (Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Sept. 2008) [text via Human Security Gateway]

Negotiating Rights: The Politics of Local Integration, Migration Studies Working Paper Series #41 (Forced Migration Studies Programme, Sept. 2008) [text]

Out of Site: Building better responses to displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by helping host families, Oxfam Research Report (Sept. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

03 October 2008

New Issues of AWR, Conflict & Health, FMR, IMR, Refuge, REMI

AWR Bulletin, vol. 45, no. 2 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles with one looking at asylum and immigration in Austria and Hungary.

Conflict and Health, 2:9 (30 Sept. 2008) [access]
- Includes article entitled "Users' guides to the medical literature: how to use an article about mortality in a humanitarian emergency."

Forced Migration Review, no. 31 (Sept. 2008) [full-text]
- The theme of this issue is "Climate Change and Displacement."

International Migration Review, vol. 42, no.3 (Sept. 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Revue européenne des migrations internationales, vol. 24, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- This issue focuses on "Les migrants caribéens."

Refuge: Canada's Periodical on Refugees, vol. 25, no. 1 (2008) [full-text]
- This issue focuses on the "Psychosocial Dimensions of the Refugee Experience." Note: Refuge issues are made available online 12 months after they are published.

Posted in Periodicals.

01 October 2008

Free Access to Sage Journals

Sage Journals Online is offering free access to 500+ journals through the end of October 2008. Interested researchers are asked to register and create a login/password. Sage publishes a number of journal titles in the social sciences. A quick search just on "refugees" in article titles produces 389 results.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

Cross-posted on Researching Refugees.

29 September 2008

Publications: Climate, Employment, EU Asylum Policy, Human Trafficking, Literature Review, Local Integration, Sri Lankan Refugees

Climate Wrongs and Human Rights: Putting people at the heart of climate-change policy (Oxfam, Aug. 2008) [text]

Employment Issues for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK (ICAR, Sept. 2008) [text]

FMO Research Guide: Local Integration (FMO, Aug. 2008) [text]

The French Presidency’s European Pact on Immigration and Asylum: Intergovernmentalism vs Europeanisation? Security vs Rights? (Centre for European Policy Studies, Sept. 2008) [access]

Globalisation, Transnationalism and Diaspora: A policy and literature review prepared as part of ICAR’s Refugee Rights and Responsibilities project (ICAR, Aug. 2008) [text]

"Millions Uprooted: Saving Refugees and the Displaced," Foreign Affairs, Sept./Oct. 2008 [preview]

Trafficking in women and girls: report of the Secretary-General, A/63/215 (Aug. 2008) [text via Refworld]

Travails of Sri Lankan Refugees (South Asia Analysis Group, Sept. 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

26 September 2008

Climate Change Resources, New...and Less New

The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) has just released the following trio of resources that discuss the nexus between climate change and displacement.

Forced Migration Review no. 31 (Sept. 2008) [access]
- Articles provide definitions, case studies, possible solutions, and research agendas.

FMO Research Guide (Sept. 2008) [access]
- Provides an introduction to the issues.

FMO Resource Summary (Sept. 2008) [access]
- Provides lengthy list of links to relevant resources, both in FMO and elsewhere

For several additional resources not listed in the aforementioned summary, see:

- Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation & Poverty, "Migration and Climate Change Resource Guide" [access]

- Eldis Resource Guide, "Climate Change" [access]

- Human Security, Climate Change and Environmentally Induced Migration (UNU, Institute for Environment and Human Security, June 2008) [text]

- International Crisis Group, "Climate Change and Conflict" [access]

- Preparing for a Warmer World: Towards a Global Governance System to Protect Climate Refugees, Global Governance Working Paper, no. 33 (Global Governance Project, Nov. 2007) [text]

Posted in Periodicals, Publications and Web Sites.

23 September 2008

New Issues of AJEM, Citizenship Stud., Dis. Prev. & Mgmt., JIRS, Reprod. Health

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 23, no. 3 (August 2008) [full-text]
- Mix of articles with several focusing on communication during emergencies.

Citizenship Studies, vol. 12, no. 5 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 17, no. 4 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, vol. 6, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on human trafficking in the U.S.

Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 16, no. 31 (May 2008) [contents]
- Special issue on reproductive health in crisis situations.

Posted in Periodicals.

22 September 2008

Annual Reports: Country Reports, Failed States, Human Rights/South Asia, Humanitarian Accountability, Religious Freedom

The 2007 Humanitarian Accountability Report (HAP International, August 2008) [text]

2008 Report on International Religious Freedom (U.S. Department of State, Sept. 2008) [text]

Country reports 2007: Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine (ECRE, July 2008) [text]

Failed States Index 2008 (Foreign Policy & Fund for Peace, July/August 2008) [text]

South Asia Human Rights Index 2008 (Asian Centre for Human Rights, August 2008) [text]

Posted in Publications.

21 September 2008

Publications: Asylum/EU, Displacement/Iraq & Great Lakes, Environmentally-induced Migration, Right to Return, UNHCR & NGOs

Great Lakes Pact and the Rights of Displaced People: A Guide for Civil Society (IDMC and IRRI, Sept. 2008) [English text] [French text]

Iraq's Refugee and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications (Middle East Institute, August 2008) [text via Human Security Gateway]

"Persons displaced during conflicts have the right to return," Viewpoint of the Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights (Sept. 2008) [text]

Preliminary Findings from the EACH-FOR project on Environmentally Induced Migration (EACH-FOR Project Consortium, Sept. 2008) [text]

Reflecting on the French EU Presidency’s Pact on Immigration and Asylum (EurActiv, Sept. 2008) [text]

Report on UNHCR's Annual Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations (25-27 June 2008, Geneva, Switzerland) (UNHCR, Sept. 2008) [text]
- See also link to Rapporteur's report.

Posted in Publications.