24 December 2010

Admin.

This blog will be quiet until the new year. Best wishes to you all.

23 December 2010

Events, after the fact

4th European Conference on Nationality: Concepts of Nationality in a Globalised World, Strasbourg, 17 Dec. 2010 [selected presentations]
- See also Commissioner for Human Rights statement re. stateless persons.

Climate Change and Displacement: Side Event to HC Dialogue, 8 Dec. 2010
- Executive summary of presentation entitled "Protecting environmentally displaced people: Developing the capacity of legal and normative frameworks."

High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges, Geneva, 8-9 Dec. 2010 (UNHCR, Dec. 2010) [discussions & outcomes]

In/equality for Third Country Nationals: Implementation and Effects of EU Directives on Migration and Asylum, Oxford, 28-30 June 2010 [programme]
- See also paper presented entitled "Third Country Nationals Versus EU Citizens: Discrimination Based on Nationality and the Equality Directives."

Refugee Status Determination and Rights in Southern and East Africa, Kampala, 16-17 Nov. 2010 (RSC, Dec. 2010) [workshop report]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

22 December 2010

Law Review Articles

(updated)

"Human Trafficking in Russia and Other Post-Soviet States," Human Rights Review, Online First, 10 Dec. 2010 [open access text]

"Matter of S-E-G-: The Final Nail in the Coffin for Gang-Related Asylum Claims?," Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, vol. 20 (2010) [full-text]

"Membership in a particular social group: all approaches open doors for women to qualify," Arizona Law Review, vol. 52, no. 2 (May 2010) [full-text]

"A Refugee from Justice? Disparate Treatment in the Federal Court of Canada," Law & Policy, vol. 32, no. 4 (Oct. 2010) [full-text]

"Refugee Credibility Assessment and the 'Religious Imposter' Problem: A Case Study of Eritrean Pentecostal Claims in Egypt," Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, vol. 43, no. 5 (Nov. 2010) [full-text]

Tagged Publications.

21 December 2010

Publications: Asylum/EU, Cooperation & Anti-Trafficking, Human Trafficking & Conflict, Iraqis/US, Unacc. Minors/EU, WDR Papers

(updated)

"Health of Resettled Iraqi Refugees, San Diego County, California, October 2007-September 2009," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 59, no. 49 (Dec. 2010) [text]

Human Trafficking and Conflict, Policy Brief, no. 49 (Inst. for Security & Development Policy, Dec. 2010) [text]

International Cooperation and the Antitrafficking Regime, Working Paper, no. 71 (RSC, Dec. 2010) [text]

Right of Asylum in Europe: The “Dublin Regulation” – An Unfair System both for Asylum Seekers and for States (PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, Dec. 2010) [text]

Unaccompanied Minors in the Migration Process (Frontex, Dec. 2010) [text]

World Development Report 2011: Input Papers (World Bank, July 2010) [access]
- Relevant titles include "The Impacts of Refugees on Neighboring Countries" and "The Development Challenge of Finding Durable Solutions for Refugees and Internally Displaced People."


Tagged Publications.

More on Israel's Asylum Policy

(updated)

Building Barricades to Protection (IntLawGrrls, Nov. 2010) [text]

Egypt: End Traffickers’ Abuse of Migrants - Rescue People Held for Ransom From Sinai Hideouts, Prosecute Captors (HRW, Dec. 2010) [text]
- Scroll down for info. on Israeli policy.

Hostages, Torture, and Rape in the Sinai Desert: A PHR-Israel update about recently arriving asylum seekers (Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, Dec. 2010) [text]

"Israel Repatriates 150 Sudanese in Broader Effort to Discourage African Influx," Christian Science Monitor (14 Dec. 2010) [text]

"'Let Me Go to the City': African Asylum Seekers, Racialization and the Politics of Space in Israel," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Access (posted 22 Dec. 2010) [abstract]

Procedure for Handling Political Asylum Seekers in Israel (Israel Minister of Interior, 2011) [text]

"Refugee Protection in Israel: Recent Developments," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 10 (Dec. 2010), pp. 3-4 [full-text]

Worrying Developments in Israel's Asylum Policy (SRLAN List, Dec. 2010) [text]
- Note: Scroll to bottom of message to access attachment (.doc) entitled "Brief update on Israel's new asylum policies (December 16, 2010)."

Related posts:
- African Refugees in Israel


Tagged Publications.

New Web Sites

New(ish) sites:

Analyzing Asylum Applications [access]
- A service from Migration Information Source. This tool allows you to analyze the numbers and origins of people seeking asylum in 39 countries in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia between 1980 and 2004.

Asylum Country-by-Country [access]
- Described as a "legal tool and a practical resource on LGBTI asylum in Europe."

Migration Oxford [access]
- One site that presents information on the research and teaching of the three centres at Oxford that focus on migration: Compas, IMI and RSC.

Reconstruction Planning [access]
- A blog on "humanitarian planning and development."

Refugee Lives [access]
- A web site set up by journalism students from Northwestern University in the U.S. who "documented the lives of refugees from three different places in the world – Jordan, Malawi and Namibia." See related news story.

Safe Haven from Trauma and Torture: World’s Refugees Resettle in Chicago [access]
- This page highlights the stories of refugees from 8 countries: Cambodia, Guatemala, Sudan, Burma, Iraq, Palestine, Ethiopia and Tibet. More generally, it also includes an FAQ, with questions about refugees and "stories that bring the answers to life."

Existing sites:

AlertNet [access]
- Read "10 Things to Know about the New-Look AlertNet" for an overview.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) [access]
- English version of the site has been re-designed to help visitors find information more efficiently. Sites in the other six language versions will follow in 2011.

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

20 December 2010

Looking ahead to January...

Looking to the Future, Learning from the Past: A Conference to Mark 60 Years of the Refugee Convention, Sydney, 14-17 June 2011 [info]
- "The Conference will provide a timely opportunity to reflect on the strengths and achievements of the Refugee Convention and refugee protection system, and to consider what further action is needed to secure the rights of refugees during flight, in countries of asylum and in resettlement." Submit abstracts by 28 January 2011.

Forced Migration: Human Rights Challenges, Montreal, 11-13 May 2011 [info]
- "The 2011 CARFMS Conference will...discuss the human rights of migrants in the context of national and international security policies." Deadline for abstracts extended to 31 January 2011.

Centre for Refugee Studies Summer Course, Toronto, 8-15 May 2011 [info]
- "[E]ight-day course for academic and field-based practitioners working in the area of forced migration." Early bird registration = 30 December 2010, visa applicants' registration = 31 January 2011.

Related posts:
- Things to do in December/January


[Photo credit: "UNHCR's 60th anniversary," UNHCR Australia]

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

New Issues of AWR, Bitter Lemons, Humanity J., J. Am. Acad. Psych. & Law, J. Pacific Rim Psych., Torture J.

AWR Bulletin, vol. 48, no. 2-3 (2010) [contents]
- Reproduces papers from the 60th AWR Congress, Berlin, 29 Sept. - 1 Oct. 2010 (see program). The theme of the conference was "Migration as a Challenge for the Social Welfare State."

Bitter Lemons, ed. 4, vol. 1 (Dec. 2010) [full-text]
- Online journal that discusses the Arab peace initiative; this week's edition focuses on "refugees."

Humanity, vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 2010) [full-text]
- Inaugural issue of an international journal focusing on human rights, humanitarianism, and development.

Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, vol. 38, no. 4 (Dec. 2010) [full-text]
- Includes sub-section on asylum, with the following articles: "The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Political Asylum Processing," "Central American Victims of Gang Violence as Asylum Seekers: The Role of the Forensic Expert," and "Commentary: The Role of Forensic Psychiatry in the Asylum Process."

Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology
, vol. 4, no. 1 (2010) [contents]
- Theme is "Psychological Impacts of Forced Migration."

Torture, vol. 20, no. 3 (2010) [full-text]
- This issue is comprised of the following desk study: "Combating torture with medical evidence: The use of medical evidence and expert opinions in international and regional human rights tribunals."

Tagged Periodicals.

17 December 2010

Publications: Asylum Seekers/Ukraine, COI Fact-finding/EU, Human Trafficking Principles, Returnees/Iraq, Right of Asylum

Buffeted in the Borderland: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers and Migrants in Ukraine (Human Rights Watch, Dec. 2010) [text]

EU Common Guidelines on (Joint) Fact Finding Missions: A Practical Tool to Assist Member States in Organizing (Joint) Fact Finding Missions (European Country of Origin Sponsorship, Nov. 2010) [text via Ecoi.net]

Going Back to Baghdad (IntLawGrrls, Dec. 2010) [text]

Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Trafficking: Commentary (OHCHR, Nov. 2010) [text via UNGIFT]

"Whatever Happened to the Right of Asylum?," Inside Story (16 Dec. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Asia-Pacific: Round-up of Resources

"Australian Funded Care and Maintenance of Asylum Seekers in Indonesia and PNG: All Care But No Responsibility?," University of New South Wales Law Journal, vol. 33, no. 2 (2010) [text via SSRN]

"Difficult Journeys: Accessing Refugee Protection in Indonesia," Monash University Law Review, vol. 36, no. 3 (2010) [text via SSRN]

"Forced Eviction and Resettlement in Cambodia: Case Studies from Phnom Penh," Washington University Global Studies Law Review, vol. 9, no. 1 (2010) [text]

"North Korean Escapees in China: Granting Prima Facie Refugee Status Based on a Group Determination," Journal of East Asia and International Law, vol. 3, no. 2 (Autumn 2010) [full-text]

Refugee Protection in ASEAN: National Failures, Regional Responsibilities (People's Empowerment Foundation, Nov. 2010) [text]

UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Afghanistan (UNHCR, Dec. 2010) [text]

[Map credit: UNHCR]

Tagged Publications.

16 December 2010

LGBT Asylum Seekers: Round-up of Resources

Homophobia, Transphobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: 2010 Update (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2010) [text]
- Sections four and five focus on "'Family Members' in Free Movement, Family Reunification and Asylum" and "Asylum and Subsidiary Protection for LGBT People," respectively.

LGBT Asylum Applicants Need to Prove Persecution, Not Sexual Orientation (LGBT Asylum News, Dec. 2010) [text]

Objectivity, Authority, and Truth: Confirming a Homosexual Identity in Lesbian and Gay Fights for Asylum, Paper for Peace Studies Student Conference, Grinnell, Iowa, 4-6 March 2010 (Grinnell College, 2010) [text]

The Protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Asylum-Seekers and Refugees (UNHCR, Sept. 2010) [text]
- Discussion paper prepared for UNHCR Roundtable on Asylum-Seekers and Refugees Seeking Protection on Account of Their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Geneva, 30 September–1 October 2010; see also Summary Conclusions from the meeting.

Testing Sexual Orientation: A Scientific and Legal Analysis of Plethysmography in Asylum and Refugee Status Proceedings (ORAM, Dec. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Disast. Relief/EU, IDPs/Sudan, Internal Displ. & RSD, Iraqis & US Resettle., Protract. Sit./Serbia & Croatia, Reprod. Health, UNHCR

Analysis of Law in the EU and a Selection of Member States pertaining to Cross-Border Disaster Relief: Synthesis Report and Recommendations (IFRC, Dec. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Displacement and Reintegration in Post-referendum Southern Sudan (Norwegian Refugee Council, Dec. 2010) [text]

Inter-agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings: 2010 Revision for Field Review (Inter-agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, 2010) [text via Refworld]

Internal Displacement and Refugee Status Determination (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Dec. 2010) [text]

Living in Limbo: Iraqi Refugees and U.S. Resettlement (Human Rights First, Dec. 2010) [text]

Should I stay or Should I go? A review of UNHCR's response to the protracted refugee situation in Serbia and Croatia, PDES/2010/14 (UNHCR, Dec. 2010) [text]

"UNHCR at 60: Sixty not out," The Economist, 14 Dec. 2010 [text]

Tagged Publications.

15 December 2010

Publications: Asylum-Seekers/Libya & Malta, Detention/EU, Health & IDPs/Kenya, IDPs/Chad, Legal Aid/NZ, Separated Children/EU

Comments by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [on the] New Zealand Legal Aid Quality Framework (UNHCR Regional Office, Oct. 2010) [text]

Detention on the Borders of Europe: Report on the Joint Global Detention Project–International Detention Coalition Workshop in Geneva, Switzerland, 2‐3 October 2010 (Global Detention Project, Nov. 2010) [text]

"Mortality and Health among Internally Displaced Persons in Western Kenya Following Post-election Violence, 2008: Novel Use of Demographic Surveillance," Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 88, no. 8 (Aug. 2010) [text]

Seeking Safety, Finding Fear: Refugees, Asylum-seekers and Migrants in Libya and Malta (Amnesty International, Dec. 2010) [text]

Separated, Asylum-seeking Children in European Union Member States: Comparative Report (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Nov. 2010) [text]

Still in Need of Safety: The Internally Displaced in Eastern Chad (Amnesty International, Dec. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

14 December 2010

UNHCR's 60th Anniversary...

...is today, 14 December 2010.

Here's a press release from the agency: "60th Anniversary: UNHCR marks landmark with appeal for renewed commitment to helping the world's forcibly displaced." See also the "UNHCR Turns 60" video in the sidebar. A message from the High Commissioner is also available on video.

To learn more about UNHCR's history, visit:

From Hungary to Kyrgyzstan, 60 years of helping the world's forcibly displaced [access]
- See also the photo collection in the sidebar.

A Global Humanitarian Organization of Humble Origins [access]
- More historical photos in the sidebar.

Visit other UNHCR web sites to see how this anniversary is being commemorated around the world.

[Photo credit: "Eastern European refugees, 1953"; FMO]

Related posts:
- Anniversary-related events
- Commemorating Refugee Protection Milestones


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

More on Climate Displacement: Past Events, Publications

The UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico is over. For a brief summary of what the meetings accomplished, read this post on IntLawGrrls.: Winning & losing (mostly losing) in Cancun. See also this related op ed in the Sydney Morning Herald by Jane McAdam, written partly in response to a news story in The Observer.

Also from Jane McAdam is her presentation on "Climate Change Displacement and International Law," given at a Side Event to the High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges, 8 Dec. 2010.

A few other resources:

Assessing the Evidence: Environment, Climate Change and Migration in Bangladesh (IOM, Nov. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Climate Change Displacement to Refuge," Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, vol. 25, no. 1 (2010) [text]

Global Responses to Eco-Migration and Environmental Disasters: The Role of U.S. and International Law and Policy. Symposium issue of Fordham Environmental Law Review, vol. 20, nos. 2&3 (Winter 2010) [contents]

"When Islands Drown: The Plight of 'Climate Change Refugees' and Recourse to International Human Rights Law," University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, vol. 31, no. 4 (Summer 2010) [text]

Recent related posts:
- Round-up of Climate Change Resources
- Climate Change: Conference & Resources


Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

13 December 2010

Publications: Cholera/Haiti, Migrants & HRW, RBM & UNHCR, Security & Aid Agencies, UNHCR Recom./Hungary

"Haiti’s Disaster after the Disaster: The IDP Camps and Cholera," Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (13 Dec. 2010) [text]

Managing Aid Agency Security in an Evolving World: The Larger Challenge (European Interagency Security Forum, Nov. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

Measure for Measure: A Field-based Snapshot of the Implementation of Results Based Management in UNHCR (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Rights on the Line: Human Rights Watch Work on Abuses against Migrants in 2010 (HRW, Dec. 2010) [text]

UNHCR's Recommendations to Hungary for its EU Presidency (January-June 2011) (UNHCR, Dec. 2010) [text]


Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Disasters, IMR, JEMS, Refugee Watch, REMI

Disasters, vol. 35, no. 1 (Jan. 2011) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Revisiting Sphere: new standards of service delivery for new trends in protracted displacement."

International Migration Review, vol. 44, no. 4 (Winter 2010) [contents]
-Mix of articles.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 37, no. 2 (2011) [contents]
- Special issue on "'Integration': Migrants and Refugees between Scandinavian Welfare Societies and Family Relations"; includes "Egalitarian Ambitions, Constructions of Difference: The Paradoxes of Refugee Integration in Sweden," "Tamil Refugees in Pain: Challenging Solidarity in the Norwegian Welfare State" and "Becoming Part of Welfare Scandinavia: Integration through the Spatial Dispersal of Newly Arrived Refugees in Denmark."

Refugee Watch, no. 36 (Dec. 2010) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Refugee, Memory and the State: A Review of Research in Refugees Studies" and "Reconciling R2P with IDP Protection."

Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, vol. 26, no. 2 (2010) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

10 December 2010

Publications: Humanitarian Aid, IDPs & SMS/Colombia, Operational Security, Somalis/Kenya, Sudanese/Uganda

Empowering IDP with SMS: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Bogotá, HiCN Working Paper 84 (Households in Conflict Network, 2010) [text]

From Life without Peace to Peace without Life: The Treatment of Somali Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Kenya (Amnesty International, Dec. 2010) [text]

Humanitarian Assistance: Truly Universal? A Mapping Study of Non-Western Donors (Global Public Policy Institute, Sept. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

Operational Security Management in Violent Environments, Good Practice Review, no. 8 (Humanitarian Practice Network, Dec. 2010) [text]
- Revised edition.

There's No Place Like Home (IntLawGrrls, Dec. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

09 December 2010

UNHCR events, after the fact

Various UNHCR events that have taken place recently are listed here, in reverse chronological order, with links to their resources:

High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges, Geneva, 8-9 December 2010 [info]
- The theme was "Protection Gaps and Responses." This year's discussion focused on "gaps in the existing international protection framework for forcibly displaced and stateless people, as well as possible ways to respond. In particular, this year's Dialogue...focus[ed] on international cooperation, burden sharing and comprehensive regional approaches; implementation and normative gaps; and issues relating to statelessness." Read the HC's opening speech, and visit the link above for the agenda, background paper, and collected relevant documents.

45 Años en el Sur de América Latina, Buenos Aires, 3 December 2010 [info]
- Event commemorating 45 years of the work of the UNHCR Regional Office for South of Latin America. Visit the link for a summary of the event, photos and videos.

Seminar to Support the AU Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Outcomes of the October 2009 AU Special Summit held in Kampala, Uganda, Addis Ababa, 29-30 November 2010 [info]
- Visit the link for the agenda and some of the presentations.

UNHCR Roundtable on Asylum-Seekers and Refugees Seeking Protection on Account of Their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Geneva, 30 September–1 October 2010
- Read the discussion paper "The Protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Asylum-Seekers and Refugees" and the "Summary Conclusions." See also related UNHCR news story and briefing notes.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Round-up of Climate Change Resources

The UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun ends tomorrow. The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research released its climate change research findings to coincide with the start of the conference; one of the reports is: "Climate-induced population displacements in a 4◦C+ world," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 369, no. 1934 (Jan. 2011) [text via Tyndall Centre; scroll down to "People"]

Here are just a few thoughts on the Cancun discussions from various blogs/sites:
  • Cancun: Climate Change, Displacement and Migration (Blog 4 Global Health, Dec. 2010) [text]
  • Climate Forced Migration: A High Profile Panel and Me (World Development Movement, Dec. 2010) [text]
  • ‘Climate Refugees’ not Recognized as ‘Refugees’ by UN (It's Getting Hot in Here, Nov. 2010) [text]
  • Whither Go Climate Refugees? (Eco Walk the Talk, Dec. 2010) [text]
Elsewhere, a side event to the High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges 2010 was held 8 Dec. 2010 in Geneva on "Climate Change and Displacement." One of the speakers was Roger Zetter, RSC Director, who presented on "Protecting Environmentally Displaced People: Developing the Capacity of Legal and Normative Frameworks."

Finally, here's a web site I just came across with a collection of articles and reports prepared by a group of lawyers advocating for a climate change displacement convention: A Convention for Persons Displaced by Climate Change.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

08 December 2010

Focus: Coping, Resilience & Psychosocial Support

1. Two recent reports investigate coping and resilience:

Coping with Crisis (IRIN News, Nov. 2010) [text]
- This indepth report from IRIN News focuses on the resilience of people to cope with the aftermath of traumatic events and the psycho-social support provided by those who help people who have experienced crises.

Exploring Coping Mechanisms in Conditions of Displacement: The Struggles and Strengths of Pakistani and Somali Refugees in Nepal (LSE Migration Studies Unit, 2010) [text]
- From the abstract: "Urban refugees (UR) constitute more than half of the world’s refugees (UNHCR, 2010). Whilst the literature acknowledges the vulnerabilities surrounding this burgeoning group, minimal attention has been paid to the organically developed coping mechanisms and resilience of this population. This study will aim to counterbalance this trend in the literature and will explore the experiences of Pakistani and Somali URs, two of the largest UR populations in Kathmandu, Nepal."

2. Two reports critique PTSD approaches to mental health services for refugees:

"A Critical Review of Psychological Treatments of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Refugees," Clinical Psychology Review, Article in Press (Nov. 2010) [abstract]
- From the abstract: "Despite much research evidence that refugees suffer from elevated rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), relatively few studies have examined the effectiveness of psychological treatments for PTSD in refugees. The field of refugee mental health intervention is dominated by two contrasting approaches, namely trauma-focused therapy and multimodal interventions. This article firstly defines these two approaches, then provides a critical review of 19 research studies that have been undertaken to investigate the efficacy of these treatments. Preliminary research evidence suggests that trauma-focused approaches may have some efficacy in treating PTSD in refugees, but limitations in the methodologies of studies caution against drawing definitive inferences."

A "Daily Stressors & Trauma" Debate & the Temptation of Mental Health Evaluation for Everything (Andy Rasmussen's Blog, Sept. 2010) [text]
- Reports on the debate surrounding "how best to provide 'psychosocial' and 'trauma-related' mental health services to displaced populations (i.e., refugees)."

3. Two other reports review the knowledge needed to provide psychosocial support:

"Developing Relevant Knowledge and Practical Skills of Psychosocial Work and Counselling," Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, vol. 6, no. 2 (2008) [now in full-text]
- Here's the abstract: "In many areas of armed conflict there is an urgent need for relevant knowledge and practical skills around mental health and psychosocial interventions. Knowledge developed at Western universities, or in Western practice, does not easily translate into practice in a non-western context. In this article, an approach to developing relevant knowledge and practical know-how is described that can be utilized within the context of a developing country. This approach also is useful when working with immigrants and refugees in a western context."

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: What Should Humanitarian Health Actors Know? (IASC, 2010) [text]
- "Based on the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC, 2007), this document gives an overview of essential knowledge that humanitarian health actors should have about mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian emergencies."

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: What Should Protection Programme Managers Know? (IASC, 2010) [text]
- Companion to document above.

Tagged Publications.

Events, after the fact

Accountability in Humanitarian Assistance: Bangladesh Perspective, Dhaka, 11 Nov. 2010 [info]
- Organized by the COAST Trust; scroll down for presentations, background paper, and seminar info.

Bill C-49: Canada's Proposed Anti-smuggling Bill, Toronto, 12 Nov. 2010 [info]
- Panel discussion hosted by the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS); video available.

From Relief and Works to Human Development: UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees after 60 Years, Beirut, 8-9 Oct. 2010 [presentations]
- Organized by UNRWA and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

It’s the Thought that Counts: Humanitarian Principles and Practice in Pakistan, London, 9 Nov. 2010 [report]
- Panel discussion on a report with the same name by ActionAid.

Renewal Out of Ruin: Saving Lives and Building Capacity in Failed States, Washington, DC, 30 Nov. 2010 [speech] [video]
- Guest lecture at the Center for Public Health and Human Rights by U.S. Assistant Secretary Eric Shwartz from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

Silencing the Classroom: Persecuted Academics Share their Experiences, London, 19 Oct. 2010 [info]
- Lecture sponsored by Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA); audio available.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

07 December 2010

Publications: Age Disputes/UK, Asylum Policy/EU & UK, Climate & Migr., IDPs/Sri Lanka, Refugee Identity, Ref./Kenya, Women IDPs/Iraq, Youth/Angola

Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Migration: A Policy Perspective (IOM, Dec. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

Ending Internal Displacement: The Long-term IDPs in Sri Lanka, Working Paper, no. 66 (RSC, Nov. 2010) [text]

Flowing into the State: Returning Refugee Youth and Citizenship in Angola, Working Paper, no. 68 (RSC, Dec. 2010) [text]

Iraq Special Focus Reports: Female Headed Households (IOM, Nov. 2010) [text]
- See also related IRIN story.

Negotiating Childhood: Age Assessment in the UK Asylum System, Working Paper, no. 67 (RSC, Nov. 2010) [text]

Perspectives of the EU Asylum System (European People's Party, Dec. 2010) [text]
- See related ECRE comment.

"Refugees in Kenya," CE DAT Scene, no. 15 (Nov. 2010) [text]

The Struggle for Belonging: Forming and Reforming Identities among 1.5-generation Asylum Seekers and Refugees, Working Paper, no. 70 (RSC, Dec. 2010) [text]

Tony Blair's Asylum Policies: The Narratives and Conceptualisations at the Heart of New Labour's Restrictionism, Working Paper, no. 69 (RSC, Dec. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Humanitarian Response Index 2010


As promised in this post, here is the link to the just released Humanitarian Response Index 2010: The Problems of Politicisation. The report includes a foreword by the High Commissioner for Refugees. Here's part of the blurb:
The Humanitarian Response Index 2010 provides an objective overview of donor performance, which can assist governments in ensuring their humanitarian funding has the greatest possible impact for people in need.
This year’s report reveals the increasing politicization and militarization of humanitarian aid which compromises effective assistance to vulnerable populations and endangers humanitarian workers. The Humanitarian Response Index 2010 urges a principled approach by donor governments since respect of Good Humanitarian Donorship principles is essential to make humanitarian aid more effective.
The HRI site offers a variety of other resources such as key findings, donor assessment, crisis reports, info. on their methodology, and multimedia.

Tagged Publications.

Things to do in December/January...

Voices of Courage Awards 2011 [info]
- Second call for nominations; the deadline for receiving them is 15 December 2010.

IASFM13: Governing Migration [info]
- The deadline for submitting abstracts was extended to 17 December 2010.

Free Access to Routledge Development Studies Titles [info]
- Offer available until 31 December 2010.

Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) Vacancy: Director [info]
- The closing date for applications is 14 January 2011.

A Worldwide Response: An Examination of International Law Frameworks in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters, Atlanta, Georgia, 27 January 2011 [info]
- Registration is now open. Sponsored by the Emory International Law Review.

Related posts:
- Looking Ahead to December...


Tagged Events & Opportunities.

06 December 2010

Publications: Legal Assistance & Detention, Refoulement/Eastern Europe, Reintegration/Iraq, Rural Refugees/Australia, Women Asylum Seekers/US

Access to Protection Denied: Refoulement of Refugees and Minors on the Eastern Borders of the EU – The Case of Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine (Border Monitoring Project Ukraine, Nov. 2010) [text]

Displaced Iraqis: Integrated International Strategy Needed to Reintegrate Iraq’s Internally Displaced and Returning Refugees (GAO, Dec. 2010) [text]

Isolated in Detention: Limited Access to Legal Counsel in Immigration Detention Facilities Jeopardizes a Fair Day in Court (National Immigrant Justice Center, Sept. 2010) [text]
- In UK context, see also "New restrictions on legal support for asylum detainees."

"Welcoming Women: Recent Changes in U.S. Asylum Law," Michigan Law Review First Impressions, vol. 109 (2010) [text]

"Working with Refugees: A Manual for Caseworkers and Volunteers," Rural and Remote Health 10 (online), 2010: 1406 [text]

Tagged Publications.

Annual Reports: Development, Human Security, Humanitarian Response, Migration

(updated)

Human Security Report Project (HSRP) released the Human Security Report 2009/2010 on 2 December 2010. Organized in three parts, the report covers "the causes of peace," "the shrinking costs of war," and "trends in human insecurity."

IOM's World Migration Report 2010 was launched on 30 November 2010. The theme of the report is "The Future of Migration: Building Capacities for Change." Part A covers capacity-building while Part B looks at trends in international migration. In addition, the many background papers prepared for the report can be accessed via IOM's publication pages. Moreover, in this edition, IOM included a number of Eurasylum's interviews with international migration experts.

Speaking of which, Eurasylum's most recent interview (not included in the World Migration Report) was with the High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres.

Looking ahead, work and thinking on the World Bank's World Development Report for 2011 are well under way. The main goal will be to "contribute concrete, practical suggestions to the debate on how to address and overcome violent conflict and fragility." Various resources are already available for browsing on the WDR2011 site.

Finally, the Humanitarian Response Index for 2010 will be launched tomorrow, 7 December 2010. It apparently highlights the increasing "politicization of humanitarian aid." A link to the text will eventually be posted on this blog accordingly.

Tagged Publications.

05 December 2010

Round-up of Human Trafficking Resources

"Human Trafficking: Need for Reform in Canada," Crime and Justice International (Nov. 2010) [full-text]

"Human Trafficking: The Unintended Effects of United Nations Intervention," International Political Science Review, forthcoming [full-text]

Labour Trafficking, Research and Public Policy Series, no. 108 (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010) [text]

Migration and People Trafficking in Southeast Asia, Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 401 (Australian Institute of Criminology, Nov. 2010) [text]

"Regional Approaches to Trafficking in Women in South-East Asia: The Role of National Human Rights Institutions and the New ASEAN Human Rights Body," Australian Journal of Human Rights, vol. 15, no. 2, 2010 [full-text]

"Sex as Slavery? Understanding Private Wrongs," Human Rights Review, forthcoming [open access text]

"Sex Trafficking: Trends, Challenges, and the Limitations of International Law," Human Rights Review, forthcoming [full-text]

Trafficking in Human Beings: Ten Years of Independent Monitoring (Bureau of the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings, Oct. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

03 December 2010

Publications: AGDM/Kenya, Case Law/US, Civilian Prot./Thailand, Migration Issues, Rohingyas/Bangl., Somalis/Kenya, Sudanese/Uganda, Urban Ref./Kenya

Age, Gender, Diversity Mainstreaming Initiative Key to Urban Protection (Refugees International, Nov. 2010) [text]

"Economic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms in Protracted Displacement: A Case Study of the Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh," Journal of Muslim Mental Health, vol. 5, no. 1 (2010) [text via SSRN]

Hoping for Peace, Afraid of War: The Dilemmas of Repatriation and Belonging on the Borders of Uganda and South Sudan, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 196 (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Most Important United States Supreme Court Case in Refugee Law: I.N.S. v. Elias-Zacarias (Marquette Univ. Law School Faculty Blog, Dec. 2010) [text]

Somalis in Kenya: Invest in the Long-Term (Refugees International, Nov. 2010) [text]

Threats to Human Rights, Obstacles to Protection: Conditions for Civilians Seeking Refuge in Phop Phra District, Thailand (Karen Human Rights Group, Nov. 2010) [text]

The Top 10 Migration Issues of 2010 (Migration Information Source, Dec. 2010) [text]

Urban Refugees: Ingenuity Essential to Making Ends Meet in Nairobi (Women's Refugee Commission Blog, Nov. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Diversities, FMR, JIRS, Women's Asylum News

Diversities, vol. 12, no. 1 (2010) [full-text]
- Theme is "Depicting Diversities."

Forced Migration Review, no. 36 (Nov. 2010) [full-text]
- Special focus on "Democratic Republic of Congo: Past. Present. Future?" with 33 contributions. Also includes seven general articles.

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, vol. 8, no. 4 (2010) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Effectiveness of Services for Victims of International Human Trafficking: An Exploratory Evaluation," "Survival Voices: Social Capital and the Well-Being of Liberian Refugee Women in Ghana," " Mental Health and Treatment Response among Iraqi Refugees as Compared to Other Non-War Exposed Arab Immigrants: A Pilot Study in Southeast Michigan," and "The Psychosocial Health of Shan Children in Northwest Thailand."

Women's Asylum News, no. 97 (Nov. 2010) [full-text]
- Lead article is "The Fight against Trafficking: the European Union and the UK Opt Out from the New Trafficking Directive."

Tagged Periodicals.

30 November 2010

Climate Change: Conference & Resources

The UN Climate Change Conference is meeting in Cancun, Mexico from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The Towards Recognition blog has posted a listing of some of the migration/displacement-related side events due to take place. In addition, IRIN has compiled a guide on How to Sound Knowledgeable in Cancun: Selected Articles on the Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change.

Elsewhere, Jane McAdam has posted a preprint of her forthcoming International Journal of Refugee Law article in SSRN. It's entitled "Swimming Against the Tide: Why a Climate Change Displacement Treaty is Not the Answer." Here's the abstract:
Drawing on field work in Tuvalu, Kiribati and Bangladesh, this article argues that advocacy for a new treaty to address climate-related movement is presently misplaced for a number of reasons. The article does not deny the real impacts that climate change is already having on communities, or that migration is a normal adaptive response to such change. Rather, it queries the utility – and, importantly, the policy consequences – of pinning ‘solutions’ to climate change-related displacement on a multilateral instrument, in light of the likely nature of movement, the desires of communities affected by it, and the fact that a treaty will not, without wide ratification and implementation, ‘solve’ the humanitarian issue. The argument is developed by examining some conceptual and pragmatic difficulties in attempting to construct a refugee-like instrument for people fleeing the effects of climate change, and by critiquing whether there are legal benefits, as opposed to political benefits, to be gained by advocating for such an instrument.

Finally, Susan Martin's background paper for the World Migration Report on "Climate Change and International Migration" is now available on IOM's web site. The aim of the paper is to discuss "the potential impact of climate change on migration patterns, examine the existing capacities to address these forms of movement and the areas where capacity‐building is required, and make recommendations for addressing climate change-induced migration" (p. 6).

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Legal Items: Asylum/Belgium, Bad Faith & Asylum Claims, Coercion & Human Trafficking, Gender & Asylum, Legal Aid/UK

Bad Faith in Asylum Claims under the Refugees Convention: The Australian Experience (IARLJ, Nov. 2010) [text]

Belgium's Asylum Crisis: An Overview (Gazet Van Antwerpen, Nov. 2010) [text via LGBT Asylum News]

"The Coercion of Trafficked Workers," Iowa Law Review, vol. 96, no. 2 (forthcoming Jan. 2011) [text via SSRN]

"The Development of Gender as a Basis for Asylum in United States Immigration Law and under the United Nations Refugee Convention: Case Studies of Female Asylum Seekers from Cameroon, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia," Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, vol. 24, no. 2 (Winter 2010) [text via SSRN]

Green Paper Proposes Changes to Legal Aid (Migrant & Refugee Communities Forum, Nov. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

29 November 2010

Focus: Substance Abuse

The ICMHD Blog recently published a post entitled "Four Loko and the broader issue of alcohol abuse: a particular concern for migrant groups." It notes:
Despite known links between alcohol abuse and issues of health, poverty, and violence, little concentrated action has been directed towards vulnerable migrant populations. This is not due to a lack of capability. An inexhaustible list of NGOs and agencies have long been working with migrant groups on related issues, yet remarkably few organizations include alcohol education or rehabilitation among their list of programs. This gap represents an unfortunate missed opportunity.
Also published recently, although not in full-text, was the following journal article: "Drinking and Displacement: A Systematic Review of the Influence of Forced Displacement on Harmful Alcohol Use" (Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 45, no. 13, Nov. 2010). The authors conclude that "There is a significant need to improve the quality and quantity of research on harmful alcohol use by forcibly displaced persons in order to better understand the scale and nature of the problem and inform appropriate response strategies" (p. 235). (Note: Other literature reviews that have focused on the issue of substance abuse among displaced populations are available via my forced migration research guide.)

The latest issue of Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict (vol. 8, no. 3, Nov. 2010) includes a focus on substance abuse in refugee settings, with the following articles: "Screening and brief intervention for high-risk alcohol use in Mae La refugee camp, Thailand: a pilot project on the feasibility of training and implementation," "Perspectives on alcohol and substance abuse in refugee settings: lessons from the field," and "The hunting of the snark: detecting and managing abusers of alcohol and other drugs in refugee camps – a commentary on Ezard et al. and Streel & Schilperoord."

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of JRS

A new issue of the Journal of Refugee Studies (vol. 23, no. 4, Dec. 2010) is now available. The theme is "Critical Reflections on Refugee Integration: Lessons from International Perspectives." Contents include:
  • Introduction: Critical Reflections on Refugee Integration: Lessons from International Perspectives [abstract]
  • Legal Status and Refugee Integration: a UK Perspective [abstract]
  • When Policy Creates Politics: the Problematizing of Immigration and the Consequences for Refugee Integration in the UK [abstract]
  • State Assisted Integration: Refugee Integration Policies in Scandinavian Welfare States: the Swedish and Norwegian Experience [abstract]
  • Living in Limbo: Integration of Forced Migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Slovenia [abstract]
  • 'When They don’t Use it They will Lose it': Professionals, Deprofessionalization and Reprofessionalization: the Case of Refugee Teachers in Scotland [abstract]
  • Barriers to Care: The Challenges for Canadian Refugees and their Health Care Providers [abstract] [text via Oppenheimer Chair]
  • 'I Integrate, Therefore I Am': Contesting the Normalizing Discourse of Integrationism through Conversations with Refugee Women [abstract]
  • Community Moments: Integration and Transnationalism at 'Refugee' Parties and Events [abstract]
  • Refugee Integration: Emerging Trends and Remaining Agendas [free full-text]

Tagged Periodicals.

26 November 2010

Publications: HC Dialogue, Humanitarian Reform, IDP Women/Chad, Iraqi Refugees, Mental Health/Switz.

2010 High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges, Background Paper: Protection Gaps and Challenges (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Fit for the Future? Strengthening the Leadership Pillar of Humanitarian Reform (NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Project, Nov. 2010) [text]

"Iraq Refugees: Seeking Safety," World Today, vol. 66, no. 12 (Dec. 2010) [free access to current issue]

"Mental Health and Healthcare Utilisation in Adult Asylum Seekers," Swiss Medical Weekly 140:w13110 (19 Nov. 2010) [open access text]

National Outrage: Violence against Internally Displaced Women and Girls in Eastern Chad (IDMC, Nov. 2010) [text]

The UN-led Humanitarian Reform Process (VOICE, Oct. 2010) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.

25 November 2010

New Issues of Fahamu Refugee News, HRQ, Intl. Mig., JHA

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 10 (Dec. 2010) [full-text]
- Includes articles on refugee protection in Israel, age determination of child asylum-seekers in the UK, Japanese judgment on the Rohingya, and human trafficking in Malaysia.

Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 4 (Nov. 2010) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration, vol. 48, no. 6 (Dec. 2010) [contents]
- Special Issue on "Women and Migration in Globalizing Asia: Gendered Experiences, Agency, and Activism."

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (Nov. 2010) [full-text]
- New article posted entitled "Shrinking Humanitarian Space? Trends and Prospects on Security and Access."

Tagged Periodicals.

24 November 2010

Recent UNHCR Events

A joint meeting between UNHCR and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was held earlier in the year in Amman, Jordan.
- See the meeting report for the Regional Expert Meeting on the Human Rights of Stateless Persons in the Middle East and North Africa (Amman, 18-19 February 2010) (UNHCR, Nov. 2010)
- See also a report prepared by Laura van Waas for UNHCR entitled "The Situation of Stateless Persons in the Middle East and North Africa" (Oct. 2010).

Latin American nations gathered for a discussion co-organized by UNHCR and the Brazilian government on 11 November 2010 in Brasilia to mark the various upcoming anniversaries. Participants ended by adopting the Brasilia Declaration on the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons in the Americas.
- See UNHCR's press release summarizing the event.
- See also introductory remarks by the Director of International Protection.

A "Round Table on Durable Solutions: Local Integration and Resettlement of Refugees" was co-hosted by UNHCR and the Council of Europe's Committee on Migration in Strasbourg on 15 November 2010.
- See press releases from UNHCR and the Council of Europe on the meeting.
- See also a Comment from the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner on his blog.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

23 November 2010

Health-related Events

Ensuring Access to Healthcare for the Community's Most Vulnerable Migrants in the Age of Austerity, Birmingham, 24 November 2010 & London, 27 November 2010 [info]
- Hosted by Doctors of the World UK in conjunction with the Health for Undocumented Migrants and Asylum Seekers (HUMA) network.

Health and Well-being of Displaced Women, Kuala Lumpur, 29-30 November 2010 [info]
- This conference "seeks to address the impact of conflict and displacement on the health and well-being of women. It also provides a platform to explore more effective measures and programmes to protect them as well as design more strategic programmes to enhance their health and well-being."

Disaster Relief: Could You Do It?, London, 4 December 2010 [info]
- "A day for nurses, physiotherapists, ODPs, anaesthetists and surgeons looking at the role of an emergency surgical team in a humanitarian disaster."

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Afghan Refugees/Iran, AIDS/Uganda, Asylum Seekers/UK, Climate Displ./Pakistan, Rejected Asylum Seekers

The coming of the stranger: asylum seekers, trust and hospitality in a British city, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 195 (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Confronting Climate Displacement: Learning from Pakistan's Floods (Refugees International, Nov. 2010) [text]

"Interface of culture, insecurity and HIV and AIDS: Lessons from displaced communities in Pader District, Northern Uganda," Conflict and Health 4:18 (22 Nov. 2010) [open access text]

Iranian Influence in Afghanistan: Refugees as Political Instruments (American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Nov. 2010) [text via Human Security Gateway]

The return of persons found not to be in need of international protection to their countries of origin: UNHCR's role (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Tagged Publications.

22 November 2010

CFP/New Issues of Intervention, RSQ, Refugee Watch

CFP:

Forced Migration Review (FMR) is seeking article submissions for its feature section on "Technology and Communications." The deadline is 1 April 2011. The issue, no. 38, will be published in September 2011.

New Issues:

Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, vol. 8, no. 3 (Nov. 2010) [contents]
- Includes a focus on substance abuse in refugee settings, with the following articles: "Screening and brief intervention for high-risk alcohol use in Mae La refugee camp, Thailand: a pilot project on the feasibility of training and implementation," "Perspectives on alcohol and substance abuse in refugee settings: lessons from the field," and "The hunting of the snark: detecting and managing abusers of alcohol and other drugs in refugee camps – a commentary on Ezard et al. and Streel & Schilperoord." Also includes "Refugee women survivors of war related sexualised violence: a multicultural framework for service provision in resettlement countries."

Refugee Survey Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 3 (Sept. 2010) [contents]
- The theme is "New Challenges of Migration in Africa." Articles include "Forced Displacement in Africa: Dimensions, Difficulties, and Policy Directions," "The African Union Convention on Internally Displaced Persons: Its Codification Background, Scope, and Enforcement Challenges," "The Kampala Convention on Internally Displaced Persons: Some International Humanitarian Law Aspects," "Creating Humanitarian Space: A Case Study of Somalia," "Climate Change, Human Mobility, and Protection: Initial Evidence from Africa," and "Promoting Integration through Mobility: Free Movement under ECOWAS."

Refugee Watch Online (Nov. 2010) [full-text]
- Online companion to print version of Refugee Watch. Newly posted articles include "Brasilia Declaration on the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons in the Americas," "Dilemma of Right to Property and IDPs in Nepal," "The IDPs of the 'Madhesh Aandolan'," and "Contesting Statelessness: Comparative Perspectives of Tibetans and Rohingiyas in India and Bangladesh."

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities.

19 November 2010

Publications: Asylum Aid Lecture, Hot Systems & Climate Change, IDPs & Right to Education, PHR Advocate, Statistical Yrbk.

Doing What Comes Naturally? Asylum, Human Rights and Duties of Humanity (Asylum Aid, Nov. 2010) [text]
- Asylum Aid's 20th Anniversary lecture. See also director's response.

Giving Refuge: Reflections on Working with Asylum Seekers (Health Rights Advocate, Nov. 2010) [text]
- Provides access to text of article in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, vol. 40, no. 1 (July 2010).

Learning in Displacement: Briefing Paper on the Right to Education of Internally Displaced People (IDMC, Nov. 2010) [text]

Tipping Points in Humanitarian Crisis: From Hot Spots to Hot Systems (UNU-EHS & Munich Re, 2010) [text]
- Outcomes from the 4th UNU-EHS/MRF Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability, 26 July-1 August 2009.

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2009 (UNHCR, Oct. 2010) [access]


Tagged Publications.