27 September 2014

Admin: Fall Break

This blog will be quiet next week.  Posts will resume again the first full week of October.

New Book Titles

Please check out my Pinterest page for new books due out in October 2014. I've also added information about a few additional titles to the Sept. 2014 and New Legal Texts book boards.

Tagged Publications. 

26 September 2014

Events & Opportunities: More October 2014

CFP: RLI Working Paper Series [info]
- New submissions are requested and will be considered on a rolling basis.

UK Parliamentary Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention [info]
- The deadline for submitting written evidence is 1 October 2014.

MHPSS Network Webinar series, 2 October-13 November 2014 [info]
- The first webinar is "The politics of mental health and psychosocial programmes in humanitarian settings" on 2 October 2014.

ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations, Brussels, 15-17 October [info]
- Registration deadline is 3 October 2014.

Between Principle and Pragmatism: Australia and Refugee Law, 60 Years On, Sydney, 3 November 2014 [info]
- Register by 6 October 2014 for early bird rates.

Putting Affected People at the Centre of Humanitarian Response: Rhetoric or Reality?, London, 7 October 2014 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

"Fortress Europe" and the Migrant Deaths on the Mediterranean, Copenhagen, 9 October 2014 [info]
- A DIIS migration seminar.

XVI Humanitarian Congress Berlin, 10-11 October 2014 [info]
- Theme is "Protection: A Broken Promise?"; registration is ongoing.

'Secure the Borders!' The Cost and Consequences of Europe's 'Fight Against Irregular Migration', London, 14 October 2014 [info]
- A podcast of this event will be available after the fact.

RFP: Production of a Video Series on Syrian Refugees in Western Europe [info]
- Deadline for proposals is 15 October 2014.

Launch of World Disasters Report: Focus on Culture and Risk, London, 20 October 2014 [info]

RFP: UNHCR.org Website Redesign [info]
- Deadline for proposals is 20 October 2014.

Symposium on the Protection of Persons Fleeing Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence, Luxembourg, 20 October 2014 [info]
- Free event but registration required.

CFP: African Human Mobility Review [info]
  - Articles sought for first issue of new journal; submission deadline is 30 October 2014.

Related post:
- Events & Opportunities: October 2014 & Last Minute September 2014

Tagged Events & Opportunities. 

25 September 2014

Thematic Focus: General

Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons, UN Doc. No. A/69/295 (UN General Assembly, Aug. 2014) [text via Refworld]
- The thematic section focuses on "the challenge of finding durable solutions for internally displaced persons in urban settings."

Security Sector Reform and Ending Displacement: Important, but Neglected, Connections (UpFront Blog, Sept. 2014) [text]

"Status and Treatment of Refugees," 53rd Session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization, Tehran, 15-18 Sept. 2014 [text]

UNHCR Asylum Trends, First Half 2014: Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries (UNHCR, Sept. 2014) [text]
*- See also related UNHCR news story, "Asylum Claims from Syria, Iraq and Other Conflict Zones Rise in First Half 2014."

UNHCR Policy on Alternatives to Camps (UNHCR, July 2014) [text]
- See also related RI blog post, "Out of Camp, Out of Mind?" and response in the Global Views blog, and subsequent reactions in The Guardian and IRIN.

[UNHCR RSD Statistics] (RSDWatch.org, Sept. 2014)
- The following blog posts analyze data from two recent UNHCR reports: 1) The Statistics are Coming (so here are some caveats); 2) UNHCR RSD Surges: Nearly 200,000 New Applicants in 2013; 3) Where is the UNHCR RSD Surge Happening?

What Facilitates Solutions to Displacement?, Evaluation & Learning Brief, no. 2 (Danish Refugee Council, June 2014) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (11 Sept. 2014)

*UPDATED

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Events:

Putting Affected People at the Centre of Humanitarian Response: Rhetoric or Reality?, London, 7 October 2014 [info]
- Will also be livestreamed.

XVI Humanitarian Congress Berlin, 10-11 October 2014 [info]
- Theme is "Protection: A Broken Promise?"; registration is ongoing.

Publications:

The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid: An NGO Perspective (VOICE & DARA, May 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Global Conversation on Humanitarian Action Kicks off (IRIN, Sept. 2014) [text]

Histories of Humanitarian Action in the Middle East and North Africa, HPG Working Paper (ODI, Sept. 2014) [text]

Responsibility, Legitimacy, Morality: Chinese Humanitarianism in Historical Perspective, HPG Working Paper (ODI, Sept. 2014) [text]
- See also related policy brief.

Rethink Needed on Humanitarian Funding for National NGOs (IRIN, Sept. 2014) [text]

"Why Humanitarian Aid Became Professional: The Experience of MSF," Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (Sept. 2014) [full-text]


Related posts:
- News: GHA Report 2014 Published (10 Sept. 2014)
- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (25 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Europe, esp. Migrant Deaths at Sea

Migrant deaths at sea:

Event:

"Fortress Europe" and the Migrant Deaths on the Mediterranean, Copenhagen, 9 October 2014 [info]
- A DIIS migration seminar.

Publications:

"Business as Usual: Yet Another Refugee Tragedy on EU Borders," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, no. 829 (Sept. 2014) [text]

Campaign Launch: EU Must Take Urgent Action in the Face of Increasing Migrant Death Toll at Sea (Amnesty International, Sept. 2014) [text]
- Note: Amnesty will launch a report on 30 Sept. 2014 entitled "Lives Adrift: Refugees and Migrants Drowning in the Central Mediterranean."

The EU Must Take More Responsibility for the Migrants Risking Their Lives to Reach Italy (Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2014) [text]

Is the EU Doing Enough to Prevent Migrant Deaths at Sea? (IRIN, Sept. 2014) [text]

Mare Europaeum? Tackling Mediterranean Migration, Issue Brief, no. 25 (Institute for Security Studies, Sept. 2014) [text]

Other publications:

EASO Multi-annual Work Programme 2014-2016: "Towards a Coherent Implementation of the Common European Asylum System" (EASO, Nov. 2013) [text]

The Future of the Common European Asylum System: The Disgrace of a Regulation - Dublin II and III by Comparison, Bachelor's essay (University of Twente, Sept. 2014) [text]

"Interpretation, Translation and Intercultural Communication in Refugee Status Determination Procedures in the UK and France," Language and Intercultural Communication, vol. 14, no. 3 (2014) [open access]

Mémorandum en Matière de Protection des Réfugiés, des Bénéficiaires de la Protection Subsidiaire et des Apatrides en Belgique (UNHCR, June 2014) [text]

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (16 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: MENA

Briefing: What's in the UN's New Gaza Agreement? (IRIN, Sept. 2014) [text]

RAVEL: Evaluation of the the Regional Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme for Stranded Migrants in Egypt and Libya  (IOM & Global Migration Centre, June 2014) [text]

Gaza Initial Rapid Assessment (OCHA, Aug. 2014) [text]

Humanitarian Funding Analysis: Gaza (Development Initiatives, Sept. 2014) [text]

Iraq Internal Displacement Crisis: Assessment Report (Shelter Cluster & CCCM, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Israel: High Court Voids Migrant Holding Law (Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2014) [text]

Memorandum of Understanding between UNDP and UNHCR: Regional Cooperation on the Syria and Iraq Situations (Sept. 2014) [text]

Protecting People on the Move: Mixed Migration in Volatile Contexts, Evaluation & Learning Brief, no. 3 (Danish Refugee Council, Sept. 2014) [text]
- Focuses on Libya.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: MENA (9 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

24 September 2014

Event/New Issues of Anti-Traff. Rev., Crit. Stud. Security, Humanit. Exch., Intl. Migr., IMR, ICRC Rev., Lang. & Intercult. Comm., Med. Confl. & Survival

Event:

International Migration Review: 50th Anniversary Symposium, New York, 30 September 2014 [info]
- This event will also be webcast.

New issues:

Anti-Trafficking Review, no. 3 (2014) [open access]
- Special issue on "Following the Money: Spending on Anti-Trafficking."

Critical Studies on Security, vol. 2, no. 2 (2014) [contents]
- Includes special feature section on "Climate Change and Migration: From Geopolitics to Biopolitics." The first two articles are freely available.

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 62 (Sept. 2014) [full-text]
- Special feature on "The Crisis in the Central African Republic."

International Migration, vol. 52, no. 5 (Oct. 2014) [contents]
- Features two special sections on "Migration Issues in Eastern Europe" and "Return Migration."  Includes "Internal Displacement: Return, Property, Economy."

International Migration Review, vol. 48, no. 3 (Fall 2014) [contents]
- Features a special section on "Immigration Policy in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States."

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 95, nos. 891-892 (Dec. 2013) [contents]
- Theme is "Multinational Operations and the Law."

Language and Intercultural Communication, vol. 14, no. 3 (2014) [contents]
 - Special issue on "Migrating Languages: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Refugees, Asylum, Migration and Language." Includes "Interpretation, Translation and Intercultural Communication in Refugee Status Determination Procedures in the UK and France," which is open access.

Medicine, Conflict and Survival, vol. 30, no. 3 (2014) [contents]
- Mix of articles; includes two freely available prize-winning student essays.

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities.

New ETDs - Pt. 2

(ETD = Electronic Theses & Dissertations)

Charter Flights Full of Homosexuals: Policy Making on Homosexual Men in Dutch Immigration and Asylum Procedures 1945-2001, Thesis (Leiden University, July 2014) [text]

Comparing European Union and Dutch Asylum Law Procedures: Balancing Efficiency and Substantive Examination in Asylum Applications, Thesis (Victoria University of Wellington, Sept. 2014) [text]

Material Reception Conditions for Asylum Seekers in the EU: The Swedish Implementation from a Perspective of Multi Level Governance, Thesis (Lund University, Spring 2014) [text]

Rationality and the Culture of Disbelief: Credibility Assessment at Application Centre Zevenaar, Thesis (Utrecht University, Aug. 2014) [text]

Sexual Violence and Sexual Health in Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants in Europe and the European Neighbourhood: Determinants and Desirable Prevention, Dissertation (Ghent University, June 2014) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New ETDs - Pt. 1

(ETD = Electronic Theses & Dissertations)

"The Capital of the Poor": The Meaning of Social Capital for Internally Displaced Persons in Bogotá, Thesis (Utrecht University, 2014) [text]

Designing Stories, Bridging Success: Multimodal Digital Storytelling with At-Risk Immigrant and Refugee Students, Thesis (University of British Columbia, Sept. 2014) [text]

Internal Displacement and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from Colombia and the Rest of the World, Thesis (RMIT University, Jan. 2014) [text]

A Mixed-methods Exploration: Refugees' Caring Relationships as a Source of Social Capital, Dissertation (University of Maryland, 2014) [text]

Representing Refugees: Canadian Newspapers’ Portrayals of Refugees of El Salvador’s Civil War, 1980-1992, Thesis (University of Manitoba/University of Winnipeg, Sept. 2014) [text]

Tagged Publications.

23 September 2014

65th Session of EXCOM

The 65th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme (EXCOM) will run from 29 September to 3 October 2014 in Geneva. This year's meeting will include a High-level Segment on Enhancing International Cooperation, Solidarity, Local Capacities and Humanitarian Action for Refugees in Africa. (*Here's a background paper for more info on the HLS.)

Here is the provisional agenda and the estimated schedule.

Side events taking place during this year's session include:
- 50 years of exile: concluding the chapter for Angolan refugees
- Cartegena+30: new protection and solutions responses in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees: glass half full?
- Registration of Syrian refugees: where the response starts
- Mobilizing private sector for refugees – UNHCR’s new PSFR Strategy
- The Nansen Initiative reports back – human mobility and disasters in Africa
- Unaccompanied children in Europe: what is in their best interests?
- The Solutions Alliance: partnering on solutions to displacement
- Refugees and markets – UNHCR's Global Livelihoods Strategy
- NGO side event: Fresh thinking on alternatives to camps

In addition, the Nansen Refugee Award ceremony will be held the evening of the first day, with the honors going to the Colombian women's group, "Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future."

Plenary session documents can be accessed here.

*UPDATED

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

22 September 2014

Thematic Focus: Human Trafficking

Event: 

Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, Lincoln, NE, 9-11 October 2014 [info]
- Registration is ongoing.

Publications:

Anti-Trafficking Review, no. 3 (2014) [open access]
- Special issue on "Following the Money: Spending on Anti-Trafficking."

Assessing New Zealand's Immigration Policy towards Victims of Human Trafficking: A Human Rights Approach, LLM Research Paper (Victoria University of Wellington, 2013; avail. June 2014) [text]

Guardianship for Children Deprived of Parental Care: A Handbook to Reinforce Guardianship Systems to Cater for the Specific Needs of Child Victims of Trafficking (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, June 2014) [text]

Journal on Human Trafficking [info]
- No issues have been published yet.

The Protection Project Review of the Trafficking in Persons Report (Protection Project, July 2014) [text]
- See also related remarks.

Smuggled Futures: The Dangerous Path of a Migrant from Africa to Europe (Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, May 2014) [text]
- See map above.

Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, UN Doc. No. A/69/269 (UN General Assembly, Aug. 2014) [text via Refworld]

"World's Most Dangerous Journey? Eritreans Risk Life and Limb to Get to UK," The Guardian, 6 Sept. 2014 [text]

Related posts:
- News: 2014 Edition of Trafficking in Persons Report (20 June 2014)
- Thematic Focus: Human Trafficking & Forced Labour (12 June 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


Regional Focus: Syria

An Afternoon on Syrian Displacement, and Protection in Europe, Oxford, 10 Sept. 2014 [info]
- Follow the link above for video of this event, or listen to podcasts of part 1 and part 2.

Are We Listening? Acting on Our Commitments to Women and Girls Affected by the Syrian Conflict (International Rescue Committee, Sept. 2014) [text]
- See also companion web site.

Bulgaria: New Evidence Syrians Forced Back to Turkey (Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2014) [text]

Comparative Analysis of Syrian Refugees Staying In and Outside Camps: Kurdistan Region of Iraq (REACH, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]
- See also the individual assessment reports of Syrian refugees in camps and outside of them.

Ensuring Quality Education for Young Refugees from Syria: Mapping Exercise on Quality Education for Young Refugees from Syria (12-25 years) (Refugee Studies Centre, Sept. 2014) [text]

Futures under Threat: The Impact of the Education Crisis on Syria’s Children (Save the Children, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Syrian Displacement: Views from the Region, Washington, DC, 16 Sept. 2014 [info]
- Follow link for audio.

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Secondary and Tertiary Health Care at a Glance (UNHCR et al., June 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

20 September 2014

News: Latest Annual Disaster Statistical Review Published

Hot on the heels of IDMC's Global Estimates report for 2014 is the Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2013: The Numbers and Trends.  Published by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), this annual report provides an analysis of disasters that occurred during the year under review and the impact they had on lives and livelihoods.  This CRED Crunch Newsletter published in April 2014 provided a provisional snapshot of natural disasters in 2013.

Previous editions of the annual review can be accessed via my research guide.

Tagged Publications.

News: UNHCR/NGO Consultations

This year, UNHCR's annual discussion with NGOs was held 17-19 June 2014 in Geneva.  The two final reports of the meeting are now available:

- 2014 UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs: Rapporteur's Report [text]

- Report on the Annual Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations [text]

In addition, a Tumblr site was set up to host videos and photos of, and social media feeds for, the various gatherings.

Next year's consultations will take place 1-3 July 2015, immediately following the UNHCR Standing Committee meeting from 29-30 June 2015.

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

Tip of the Week! Searching on URLs

I search on URLs all the time.  In other words, I will enter a URL into Google's search box at http://www.google.com and click on the "search" button.  Google will treat the URL as a "search term" and look for instances of it rather than take you to the site.

Is this something you do too?  If you don't, here are a few reasons for giving it a go.

1. Safety:

- I've mentioned before that I tend to quite safety-conscious when searching online. When you search on a URL, you can often learn whether or not it is part of a site that has been compromised in some way, as described in this earlier tip.
- You can also learn whether or not a site has changed hands without actually visiting the site.  This happened recently with http://frlan.tumblr.com, which used to be the URL for the Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter.  Now it directs you to the site for International Thornes Bank!
- Another example: I was trying to determine if the Forced Migration Research Hub still has a presence online.  Its Twitter feed hasn't been updated since Nov. 2012, so rather than go directly to its site at http://formhub.net/, I searched on it.  The snippets in the search results indicate the site at that URL now focuses on mobile data collection.

2.  Identification:

This previous tip discussed "link expanders" that will identify the actual URL that a tiny URL directs you to. However, these services don't work for the perpetual URLs and permalinks that are often used in universities' institutional repositories.  For example, I recently referenced this dissertation on my blog: Asylum Seekers and Australian Politics, 1996-2007. The URL for it is http://hdl.handle.net/2440/84730, which isn't very informative. But what if you want to know precisely where that URL will lead you?  Search on it and you'll learn the dissertation resides in the University of Adelaide's digital library.

3. Google's cache:

The cache is a record of what a site or document looked like at the time it was indexed by Google. You can access the cached version of something by clicking on the upside-down green triangle that is displayed to the right of a URL in Google's search results. Why is this useful?  First, viewing the cached versions of PDF, Word, Excel or Powerpoint files is a quick way to determine whether or not a document is worth opening up, because you don't have to actually a) launch an application to view the text, or b) download the document onto your computer before you can view it.  Also, the cache will allow you to retrieve information from a site or a document that is temporarily inaccessible or has recently disappeared. (Note the emphasis on recently!  The cache is only a short-term backup solution.)

Examples:
- You are looking for the most recent edition of IDMC's Global Estimates report. Type in >>global estimates 2014<<.  Notice in the search results that ReliefWeb has a PDF copy. Click on the green upside-down triangle, and select "cached." The text will be displayed very quickly because the graphics and special fonts, etc. are removed. (For this reason, sometimes you have to scroll down a bit to see the text.)
- On some sites, when you click on a link to view a PDF, the "save as" box opens up, meaning that you have to download a document in order to view it.  Here's an example: This page includes a link to ECRE's Information Note on Syrians Seeking Protection in Europe. If you want to view the document before downloading it, simply copy the URL (http://www.ecre.org/component/downloads/downloads/824.html), search on it in Google, and then view the cached version.
- I recently came across a presentation I wanted to look at.  However, it is in Powerpoint, and I don't have that application on my computer.  So I searched on the URL and viewed the cache of the .ppt file instead.
- I don't have a specific example of a recently disappeared document to share.  But the next time you click on a link that leads nowhere, try searching on the URL to see if a cached version is still available.

[Image credit: Wikipedia]

Tagged Tips.

19 September 2014

Regional Focus: Asia Pacific

5th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights, Bangkok, 2-4 Sept. 2014 [info]
- Some of the presentations from this meeting are now available.

"Can Islam and "Islamization" be a Force for Refugee Rights in Malaysia?," UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal, vol. 31, no. 1 (2013) [full-text]

Forced Migration and Human Rights Protection in the Asia Pacific Region: Mobilising Opportunities, Melbourne, 8 Aug. 2014 [info]
- Follow link to access some of the presentations; scroll to bottom of page.

Timor-Leste: Links between Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention and Durable Solutions to Displacement (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Sept. 2014) [text]

UNHCR's Comments on the Draft Presidential Decree and Regulations to the Refugee Act of the Republic of Korea (UNHCR, March 2013) [text]

"Welfare Reforms and the Refugee Resettlement Strategy: An Opportunity to Achieve Meaningful Employment Outcomes for New Zealanders from Refugee Backgrounds'," Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, Latest Articles, 28 Aug. 2014 [open access]

Related posts:
- Regional Focus: Asia Pacific (2 Sept. 2014)
- Regional Focus: Australia & New Zealand (26 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Australia

The Demonisation of Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in Popular Politics (Asylum Insight, Sept. 2014) [text]

Launch of Refugees: Why Seeking Asylum is Legal and Australia’s Policies are Not, Sydney, 4 Sept. 2014 [info]
- Follow link for press release and text of speech.

"Refugee Settlement in Australia: Policy, Scholarship and the Production of Knowledge, 1952 -2013," Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 35, no. 1 (2014) [free full-text]

Regionalism, Responsibility and Refugees, South Brisbane, 17 July 2014 [info]
- Follow link for transcript and video of this public lecture.

"Towed Back or Locked Up: Australia’s Refugee Policy," Government Gazette (July 2014) [full-text]
- Scroll to p. 83.

UNHCR Submissions in the High Court of Australia in the Case of CPCF v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and the Commonwealth of Australia (UNHCR, Sept. 2014) [text]
- More info about this case is available on the Opinions on High Court Blog.

What Happens now that Australia has "Stopped the Boats"?, Perth, 20 Aug. 2014 [info]
- Follow link for audio. The transcript of this lecture is available on the RCOA web site.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Australia & New Zealand (26 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

17 September 2014

News: New Disaster IDPs Report Published

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has just released its annual report, Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters.  Here is the description:
"IDMC’s latest Global Estimates report shows that 22 million people were displaced in 2013 by disasters brought on by natural hazard events. As in previous years, the worst affected region is Asia, where 19 million people, or 87.1 per cent of the global total, were displaced during the year. Although both wealthy and poorer countries are affected, developing countries bear the brunt, accounting for more than 85 per cent of displacement. In the Philippines, typhoon Haiyan alone displaced 4.1 million people, a million more than in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania combined. Viewed relative to population size, seasonal floods also caused significant displacement in sub-Saharan Africa, most notably in Niger, Chad, Sudan and South Sudan – countries with highly vulnerable populations who are also affected by conflict and drought."

This is technically the fifth report that has been published on global estimates of disaster displacement.  The first, a study produced by IDMC and OCHA, developed a methodology for monitoring disaster-displaced populations over time.  All previous editions can be accessed via my research guide.

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Americas

Reports/commentary on recent BIA decision:
  • Board of Immigration Appeals Recognizes Domestic Violence as a Basis for Asylum (CGRS, Aug. 2014) [text]
  • HIRC Plays Key Role in Landmark Decision Recognizing Domestic Violence as Grounds for Asylum (Clinical and Pro Bono Programs, Aug. 2014) [text]
  • "In First for Court, Woman Is Ruled Eligible for Asylum in U.S. on Basis of Domestic Abuse," New York Times, 29 Aug. 2014 [text]
  • One Giant Leap for a Woman; One Small Step for Womankind (The Asylumist, Aug. 2014) [text]
  • Q&A with Karen Musalo, Director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS, Aug. 2014) [text]

Publications:

15th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration, Bogotá, 15-18 July 2014 [conf. report]
 - The theme was "Forced Migration and Peace: 30 Years of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees."

Buenaventura, Colombia: Brutal Realities - Forced Displacement and Gender-based Sexual Violence (Norwegian Refugee Council, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Note: This report was released to mark the work of the winners of the 2014 Nansen Refugee Award, or "Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future, a group of courageous women that work tirelessly to help displaced survivors of sexual abuse reclaim their lives in Buenaventura, one of the most violent cities in Colombia."

Building Peace in the Midst of Violence: Improving Security and Finding Durable Solutions to Displacement in Colombia (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Sept. 2014) [text]

Ecuador Advances the Protection of Refugees (Asylum Access, Sept. 2014) [text]

"Immigration," Student Discovery Set (U.S. Library of Congress, Sept. 2014) [access]
- New ebook on the "immigrant experience in America in the 19th and 20th centuries."

Quick Look: Asylum Law (LegalED, Aug. 2014) [access]
- Follow link for video.

Sixteen Years and 20 Minutes to "Other Serious Harm" Asylum (The Asylumist, Sept. 2014) [text]
- Blog post that discusses "humanitarian asylum" in the U.S.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Americas (8 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

16 September 2014

New FMR Supplement Issue

A Forced Migration Review supplement issue has just been published.  The focus is on "Innovation and Refugees."  Here is the description:
Innovation around displacement is not new. Yet the imperfections of current approaches are obvious in the challenges that we continue to face. By looking at old problems in new ways and by seeking and fostering innovation itself, new products can be developed, new ways of working can be devised and new modalities and paradigms can emerge to make the lives of displaced people better, more sustainable and less risky. These 11 articles reflect some of the thinking behind humanitarian innovation for displaced people, and some of its current manifestations.

Some of the articles include contributions from the recent Humanitarian Innovation Conference, held in Oxford from 19-20 July 2014.

Tagged Periodicals.

Regional Focus: Europe

Recent reporting on migrants attempting to reach Europe: 
  • "As Many as 700 Migrants Feared Drowned in Mediterranean," Reuters, 15 Sept. 2014 [text]
  • Eritrean Exodus: The Drivers and Trends of Current Migration Spike (RMMS, Sept. 2014) [text]
  • "Europe's Deadly Borders: An Inside Look at EU's Shameful Immigration Policy," Spiegel Online, 11 Sept. 2014 [text]
  • IOM Investigates Reports of Deliberate Drowning of 500 Migrants in Mediterranean (IOM, Sept. 2014) [text]
  • "Mapping Mediterranean Migration," BBC News, 15 Sept. 2014 [text]
  • Mediterranean Migrant Boat Shipwrecks Highlight Need for EU Action (Amnesty International, Sept. 2014) [text]

Events & opportunities:

CFP: "The Role of EU Institutions in Migration and Asylum Policies: Liberal Constraint?", Panel at 22nd International Conference of Europeanists, Paris, 8-10 July 2015 [info]
 - Abstracts are due by 26 September 2014.

Annual Conference on EU Asylum Law 2014, Trier, Germany, 29-30 October 2014 [info]
- Register before 29 September 2014 for early bird rates.

ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations, Brussels, 15-17 October [info]
- Registration deadline is 3 October 2014.

'Secure the Borders!' The Cost and Consequences of Europe's 'Fight Against Irregular Migration', London, 14 October 2014 [info]
- A podcast of this event will be available after the fact.

Publications:

AIDA Report on Cyprus (AIDA, Aug. 2014) [text]

Asylum Seekers’Access to Territory and Asylum Procedure in the Republic of Hungary 2013 (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, 2014?) [text]

Current Issues of Refugee Protection (UNHCR Greece, June 2014) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

Humanitarian Visas: Option or Obligation? (European Parliament, Sept. 2014) [text]
- See also related ECRE Weekly Bulletin article.

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (11 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 



15 September 2014

Thematic Focus: Health

"Mental Health of Refugees: Report of a Successful Case in Brazil," Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, vol. 36 no. 3 (July/Sept. 2014) [full-text]

"Ocular Morbidity among Refugees in Southwest Ethiopia," Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, vol. 24, no. 3 (2014) [open access]

"Prevalence of Dyslipidaemia and Micronutrient Deficiencies among Newly Arrived Refugees in Rural Australia: A Cross-sectional Study," BMC Public Health, 14:896 (Sept. 2014) [open access]

"Refugees Connecting with a New Country through Community Food Gardening," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 11, no. 9 (Sept. 2014) [open access]

"Strengthening the Evidence Base for Health Programming in Humanitarian Crises," Science Magazine, vol. 345, no. 6202 (Sept. 2014) [full-text]

"A Systematic Review of Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes of Conflict-driven Adult Forced Migrants," Conflict and Health, 8:13 (Aug. 2014) [open access]

"Traumatized Refugees: Morbidity, Treatment and Predictors of Outcome," Danish Medical Journal, vol. 61, no. 8 (Aug. 2014) [full-text]

"Violence and Reproductive Health Preceding Flight from War: Accounts from Somali Born Women in Sweden," BMC Public Health, 14:892 (Aug. 2014) [open access]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Health (5 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

Bahrain: Citizenship Rights Stripped Away (Human Rights Watch, Aug. 2014) [text]

Community Paralegals and the Legal Empowerment Approach to Statelessness (Statelessness Programme Blog, Sept. 2014) [text]

*Ending Statelessness: An Imperative for the 21st Century, Keynote Address at the Global Forum on Statelessness, The Hague, 15-17 September 2014 [text]

Stateless: The World's Most Invisible People? (Thomson Reuters Foundation, Sept. 2014) [access]
- This "Spotlight" feature has recently been updated.

Statelessness Determination Procedures: Identifying and Protecting Stateless Persons (UNHCR, Aug. 2014) [text]

Statelessness Protection in Belgium (ENS Blog, Sept. 2014) [text]

Still Stateless, Still Suffering: It’s Time for European Leaders to Take Action (openDemocracy, Aug. 2014) [text]

Strategic Litigation: An Obligation for Statelessness Determination under the European Convention on Human Rights? (European Network on Statelessness, Sept. 2014) [text]
- See also related blog post.

A Website for Statelessness: www.whatisstatelessness.org (Statelessness Programme Blog, Aug. 2014) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Nationality & Statelessness (18 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

12 September 2014

Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items

"From Internment to Resettlement of Refugees: On US Obligations towards MeK Defectors in Iraq," Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 15, no. 1 (June 2014) [full-text]

Global Initiative on Protection at Sea (UNHCR, Sept. 2014) [text]

"International Refugees and Irregular Migrants: Caught in the Mundane Shadow of Crisis," Netherlands Yearbook of International Law 2013, vol. 44 (May 2014) [eprint via Academia.edu]

The Law of Refugee Status, 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, Aug. 2014) [info]
- Note: The first edition of this book (published in 1991) is available in full-text via the Refugee Caselaw site.  Follow this link, then scroll down to view title on left side.

"Re-conceptualising Rights-based Protection in Refugee Crises: The Need for Alternative Approaches and Methods in Institutional and Policy Responses," Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 51 (Sept. 2014) [full-text]

UN Audiovisual Library of International Law: Lecture Series
- The African Union Convention for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa ("Kampala Convention"), Oct. 2013 [access]
- The Principle of Non-refoulement in International Law, June 2014 [access]
- The Sources of International Migration Law, June 2014 [access]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Law/Policy Items (1 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications.


11 September 2014

Thematic Focus: General

Publications:

2014 UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs, Geneva, 17-19 June 2014 [rapporteur's report]
- The theme was "Women’s Leadership and Participation."

A Decade of Migration Conference, Oxford, 21-22 Feb. 2014 [info]
- Follow link for video.

Media Friendly Glossary on Migration (UN Alliance of Civilizations & Panos Europe Institute, 2014) [text]

"Migration Studies at a Crossroads: A Critique of Immigration Regime Typologies," Migration Studies, Advance Access, 22 Aug. 2014 [free full-text]

No Way of Escape (RI Blog, Sept. 2014) [text]

Nuclear Refugees after Large Early Radioactive Releases, Paper presented at the 12th Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management Conference, Honolulu, 22-27 June 2014 [text]

Protecting Crisis Migrants (Global Views Blog, Aug. 2014) [text]

What Constitutes a "Real" Refugee? (OUP Blog, Sept. 2014) [text]

Resource:

Urban Refugee Learning Programme [access] [more info]
- "The URLP is an 8 module e-learning programme covering the key principles and objectives of UNHCR's Urban Refugee Policy, including specific modules on registration, livelihoods, education, public health and shelter in urban settings."

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: General (15 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications.

Regional Focus: Europe

Publications:

The Extent and Impact of Asylum Accommodation Problems in Scotland (Scottish Refugee Council, Sept. 2014) [text]

Linking Peace, Security and Durable Solutions in a Multi-ethnic Society: The Case of Kosovo (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Sept. 2014) [text]

Migration and Asylum: The Movement of People in the Mediterranean Region - Future Scenarios and the EU Response, Jean Monnet Occasional Paper, no. 11/2014 (Institute for European Studies, 2014) [text]

Mind the Gap: An NGO Perspective on Challenges to Accessing Protection in the Common European Asylum System (AIDA, Sept. 2014) [text]
- See also related press release.

The Move-on Period: An Ordeal for New Refugees (British Red Cross, Aug. 2014) [text]

Temporary Accommodation in London: Research Findings and Policy Recommendations (Shelter, Aug. 2014) [text via British Library]

Violence against Kosovar Albanians NATO's Intervention 1998-1999 (MSF, June 2014) [text]

Web sites:

Living at the Border [access]
- This "multimedia project shows the complexity of [the lives of African refugees and migrants] as they navigate through the asylum system in Europe."

Researching Asylum in London [access]
- Newly re-launched resource, the aim of which is to "make research more accessible to service providers, academics, journalists and policy-makers working in the field."

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Europe (4 Sept. 2014)

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Regional Focus: Syria

"Cesarean Sections among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon from December 2012/January 2013 to June 2013: Probable Causes and Recommendations," Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, vol. 87, no. 3 (Sept. 2014) [full-text]

A Daily Struggle to Survive: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (Refugees International, Sept. 2014) [text]

Displaced Syrians in Informal Settlements within Syria and in Neighbouring Countries (REACH, Aug. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Educational Aftershocks for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (Middle East Research & Information Project, Sept. 2014) [text]

A Fairer Deal for Syrians (Oxfam, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Food Security among Syrian Households within Syria and Neighbouring Countries (REACH, Aug. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

*A Precarious Existence: The Shelter Situation of Refugees from Syria in Neighbouring Countries (Norwegian Refugee Council, June 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Syria: The Impact of the Conflict on Population Displacement, Water and Agriculture in the Orontes River Basin (Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation & Graduate Institute Geneva, Feb. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

Syrian Households in Jordan, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and within Syria: Regional Multi-sector Analysis of Primary Data (REACH, Sept. 2014) [text via ReliefWeb]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Regional Focus: Syria (27 Aug. 2014)

Tagged Publications.  

CFP/New Issues of Disasters, FEX, ICRC Review, JEMS, J. Immig. Min. Health, Ref. Watch, Ref. Watch Online, REMHU

CFP:

Journal for Palestinian Refugee Studies [info]
- Submissions sought for forthcoming Autumn edition; email editor with ideas and for deadlines.

New issues:

Disasters, vol. 38, no. s2 (July 2014) [contents]
- Special supplement issue on "The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake."

Disasters, vol. 38, no. 4 (Oct. 2014) [contents]
- Mix of articles; includes an open access article on "Nation-building policies in Timor-Leste."

Field Exchange, no. 47 (April 2014) [full-text]
- Mix of news, field articles, and research relating to the emergency food and nutrition sector.

International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 95, no. 890 (June 2014) [free full-text]
- Theme is "Violence against Health Care, Part II: The Way Forward"; articles are free until 28 Sept. 2014.

*Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 40, no. 10 (2014) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Living in Fear: Rejected Asylum Seekers Living as Irregular Migrants in England."

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 16, no. 5 (Oct. 2014) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Assessing Adherence to Accepted National Guidelines for Immigrant and Refugee Screening and Vaccines in an Urban Primary Care Practice: A Retrospective Chart Review," "Noninfectious Disease among the Bhutanese Refugee Population at a United States Urban Clinic," "Nutritional Status of Refugee Children Entering DeKalb County, Georgia," "A Systematic Review of Naturalistic Interventions in Refugee Populations," and "Malnourished Children in Refugee Camps and Lack of Connection with Services after US Resettlement."

Refugee Watch, no. 42 (Dec. 2013) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including two on forced migration studies and two on refugees in Nepal.

Refugee Watch Online (Sept. 2014) [full-text]
- Online companion to Refugee Watch journal; introduction focuses on "Transitional Justice and Displacement."

REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, vol. 22, no. 42 (Jan./June 2014) [full-text]
- Special focus on "Migrant Children and Adolescents."

*UPDATED

Tagged Periodicals.

10 September 2014

News: GHA Report 2014 Published

The 2014 edition of the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report has been published.  Here is part of the description:
How much is spent on humanitarian assistance? Is it enough? Where does it go? How does it get there and what is it spent on? Knowing who is spending what, where, and how is an essential first step in ensuring that resources can best meet the needs of people living in crises – yet this information is often hard to access. To answer these questions, the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) Report 2014 uses unique methodologies to gather and analyse data to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive picture of global humanitarian financing. We have produced this report annually since 2000, to provide a shared and independent evidence base for anyone engaged in providing, using and understanding assistance in crisis settings.

This infographic provides a quick overview of some of the key findings of the report.

Previous volumes can be accessed via my forced migration research guide.

Tagged Publications.