Job vacancies:Amnesty International: Researcher/Adviser - Refugee and Migrants' Rights [info]- Apply by 26 Sept. 2010.Forced Migration Review: Part-time Promotion and Funding Assistant [info]- Apply by 15 Sept. 2010.Refugee Studies Centre: Part-time Communications and Publications Assistant [info]- Apply by 15 Sept. 2010.Writing opps.:Article on Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Minors [info]- No deadline specified.Essay Competition for Young Scholars on "The politics of climate change and population movement/displacement in the Middle East and North Africa" [info]- Submit abstract by 1 Oct. 2010.Tagged Events &...
August 19th is World Humanitarian Day. This day honors "all humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause." It was established after the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003, which killed Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other people. Over 100 humanitarian workers died on duty during 2009.To learn more, please visit the web site set up by OCHA. You can access a Q&A, information on security trends, a film, and other resources.Tagged Events &...
The Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS) website is an initiative aiming to improve the coherence among agricultural information systems in order to create a clearing house for information management standards, and to share and promote the use of common methodologies and tools. To reach the above mentioned goals, AIMS provides semantic-based services in the agricultural domain by providing resources such as metadata standards, methodologies, knowledge organization systems, online – and web services.As a new feature among its online services the AIMS Events Service is now available. It is a regularly updated list of meetings, workshops and conferences as well as other activities associated with agricultural information management standards.You can also follow upcoming...
Portugal and Spain are serving as venues for overlapping events in September. Here are the details along with links to a few refugee-related resources. (Note: Both countries have recently established resettlement programmes.)Events:"European Migration and Asylum Policies: Coherence or Contradiction? - An Interdisciplinary Evaluation of the EU Summits of Tampere (1999), The Hague (2004) and Stockholm (2009)," Madrid, 8-10 September 2010 [info]- This meeting will cover the right to asylum and irregular migration, among other topics.50 Years of African Independencies: Challenges to Modernity, Lisbon, 9-11 September 2010 [info]- Includes a panel on "The Suffering of Migrants and Refugees of/in Africa and their Caregivers: New Models, New Practices, New Actors."Refugee Councils:CEAR:...
CFP: Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration [info]- Graduates of the MSc of Forced Migration program at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, have launched a new e-publication and are soliciting contributions. The deadline is 24 October 2010.New Issues:Childhood, vol. 17, no. 2 (May 2010) [contents]- Special issue on "Childhood and migration: mobilities, homes and belongings." Includes "Successful adaptation among Sudanese unaccompanied minors: Perspectives of youth and foster parents" and "Home journeys: Im/mobilities in young refugee and asylum-seeking women’s negotiations of home."Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 3 (August 2010) [contents]- Mix of articles.Journal of Human Security, vol. 6, no. 2 (July 2010) [contents]- Mix of articles.Journal of Humanitarian Assistance...
Here are a few new opportunities for sharing your insights and analyses:Contribute a chapter to Comparative Studies of the Basic Need of Urban Refugees [info]Prepare an article, briefing note, book review, or resource summary for the June 2011 issue of Africa Peace & Conflict Journal that focuses on "Forced Migration, Refugees, Conflict and Peacebuilding" [info] [previous issues]Submit a manuscript to the Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law [info] [previous issues]Summarize legal developments for the ABA's International Refugee Law News [info] [previous issues]Tagged Events &...
International Refugee Law and Contemporary Challenges, 11 October-21 November 2010 [info]- E-learning course offered by HREA and UPEACE; apply by 15 Sept. 201061st Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, Geneva, 4-8 October 2010 [EXCOM web site]- No info. currently available, although some preliminary documents are.15th International Metropolis Conference, The Hague, 4-8 October 2010 [info]- Theme is "Justice and Migration: Paradoxes of Belonging."First International Conference on Human Rights in Southeast Asia, Bangkok, 14-15 October 2010 [info]- Organized by the Southeast Asian Human Rights Studies Network.Refuge: General Call for Papers [info]- Refuge is seeking articles for its first issue under the new editor-in-chief. "Although the issue will...
The second World Conference on Humanitarian Studies will be held 2-5 June 2011, in Medford, Massachusetts, USA. This event is organized by the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) and hosted by Tufts University in collaboration with Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Social Science Research Council. The IHSA was established during the first conference, which took place in 2009 in Groningen. Its aim is "to strengthen and advance a global network of universities, specialised research centres, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations in order to enhance a better alignment between knowledge, policy and practice in resolving humanitarian crises." The IHSA seeks to accomplish this goal in part through its World Conferences.The second meeting will...
Strengthening Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Refugee and Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Settings, Nairobi, 2-13 August 2010 [info]- Training organized by the Centre for African Family Studies.Delivering Relief in Emergencies: Saving lives and protecting livelihoods through relief assistance, Nairobi, 23-26 August 2010 [info]- This course "covers the main approaches of emergency relief, including an introduction to nutritional assessments, and focuses on the planning and implementation of various types of relief interventions." Registration deadline is 12 August 2010.Basics of International Humanitarian Response Workshop, Hua Hin, Thailand, 27 September-4 October 2010 [info]- Workshop which aims "to acquaint the participants with the purpose and practices...
When we started Acumen’s San Francisco chapter last fall, we knew we wanted to do something that had a distinctly Northern Californian flavor. So we took a page from Silicon Valley’s tech community and held a pitch night last month where five emerging social enterprises gave their best business plan presentations to a panel of Bay Area venture capitalists and veteran entrepreneurs like Premal Shah of Kiva.
More than 200 people came to see entrepreneurs like Shah and Leila Janah of Samasource share the lessons they learned from building their nonprofits from the ground-up.
Whether facing cost constraints, building a new brand in an unknown market or creating traction in an online marketplace, all of the speakers shared a common commitment to approaching long-standing problems with...
Information resources:"Forced migration and asylum: stateless citizens today," Chapter 10 in Migration in a Globalised World: New Research Issues and Prospects (Amsterdam University Press, 2010) [text]- Scroll down to p. 183.Locked out: The 12 million people without a country, and their need to become a citizen (Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, July 2010) [text]The Struggle against Statelessness Advances in Strasbourg (Open Society Blog, July 2010) [text]UNHCR Executive Committee Conclusions related to Statelessness (UNHCR, July 2010) [text]United Nations General Assembly Resolutions of particular relevance to statelessness and nationality (UNHCR, July 2010) [text]Viet Nam ends stateless limbo for 2,300 former Cambodians (UNHCR, July 2010) [text]Job opportunities:Asylum Aid is...
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UNHCR and Fahamu Refugee Programme are co-hosting a course entitled "Witchcraft allegations, refugee protection and human rights: A course for lawyers and legal advisers." It promises to "to arm lawyers and legal advisers with the information, networks and resources they require to represent those accused of witchcraft. Participants will learn how to best represent those whose claims to asylum are based upon accusations of witchcraft, an emerging area of refugee law in which there is a need for specialized knowledge and training." This event will be held 4-5 September 2010 in Oxford. The deadline for registering is 21 August 2010.Other witchcraft-related resources:Children Accused of Witchcraft: An anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa (UNICEF, April 2010) [text via...
Job vacancy:Senior Policy Officer - Forced Displacement, ICVA [info]- Apply by 1 August 2010.Lists:Immigration Detention Discussion List- "We are convening a new, moderated email list-serve. It will be of interest to academics and practitioners who would like to continue exploring the issue of immigration detention raised at the workshop. You are welcome to join whether or not you attended the workshop. Please email Stephanie Silverman for more details: stephanie.silverman@sant.ox.ac.uk."SRLAN List [info]- Circulates announcements relevant to refugee legal aid.Meetings:Environmental Degradation and Conflict: From Vulnerabilities to Capabilities, Bielefeld, Germany, 5-9 December 2010 [info]- "Aims to shed light on the complex dynamics of environmentally induced migration and the...
Is economic growth more like accumulating masses of putty, or assembling many hundreds of different lego pieces? This was the question that Professor Cesar Hidalgo of MIT put to a World Bank audience yesterday on the topic of Networks and the Emergence of Economic Development. Professor Hidalgo was using this analogy to question the conventional way economists think about GDP.
Typically, GDP is seen as a function of just a few inputs (i.e. different types of putty). These are capital, labor, and, for those who favor a Romer-type approach, some kind of technology input. The types of labor and the types of capital are more or less interchangeable (just as putty is). Of course, economists know this is a massive simplification of the world, but it...
New Issues:Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 5 (June 2010) [full-text]- News and information for refugee legal aid providers.Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, no. 47 (June 2010) [full-text]- Focus is "Humanitarian Security Management."Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, vol. 8, no. 2 [contents]- Mix of articles.Call for Papers:Forced Migration Review (FMR) has issued a call for papers for its upcoming issue on "non-state armed groups." The deadline for submissions is 1 November 2010.Tagged Periodicals and Events &...
ICAR 2009/10 Seminar Series: Researching asylum seekers, refugees and migrants- Slideshows are available for some of the seminars.One-Day Workshop on The Meaning and Practice of Immigration Detention: Perspectives from Legal, Social, and Political Theory, University of Oxford, 21 May 2010- Presentations/papers have been posted; see also the podcast page for audio versions of the event.Regional Workshop on Protecting and Promoting Rights in Natural Disasters in South-East Asia: Prevention and Response, 14-15 May 2010- Report of the workshop is now available.Rights in Exile: Global Perspectives on Legal Assistance for Refugees and IDPs, 21 June 2010- Use the navigation menu on the left to access a recording of the conference; there are also photos (such as the one displayed on the right)...
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Job vacancies:International Publications Manager, MSF [info]- Deadline for applying is 30 July.Senior Consultant - Team Leader/Researcher, Analytical Review of Current Humanitarian Advocacy Practices, UNICEF [info]- Deadline for applying is 16 July.Senior Media Specialist/Writer, COMPAS [info]- Deadline for applying is 16 July.Conferences:Displacement, Renewal and Division: Borneo Conference 2010, Curtin campus, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, 8-9 July 2010 [info]Double Jeopardy: International conference on the issues facing LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees, University of Greenwich, 6-7 July 2010- Follow the conference proceedings via the...
If you are interested in pursuing academic studies in humanitarian assistance, read on: The Geneva Center for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH) has compiled Humanitarian Studies 2010: University Training and Education Programmes in Humanitarian Action, which "identifies and systematically presents 77 programmes offered to practising or entry-level humanitarian workers at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels of study." The volume begins with several essays, reflecting on education in humanitarian action including "Bridging the Gap in Humanitarian and Refugee Studies in Africa : The Role of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria."A few other degree programmes that focus more particularly on forced migration have been...
On June 30th, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement "hosted a discussion on how the United States can improve its response to internal displacement around the world." The proceedings are available via audio. See also this comment on the WorldBridge blog re. the event. A new report entitled "Improving the U.S. Response to Internal Displacement: Recommendations to the Obama Administration and the Congress" was launched at the gathering.Here's a copy of the Human Rights Council resolution extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (formerly "Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons"). The current Representative, Walter Kälin, will end his term in October 2010. He...
Here's a listing of some of UNHCR's latest publications:Evaluation:Changing the Way UNHCR Does Business? An Evaluation of the Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming Strategy, PDES/2010/08 (June 2010) [text]No Entry! A Review of UNHCR's Response to Border Closures in Situations of Mass Refugee Influx, PDES/2010/07 (June 2010) [text]Health:Inter-agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings: 2010 Revision for Field Review (Inter-agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, June 2010) [text]UNHCR Field Brief: Community-based approach to improve access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes in Dukwi refugee camp, Botswana (June 2010) [text]UNHCR Field Brief: Improving maternal care in Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya (June 2010)...
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Forced Migration Review's latest issue focuses on "Disability and Displacement." Included are 27 articles that "show why disabled people who are displaced need particular consideration and highlight some of the initiatives taken (locally and at the global level) to change thinking and practices so that their vulnerability is recognised, their voices heard – and responses made inclusive."In addition, the issue showcases a mini-feature on Brazil and five general articles. Readers can either access the complete PDF text of FMR 35 or browse individual articles from the contents list. Microsoft Word versions and audio files are also available for the first time.Forced Migration Online (FMO) has compiled a related resource summary to complement the focus of this FMR issue.And on a separate...
Last month Jaana Remes, a senior fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, came to the World Bank to discuss the findings of a new report called How to Compete and Grow: A Sector Guide to Policy. Remes spoke on a topic that has not been a traditional strong suit of the Bank, viz. competitiveness policies for particular sectors of the economy. As a global institution, we are more inclined to focus on cross-cutting issues like business regulations. But the financial crisis has pushed questions of economic restructuring to the fore, and the Bank is paying attention.
After the jump, you'll find a video of the talk. Remes's presentation starts at 8:30 and runs until the 35 minute mark. A lively Q&A with Bank staff follows. (Please note that the audio is a bit low at the start but...
12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice addresses human trafficking and migrant smuggling, Salvador, Brasil, 15-16 April 2010 [access]- Draft report and videos of the event available.Borderless Education Workshop: The Provision of Tertiary Degree Programs to Long-term Refugees, Centre for Refugee Studies, 9-11 April 2010 [access]- Includes several workshop papers and working bibliography.Policy Roundtable on Civilian Protection: Issues and Challenges, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, Singapore, 9 Feb. 2010 [text]Regional Conference on Refugee Protection and International Migration in the Americas: Protection Considerations in the Context of Mixed Migration, San José, Costa Rica, 19-20 November 2009 [concept note] [summary report]Twenty-Sixth...
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The 2010 edition of the Annual Bank Conferences on Development Economics (ABCDE) just wrapped up. Here are all the materials from the conference, including a webcast of the keynote given by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom. Also make sure to check out Abhijit Banerjee's presentation, particularly slide 7, where he argues:
The poor are not particularly well-suited to be entrepreneurs: They neither have the risk bearing capacity nor the human capital;
Nor will anyone give them enough capital to really grow the businesses;
This suggests that the main source of dynamism has to be growth of medium to large firms....
World Refugee Day is commemorated on June 20th each year. This year's theme is "home": "They took my home, but they can't take my future." UNHCR's WRD page offers video messages from High Commissioner António Guterres and Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, photos, and posters for download. In addition, UNHCR has launched a special live feed with various offerings on June 16th, 18th and 20th, as well as a Twitter feed.See examples of how other organizations are honoring refugees and displaced persons:- AlertNet photos [access]- Amnesty International [access]- Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado [access]- Conselho Português para os Refugiados [access]- Flemish Refugee Council [access]- Forum Réfugiés [access]- Human Rights First [access]- International Rescue Committee...
UNHCR's annual consultations with NGOs will be held from 29 June to 1 July 2010, in Geneva. A mix of regional and thematic sessions are scheduled, with panels focusing on urban refugees, partnerships, stateless persons, IDPs, preventing sexual exploitation, addressing xenophobia, and women in protracted situations.Check out the short and long versions of the agenda for more details. Background papers on a number of these issues are also available on the meeting web site.The following side meetings are also taking place:Alternatives to immigration detentionThe Sphere Project: Achievements and ways forwardFrom the margins to the centre: Realizing the rights of Refugee Women and Girls - A Meeting of the International Working Group to monitor the implementation of the ExCom Conclusion on...
The South Africa v. Mexico match drew quite a crowd this morning in IFC's cafeteria. But if just watching the games is not enough for you, here are some economic arguments pro and con for South Africa hosting the event, and here is a reading list chock-a-block full of resources on the World Cup and development....
That was the advice George Soros had for U.S. regulators at the conclusion of a keynote he gave last week as part of the Tenth Annual International Seminar on Policy Challenges for the Financial Sector. The alternately reviled and revered financier is on the cusp of turning 80, but he still demonstrated a very sharp mind and a quick wit during his 30-minute speech. It was quite a contrast with the introductory remarks given by Ben Bernanke, who spoke with a poker face, stuck precisely to his talking points, and took no questions from the assembled brain trust of central bankers the world over, many of whom have dealt with financial crises in their own countries in the past few decades with varying degrees of success.
Soros...