The Refugee Studies Centre library has posted its latest Accessions List covering materials added to the collection between January and March 2008. Browse the PDF or HTML version.
The Refugee Archives at UEL has issued its list of new additions to the library for the first quarter of 2008. Browse the PDF version.
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ALNAP's 7th Review of Humanitarian Action (ALNAP, March 2008) [access]
Beyond the Nexus: UNHCR's Evolving Perspective on Refugee Protection and International Migration, New Issues in Refugee Research no. 155 (UNHCR, April 2008) [text]
Future Floods of Refugees: A Comment on Climate Change, Conflict and Forced Migration (Norwegian Refugee Council, April 2008) [text]
HIV and the UK Asylum...
Review"Wide perspectives and best practices combined deliver a punch that will knock your 'SOX' off! The author has blended together a critical mix necessary for effectively handling the requirements of SOX."—Rob Nance, Publisher, AccountingWEB, Inc."Robust compliance and corporate governance is an absolute necessity in today's business environment. This new book by Anthony Tarantino is an authoritative guide to understanding and implementing compliance and regulatory requirements in the United States and around the world. From SOX to COSO to ERM, this book covers them all."—Martin T. Biegelman, Certified Fraud Examiner, Fellow and Regent Emeritus of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and coauthor of Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Control: Creating a...
Big firms are joining the queue to follow in Muhammad Yunus's footsteps by developing businesses designed to fix social ills.Muhammad Yunus has for more than 30 years challenged business leaders to find radical ways of creating new markets in poor countries. The Nobel Peace Prize winner's latest book, “Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism”, is no less ambitious. It explores how big companies can invest in external partners to develop products and services that will benefit the poor.Yunus outlines the concept of a “social business”, which he defines as a “no loss, no dividend” company with social objectives. Social business ventures are set up by a “social entrepreneur”, such as Yunus, who combines the risk-taking of enterprise with...
Alert 2008! Report on conflicts, human rights and peacebuilding is produced annually by the School for a Culture of Peace at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The report analyzes trends and developments in such areas as armed conflicts, peace processes, humanitarian crises, human rights, and the gender aspects of peacebuilding.
Currently, the Spanish-language edition is available. The...
Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq - Update (IDP Working Group, March 2008) [text via Refworld] [text via ReliefWeb]
The Rise and Fall of Asylum: What Happened and Why?, Centre for Economic Policy Research Discussion Paper, no. 577 (Australian National University, March 2008) [text]
Sharing Responsibility for Refugee Protection in Europe: Dublin Reconsidered (ECRE, March 2008) [access]
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In
Iraq,
Malaysia,
Timor-Leste,
European Union,
asylum,
internally displaced persons,
protection,
refugees,
safety of humanitarian personnel,
undocumented migrants,
Publications
Five Years Later, A Hidden Crisis: Report of the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees (International Rescue Commission, March 2008) [text]
How is the Term "Armed Conflict" Defined in International Humanitarian Law? (ICRC, March 2008) [text via Refworld]
Independent Asylum Commission Report: Executive Summary (The Independent, March 2008) [text]
Iraq: No Let-Up in the Humanitarian Crisis (ICRC,...
How are the world's largest companies using their CSR reports to communicate on climate change?In the first study of its kind, just launched as a free publication, CorporateRegister.com assesses leading global companies' climate change communications, as differentiated from their carbon performance. The report looks at the latest CSR reports from the Global FT500 and evaluates their disclosure around climate change.Does the CEO mention climate change in their introductory statement? Does the report include data on GHG emissions and against what standards? Does the report include a target to reduce emissions? In all, 29 climate disclosure elements are analysed by region, industry sector and market capitalisation.The report offers a deep insight into the current corporate response to...
As predicted, global financial markets are beginning to see slowed growth in 2008 following several years of robust activity. Triggered in part by U.S. subprime housing woes and a weakening dollar, global GDP growth eased to 3.6 percent in 2007 from 3.9 percent in the preceding year. Advanced economies will likely see further slowing demand in 2008, although the decline is expected to be counterbalanced by continuing expansion in emerging markets such as China, India, Russia and the Persian Gulf.Deloitte member firm professionals are attuned to these changes and can help guide companies through the economic challenges in the year ahead. Contact us to learn more and the read related research and reports on this page.See full Press...
A few of the key trends analyzed in EER's new market study containing over 220 pages of comprehensive analysis analyzing offshore wind energy markets in Europe, North America and Asia:The contribution of offshore to the global wind power installed base will build gradually over the long term -- By 2020 offshore will account for roughly 7% of total installed wind power, a sevenfold increase from 2007.The offshore market will continue to be dominated by utilities, which currently account for 70% of the near- to medium-term global offshore pipeline. Of the top 10 utilities seeking to build offshore, Northern European players have the most aggressive expansion plans.Significant uncertainty surrounds the long-term costs of offshore wind due to supply chain bottlenecks, from vessels to pile...
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In
International Affairs,
Youth,
Climate Change,
Global Warming,
United Nations,
Impacted Communities,
UN Commission for Sustainable Development,
Peace Child International,
United Nations Development Programme,
United Nations Human Development Report,
Youth-led Development,
Publications
Human Right Watch recently launched its eighteenth annual review of human rights practice in the world. In his introductory essay, Kenneth Roth, executive director of the organization, accuses the established democracies of diminish democracy standards to allow fake democrats to join their club.“Rarely has democracy been so acclaimed yet so breached, so promoted yet so disrespected, so important yet so disappointing.”According to Roth, this trend is not new but has become increasingly striking in 2007. He identifies the organization of fraudulent elections as a main strategy for autocratic leaders to pose as democrats. This fake democratic legitimacy is accompanied by political violence, silencing of media, shutting down civil society and undermining the rule of law.See full...
2008 Report: Democracy Charade Undermines Rights - Human Rights Watch Highlights Abuses in Pakistan, Kenya, China, SomaliaThe established democracies are accepting flawed and unfair elections for political expediency, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2008. By allowing autocrats to pose as democrats, without demanding they uphold the civil and political rights that make democracy meaningful, the United States, the European Union and other influential democracies risk undermining human rights worldwide.States claiming the mantle of democracy, including Kenya and Pakistan, should guarantee the human rights that are central to it, including the rights to free expression, assembly and association, as well as free and fair elections. But in 2007 too many governments,...
This Interim Report seeks to provide a flavour of early findings from the work of the Review, to share ideas on work in progress as a basis for interaction with the Australian community, and to indicate the scope of the work programme through to the completion of the Review. There are some important areas of the Review’s work that are barely touched upon in the Interim Report, which will feature prominently in the final reports.Adaptation to climate change, energy efficiency and the distribution of the costs of climate change across households and regions are amongst the prominent omissions from this presentation.Many views put forward in this Interim Report represent genuinely interim judgements. The Review looks forward to feedback from interested people before formulating...
States indicate that the tide is turning in favor of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). Over 5,800 MW of Solar CSP projects are in planning stages worldwide, and the lion’s share is expected to come online by 2012.Global Concentrated Solar Power Markets and Strategies 2007-2020 provides a comprehensive analysis of the global CSP markets, the strategies employed by the growing list of developers, and the barriers facing the next generation technology.• Commercial projects coming online in 2007 aim to prove CSP technology viability: Parabolic trough and central receiver projects installed in 2007 represent the beginning of the 5,800 MW pipeline CSP projects planned to come on line by 2012. These two projects represent the rebirth of the industry since the original SEGs plants were...
The latest projections from pre-2004 EU Member States (EU-15) show that the EU-15 can meet, and may even overachieve, its 2008–2012 Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 8 % below 1990 levels if Member States implement now all additional policies being planned. Based on Member States projections, existing domestic policies and measures will reduce EU-15 greenhouse gas emissions by a net effect of 4.0 % below base-year levels. When additional domestic policies and measures (i.e. those planned but not yet implemented) are taken into account, the EU-15 could reduce emissions by an additional 3.9 %. The projected use of Kyoto mechanisms by ten of the EU-15 Member States will reduce emissions by a further 2.5 %. These governments have set aside EUR 2.9 billion to pay for this....
The following lists provide updates on the latest acquisitions to several library collections:
"Recent acquisitions in the RDC library," The Researcher, vol. 2, no. 4, Dec. 2007, p. 21 [text]
Refugee Council Archive at UEL, Accessions List, Nov. - Dec. 2007 [text]
Refugee Studies Centre Library, Accessions List, Oct. - Dec. 2007 [text]
UNHCR Library Highligts, Dec. 2007 [text]
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The Spencer Stuart Board Index is an annual study that examines the state of corporate governance among the S&P 500. The 2007 index looks at the way governance has changed since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act five years ago. Among other findings, this year’s study points to a change in how boards are approaching new director recruitment and identifying director candidates. As a result of these changes, the boardroom composition is beginning to look different, including: * Fewer active CEOs. Active CEOs make up one-third of all new independent directors in 2007, down from 41% in 2002 and 53% in 2000. * More executives from the next level down. Leaders of major business divisions and functions account for 21% of new directors, compared with just 7% in 2002.See full...
The World Economic Forum released today Global Risks 2008, which highlights the need for new thinking and concerted action on a number of problems. The report expresses fears that the current liquidity crunch will spark a US recession in the next 12 months and calls for new thinking on systemic financial risk in response to the revolution in financial markets over the last two decades. It also recommends a set of principles for country risk management and examines how the financial sector might take on an increasingly important role in risk transfer in the future.The report also warns that food security will become an increasingly complex political and economic problem over the next few years, with issues of equity and trade-offs between security and other issues making the design of...
Despite heightened efforts at regulation and companies' investments in controls, fraud remains a major threat to companies around the world. From simple theft to more complex schemes involving management and corruption, the threat continues regardless of a company's size, location or industry. With over eight years of data on trends, perceptions and incidents of fraud, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Economic Crime Survey 2007 points to the continued evidence of the intractability of fraud. Entitled Economic crime: People, culture and controls the report reveals that internal controls alone are not enough to fight it. Instead, controls must be backed by a strong ethical company culture, a broad risk management programme, and "zero tolerance" of executives or other employees who commit...
In State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy, researchers with the Worldwatch Institute and other leading experts highlight an array of economic innovations that offer new opportunities for long-term prosperity. For example: * In 2006, an estimated $52 billion was invested in wind power, biofuels, and other renewable energy sources, up 33 percent from 2005. Preliminary estimates indicate that the figure soared as high as $66 billion in 2007. * Carbon trading is growing even more explosively, reaching an estimated $30 billion in 2006, nearly triple the amount traded in 2005. * Innovative companies are revolutionizing industrial production while also saving money: for example, chemical giant DuPont cut its greenhouse gas emissions 72 percent below 1991 levels...
After much urging and dire threats, the global economy, much like a stubborn and temperamental toddler, is starting to reluctantly turn towards sustainability, according to the "State of the World 2008" report released by the Worldwatch Institute Wednesday."Innovative green efforts by governments and business are becoming commonplace," said Gary Gardner of Worldwatch, a U.S.-based environmental think tank."While green projects are no longer marginal, they are still a long ways from being mainstream," Gardner, co-director of the report, an annual summary that usually focuses on documenting environmental declines around the world, told IPS.The report describes a host of new economic opportunities that are attracting capital. An estimated 52 billion dollars was invested in renewable energy...
Applying the Lessons of Bosnia in Iraq: Whatever the Solution, Property Rights Should be Secured (Jan. 2008, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement) [text]
The conditions in centres for third country national (detention camps, open centres as well as transit centres and transit zones) with a particular focus on provisions and facilities for persons with special needs in the 25 EU...
In
Kyrgyzstan,
children,
statelessness,
detention,
asylum seekers,
humanitarian personnel,
right to property,
Kazakstan,
Europe,
Iraq,
climate,
Publications
The World Economic Forum released today Global Risks 2008, which highlights the need for new thinking and concerted action on a number of problems. The report expresses fears that the current liquidity crunch will spark a US recession in the next 12 months and calls for new thinking on systemic financial risk in response to the revolution in financial markets over the last two decades. It also recommends a set of principles for country risk management and examines how the financial sector might take on an increasingly important role in risk transfer in the future.The report also warns that food security will become an increasingly complex political and economic problem over the next few years, with issues of equity and trade-offs between security and other issues making the design of...
Today's CEOs are accountable to no one, says shareholder activist Bob Monks."What this company needs is an owner," declared Sam Zell, after completing the $8.2 billion deal that put him in charge of the Tribune Co., which owns newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and Newsday. "It needs someone who accepts the responsibility for what this company does."How true. Whether Zell, as a committed owner, will help save newspapers is an open question. But the fact that the real estate billionaire has a lot of skin in the game - $315 million of his money, plus the right to buy up to 40 percent of the company down the line - means that he, and his people, will be very focused on getting the job done.All companies need owners who are engaged, committed and, ideally,...
Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great CallsNoel M. Tichy and Warren G. BennisWhy have more business books not been written on the subject of decision-making? That moment of truth when an organisation commits to a course of action would seem to be pretty important. And yet, while there is no shortage of wise-after-the-event studies of why great businesses appear to have succeeded, and why lousy businesses have failed, few books have grappled head-on with the subject of judgment itself.One reason, given by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis in their weighty new book, is that it is simply very hard to define all the elements that lie behind big judgment calls. What we crudely label “gut feel” in fact usually emerges from years of experience, reflection and planning.The authors, both...
The Leaders We Need: And What Makes Us FollowFoxes know lots of little things, according to the Greek poet Archilochus, while hedgehogs know just one big thing. This book puts its author, Michael Maccoby, in the role of hedgehog.His sizeable observation is that society has changed fundamentally. Old leadership models, based on what people used to be like, cannot be effective today. The leaders we need will understand this.Employees and their bosses emerge from their given social contexts. Management literature takes insufficient notice of this point. But the people who turn up to work every day, whatever their level in the corporate hierarchy, are influenced by their social position and experiences.See full Review (paid subscription...
Addendum to UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]
Iraqi Population Survey in Lebanon (Danish Refugee Council, Nov. 2007) [text]
Iraqi Refugees: Fresh Research Studies (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]
Iraqi Refugees: Seeking Stability in Syria and Jordan (Institute for the Study of International Migration &...
Adepoju, A. et al., "Promoting integration through mobility: free movement and the ECOWAS Protocol," New Issues in Refugee Research No. 150 (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]
Gibson, J., "The removal of failed asylum seekers: international norms and procedures," New Issues in Refugee Research No. 145 (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]
Herz, M., "Refugee camps in Chad: planning strategies and the architect's...
Why are so many charities ineffective?SOCIAL entrepreneurship—the application of business principles and practises to solve social problems—is all the rage. The new sort of philanthropist who sees giving as a social investment wants to support social entrepreneurs in the same way that for-profit investors want to back ordinary (anti-social?) entrepreneurs. Judging by the number of courses in social entrepreneurship now taught at leading business schools, many an MBA student would rather work for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) than a traditional company.Yet even as its popularity soars, sober observers of social entrepreneurship are starting to ask if it lives up to the hype. Where is the social-entrepreneurial equivalent of a for-profit start-up like Google or Microsoft or any...