New Publications on Humanitarian Assistance; Development Aid; and Work-related Issues

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Publications on Humanitarian Assistance

“Humanitarian Action: A Victim of Its Own Success?,” Forced Migration Review 25th Anniversary Collection (Feb. 2013) [text]

Improving Communication between Aid Agencies and Crisis-affected People: Lessons from the Infoasaid Project, Network Paper, no. 74 (Humanitarian Practice Network, Feb. 2013) [text]

Knowledge Management in Practice – Implementing Effective Knowledge Management in Emergencies: A Case Study from Somalia WASH Cluster (Regional Emergency Cluster Advisor Project, 2013) [text via Eldis]

The Use and Abuse of Humanitarian Principle (IRIN, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Discusses The Golden Fleece (Kumarian Press, Oct. 2012).

The Use of Evidence in Humanitarian Decision Making (ACAPS & Feinstein International Center, Jan. 2013) [text]

New Publications on Development Aid

“Development Cooperation in Fragile States: Filling or Perpetuating Gaps?,” Conflict, Security & Development, vol. 12, no. 5 (2012) [free full-text]
- Introduction to special issue on “The challenges of effective development cooperation in fragile states.”

“Education in Areas of Protracted Conflict,” Panel at Harvard African Development Conference, Cambridge, MA, 8-9 March 2013 [info]

“Flight to Nowhere: Refugees’ Plight is Worsening as their Numbers Grow and their Nature Changes,” The Economist, 2 March 2013 [text]
- “Helping [refugees] increasingly resembles development aid, explains António Guterres, the head of UNHCR.”

The Humanitarian Side of Statelessness; Statelessness within the Framework of the Millennium Development Goals (SSRN, Feb. 2013) [text]

Putting Refugees on the Development Agenda (New World, posted March 2012) [text]

“Refugees: The Millennium Development Goals’ Overlooked Priority Group,” Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, vol. 10, no. 4 (2012) [extract]

Still Minding the Gap? A Review of Efforts to Link Relief and Development in Situations of Human Displacement, 2001-2012, PDES/2013/01 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

New Publications on Work-related Issues

“Do Illegal Immigrants Actually Hurt the U.S. Economy?,” New York Times, 12 Feb. 2013 [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

Internally Displaced Persons in the Georgian Labour Market (Tbilisi State University, May 2012) [text]

ECRI Report on Ireland (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Press release notes an ongoing concern is “asylum seekers may not engage in paid employment.”

“Rebuilding Lives and Livelihoods: Haiti’s Long Road to Recovery through Skills Development and Training for Internally Displaced Persons,” Migration Policy Practice, vol. III, no. 1 (Feb./March 2013) [text]
- Scroll to p. 19.

Refugee Self-Employment – Soap Making in Tanzania (Refugee Work Rights Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Roundtable on Private Business Engagement in the Integration of Refugees, Brussels, 12 Dec. 2012 [info]
- Follow link for agenda, presentations and photos; organized by the European Resettlement Network.

 

 

New Publications on Tunisia; Development Aid; and Inspection of Cedars Pre-Departure Accommodation

Tunisia: One step forward, two steps back? One year since Tunisia’s landmark elections.
A new report by Amnesty International.

In its first months, Tunisia’s caretaker government made important progress towards human rights reform. However, one year after the election of the National Constituent Assembly, a number of setbacks raise doubts as to the authorities’ genuine commitment to human rights. This briefing examines human rights developments in the country since October 2011. It concludes that initial progress made on human rights has not gone far enough, and that ongoing human rights violations highlight the urgent need for radical human rights reform.

[Download Full Report]
See Also:
Amnesty International Press Release – Tunisia: At a crossroads, Tunisia must choose the path of human rights.

Report: The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid.
House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs 6th Report of Session 2010–12.

The Committee said that to reach the 0.7% aid target, the UK’s aid spend would have to rise by 37% by 2015 at a time when most other government spending was being reduced. They also argued that by focussing on an abstract target, the government would run the risk of losing focus on the effectiveness of aid and its possible corrosive impact on the political systems in recipient countries.

[Download Full Report]
See Also:
Press Release – Should government abandon development aid target?
Inquiry: The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid

Report on an announced inspection of Cedars Pre-Departure Accommodation
30 April – 25 May 2012.
A new report published by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

Cedars is an exceptional facility and has many practices which should be replicated in other areas of detention, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an announced inspection of the pre-departure accommodation near Gatwick.

This is the first inspection of the Cedars pre-departure accommodation, where families are detained for up to a week immediately before removal. It has largely replaced the detention of children in Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre.

[Download Full Report]
See Also:
Ministry of Justice Press Release:  Cedars pre-departure accommodation – an exceptional facility
The Guardian: Britain’s still locking up children.

 

New Publications on Development Aid; UK-US Extradition; PACE Migration Committee Report; Climate-Related Disasters; Riots in England; Bosnia; US Internal Migration

Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid

The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid.  HL 278, Sixth Report of session 2010-12.
A new report by the UK House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs.

‘The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid (HL 278)’ examines the Government’s plans to increase official aid spending in real-terms by 37% in the four years to 2015. The report does not address humanitarian aid for relief of acute distress following conflict, famine, natural disasters or other emergencies, which is less than 10% of official aid spending.

[Further Details]
(Source: The Stationary Office]

The US-UK Extradition Treaty

The US-UK Extradition Treaty:  HC 644, Twentieth Report of Session 2010-12 – Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence.
A new report by the UK House of Commons Home Affairs Committee.

The report ‘The US-UK Extradition Treaty (HC 644)’ urges the Government to act immediately to deal with growing public unease about the fairness of the US-UK Extradition Treaty as highlighted by the cases of Gary McKinnon, Richard O’Dwyer and Christopher Tappin.

[Further Details]
(Source: The Stationary Office]

The report, “Lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea: who is responsible?”, was adopted this morning by the PACE Committee on Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons.  It will next be debated in a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly, probably on 24 April.
[Access Full Report Here]
Further press coverage as follows:
Migrants At Sea Blog – PACE Migration Committee Approves Report on “Lives Lost in the Mediterranean” and Calls on NATO and Responsible States to Conduct Full Inquiries into the Failures to Rescue
Migrants at Sea Blog – PACE Migration Committee Report: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for States
Human Rights Watch – NATO: Clarify Response to Deaths at Sea
Council of Europe – ‘Lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea: who is responsible?’ – Draft report to be presented in Brussels
The Guardian – Migrants left to die after catalogue of failures, says report into boat tragedy ; How a migrant boat was left adrift on the Mediterranean; Drastic action needed to prevent more migrants dying in boat tragedies

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.  A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Overseas Development Institute – Climate-related disasters and humanitarian relief)

After the Riots – the final report of the Riots Communities and Victims Panel.  The publication of the findings of the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel which was established to investigate the causes of the riots in London and other English cities during August 2011.  The conclusions of the document argue:

The riots last August shocked the nation. Up to 15,000 individuals actively participated,with countless more observing from close quarters.

The majority of rioters were under 24. Individuals had poor academic records and histories of criminality. We found that 70 per cent of those brought before the courts came from the 30 per cent most deprived areas.

These facts forced us all to consider – how did these individuals end up in the circumstances they found themselves in? What impact does this have on the communities they live in?

These questions prompted us to visit over 20 areas since September 2011 and undertake further work in six neighbourhoods since November 2011. We spoke in detail with communities and the public services that work for them. The neighbourhoods we visited are facing significant issues. These are areas of high crime and unemployment. Many feel their quality of life is poor. There are concerns around cohesion, with the majority feeling individuals do not treat each other with respect.
(Source: DocuBase – UK After the Riots)

(Download Full Report PDF; 5.1 MB) and the (Executive Summary and Recommendations (PDF; 2.9 MB)
Further UK Press Coverage:  The Independent – Help ‘forgotten families’, says riots report .
(Source: Riots, Communities and Victims Panels)

Old Crimes, Same Suffering: No justice for survivors of wartime rape in north-east Bosnia and Herzegovina,
A new report by Amnesty International.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Amnesty International – Still no justice for women survivors of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina).

2005-2009 American Community Survey County-to-County Migration Files.  By Heather Negley.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: : DocuBase)