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Resources and information on UNHCR's refugee status determination activities www.UNHCR-RSD.org Please forward; apologies for double listing. Every year in dozens of countries, tens of thousands of people seeking protection from persecution have their fates determined by the UN refugee agency through the process of refugee status determination (RSD). UNHCR is now largest decision maker of refugee status in the world. In a procedure that can have life or death consequences, UNHCR typically withholds most evidence from scrutiny, fails to give reasons for rejection, and does not provide an independent appeal. At the same time, international refugee policy is clear that RSD should be a government responsibility, not the UN's. UNHCR has promised improvements in its RSD activities, while at last year's UNHCR Executive Committee meeting a coalition of NGOs called for an independent assessment. Supported by the work of grassroots legal aid initiatives, UNHCR-RSD.org includes key documents about UNHCR's standards on procedural fairness and RSD practices, statistics, and a comprehensive bibliography. More features and a public forum will be added over the coming months. Our periodic mailing list will include updates of new site features, news related to UNHCR's refugee status determination work, and postings to our forum. If you would like to join the UNHCR-RSD.org mailing list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the word "subscribe" in the subject line, or follow the instructions on the site itself. Michael Kagan, JD Website Manager www.unhcr-rsd.org *********************************************************** UNHCR-RSD.org promotes discussion and collects information about UNHCR practices and policies; it is not associated with and does not reflect the views of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: The material contained in this communication comes to you from the Forced Migration Discussion List which is moderated by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the RSC or the University. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this message please retain this disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. List archives are available at: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/forced-migration.html