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Resources: Digest of Forced Migration Discussion List Messages **************************************************************************************************** Resource: New Eurasylum interview: Prof John Skrentny Eurasylum (www.eurasylum.org) has just released its new monthly policy interview, featuring Prof John Skrentny, Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies (CCIS), University of California at San Diego. The interview is on: ‘Key variations in immigration policy in East Asia, Europe and North America’ The interview can be accessed from: http://www.eurasylum.org/Portal/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=19 Eurasylum’s interviews may be reproduced freely on condition that both the original source and the URL are explicitly acknowledged. Contact: [log in to unmask] **************************************************************************************************** Resource: RSC Resources on UNHCR voluntary pledges New RSC resource a tool for adoption of UNHCR voluntary pledges To commemorate its 60th Anniversary, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is facilitating a ministerial-level meeting on 7 and 8 December 2011 to review protection gaps and measures to address them. States are being encouraged to make voluntary pledges [link 'voluntary pledges' to http://www.unhcr.org/4d1c95859.html] at this meeting. The pledging process will serve as an opportunity for States to identify issues and challenges of importance to them and promote realistic ways to respond. The Refugee Studies Centre, as a leading centre for multidisciplinary, independent and critical scholarship on the causes and consequences of the forced displacement of populations, is supporting this process by highlighting a number of the RSC’s resources which are relevant to the proposed pledges and which, we hope, will help States in their thinking about the issues at stake. These resources are organised along the themes of addressing statelessness, preventing discrimination, resolving protracted refugee situations and improving humanitarian response and contain highlights of the most relevant: - RSC research reports - Forced Migration Review issues - Working Papers - Policy Briefings and more... View the resource [LINK TO http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/resources/support-state-pledges] ------- Claire Lauterbach Communications and Publications Officer Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Department of International Development (QEH) 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB, UK Tel: +44 (0)1865 281707 Website: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk **************************************************************************************************** Resource: No Place to Go But Up: Urban Refugees in Johannesburg, Women's Refugee Commission Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to share with you the report, No Place to Go But Up: Urban Refugees in Johannesburg, South Africa. The report, based on household surveys and interviews with 237 forced migrants, urban poor and service providers, highlights the constraints and opportunities to improve the livelihoods of urban forced migrants in Johannesburg. Our findings suggest that forced migrants in Johannesburg are more vulnerable to poverty and violence than the urban poor, and those living in the townships are worse off than forced migrants in the inner city. New arrivals are at a disadvantage due to fragmented social networks which support forced migrants’ access to food, jobs, housing and security. Women are commonly targets of sexual violence, are more likely to be dependent on a spouse, friends or NGOs, and are less likely to earn income than men. Many forced migrants come with high levels of education and professional skills, but are found in unskilled labor. Approximately 75 percent are economically active and many are engaged in multiple, simultaneous livelihood strategies. Regardless, some 50 percent of forced migrants are poor. You can download the report from: http://womensrefugeecommission.org/reports/doc_download/758-no-place-to-go-but-up-urban-refugees-in-johannesburg-south-africa We hope you’ll find the report a useful tool for improving economic programs that target urban refugees. Please feel free to send comments or questions to Jina Krause-Vilmar at: [log in to unmask] ****************************************************************************************************