Top United Nations Peacebuilders and Advocacy for Women, Peace, and Security

A strong correlation between the sex of United Nations (UN)peace operation managers and their advocacy for the role ofwomen in peacebuilding was found in an internet study carriedout in May 2008. Senior female UN managers involved in peaceprocesses are ten times more likely than male colleagues publiclyto address women's roles as peacebuilders, yet of the sixty-sixSpecial Representatives of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG),Deputy Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG),and Special Envoys addressing peacebuilding who were listedon the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) web sitein May 2008, only six were women. In view of the large numbersof women who become refugees or are internally displaced dueto armed conflict, it is paramount that peace processes includethem at all levels and in all aspects on an equal footing withmen. Appointing more women to senior level positions in theUN is one way to achieve this aim.     

Internal Displacement and Peacebuilding: Institutional Responses

Addressing the needs and respecting the rights of internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) is not only a humanitarian and humanrights issue, but also a strategic one affecting both internationalpeace and security and the prospects for sustainable development.This article explores the conceptual linkages between internaldisplacement and peacebuilding, focusing on the ways in whichaddressing the concerns and needs of IDPs can contribute tosustainable peace. The second half of the article looks at institutionalresponses to the challenge of integrating internal displacementinto peacebuilding, with a particular focus on the potentialrole of the new UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).     

Immigration and prices: quasi-experimental evidence from Syrian refugees in Turkey

We exploit the regional variation in the unexpected (or forced) inflow of Syrian refugees as a natural experiment to estimate the impact of immigration on consumer prices in Turkey. Using a difference-in-differences strategy and a comprehensive data set on the regional prices of CPI items, we find that general level of consumer prices has declined by approximately 2.5 % due to immigration. Prices of goods and services have declined in similar magnitudes. We highlight that the channel through which the price declines take place is the informal labor market. Syrian refugees supply inexpensive informal labor and, thus, substitute the informal native workers especially in informal-labor intensive sectors. We document that prices in these sectors have fallen by around 4 %, while the prices in the formal labor-intensive sectors have almost remained unchanged. Increase in the supply of informal immigrant workers generates labor cost advantages and keeps prices lower in the informal labor-intensive sectors.     

Determinants of recent immigrants’ location choices: quasi-experimental evidence

This paper exploits a Danish spatial dispersal policy on refugees, which can be regarded as a natural experiment to investigate the influence of regional factors on recent immigrants’ location choices. The main push factors are lack of co-nationals and immigrants. Additional push factors are lack of rental, including social, housing and lack of institutions for qualifying education, which explain why recent immigrants are attracted to large cities. Finally, placed refugees tend to leave locations with relatively high regional unemployment, and there is indirect evidence of welfare seeking.

Peacebuilding through the Electoral Participation of Displaced Populations

The participation of displaced populations in elections organizedas part of a peacebuilding process is increasingly recognizedas fundamental to the goal of peacebuilding itself. Guaranteesfor their electoral participation are important, first and foremost,as a matter of rights. They also are critical for the legitimacyof the election and its results, and thus for national and regionalstability. However, translating these provisions into practicecan be a complex task, which requires addressing a range oflegal, administrative, practical, and political issues. Thisarticle explores the relationship between peacebuilding andthe electoral participation of displaced populations, arguingthat it is not possible to build peace when exclusion is dejure or de facto built into the process.     

Selection of Documents from UNHCR Archives

The "UNHCR and the Global Cold War" project endeavored to describe,preserve and catalog the original records created by UNHCR fieldand headquarters operations between 1971 and 1984. The aim wasto facilitate the production and dissemination of this UN Agency'sinstitutional memory by making these tools available to UNHCRstaff and external researchers. In the same spirit, the researchteam has selected a few documents that exemplify the richnessof the "UNHCR Fonds 11 Series 2, Classified Subject Files 1971–1984".The first document is a mission report written by Sergio Vieirade Mello when he acted as UNHCR Regional Representative in SouthAmerica. It is a good example of the kind of long and detailedmemorandum one can find in the UNHCR Archives. The followingdocuments on Afghan refugees, the "Toscani Report" and DisplacedSalvadorans illustrate the articles written by the team of researchersfrom the Graduate Institute of International and DevelopmentStudies. Finally, the last document on the Orderly DepartureProgramme from Vietnam provides additional information on thisvery specific aspect of UNHCR activities during the 1970s and1980s and thus illustrates Judith Kumin's article.     

PeaceBuilding and Displacement in Northern Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study of Intentions to Move and Attitudes towards Former Combatants

Using data from a cross-sectional survey of internally displacedpopulations in northern Uganda, this article analyses individual-leveldeterminants of attitudes toward peacebuilding processes, includingreturning home and the reintegration of former combatants. Wefind that perceptions of social services and livelihood opportunitiesat the current place of living and at return or resettlementsites influence individuals’ decisions to move as do attitudestoward former combatants. Furthermore, we show that internallydisplaced persons are a specific group with needs and attitudesthat differ from those of others. Such empirical informationmust be taken into account for the successful development andimplementation of peace and reconstruction programmes.     

Giving Peace a Chance: Displacement and Rule of Law During Peacebuilding

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) works increasingly in societies where conflict or humanrights violations of massive proportions have very much relativizedthe notion of rule of law. These are situations in which thebasic components of the machinery of protection and justicesimply do not exist, or where they do exist, have lost theirlegitimacy. In terms of practical outcomes for their persecuted,attacked, or terrorized populations, the relevance of rule oflaw has to be painfully reconstructed, institution by institution,law by law, and capacity by capacity. UNHCR contributes to thiseffort, because it can make the difference between solutionsor protracted exile for refugees, and if refugee issues go unresolved,the prospects for real and lasting peace are much diminished.The article gives a brief overview of recent developments inthis area, examines the challenges the UNHCR faces, stressesthe importance of prioritizing the reestablishment of the ruleof law, and outlines some lessons learned. Particular challengesinclude competing justice systems, the tensions between "topdown" and "bottom up" approaches, and the issues of land rightsand the fight against impunity.     

越南归难侨的本土关系建构历程——基于广东小岭华侨农场的个案分析

本文研究于20世纪70年代末回国定居的越南华侨难民与本土社会的互动。作者选择广东小岭华侨农场越南归侨为个案,运用田野调查和历史档案资料,梳理越南归难侨的本土关系建构历程。本研究个案表明：安置政策与文化差异是影响越南归难侨进行本土关系建立的两大重要因素：小岭华侨农场越南归难侨的本土关系建构历程,大体上经历了从隔阂到友好的两个阶段。这一转变反映了越南归难侨逐渐适应并融入当地社会,并在一定程度折射出他们从寄居者向定居者转变的趋势。     

西方国家环境难民的争议与弥合路径解读

在环境变化与人口迁移的研究中,环境难民这一概念饱受争议。争议的焦点主要集中在迁移动因的识别、是否存在环境难民、环境难民能否纳入难民的范畴三个方面。导致环境难民概念分歧的原因在于移民跨学科研究进展缓慢和不同的利益相关者从自身的角度对环境难民进行建构。为了弥合环境难民存在的争议,学者采取了将环境变化引起的跨国被迫迁移人口视为环境难民;根据移民动机和救援紧迫性识别环境难民;采取“自愿—强制”二分法将环境难民纳入非自愿移民的范畴;维持现状与加强合作等四条路径。本文结合我国环境相关移民实践认为：扩大环境难民的范畴不利于问题的解决。环境难民不能囊括那些既定类型和约定俗成的移民类型;不能将非自愿移民等同于难民;概念界定本身无法解决身份识别。在实践中,需要从环境变化的影响识别需要救援的迁移人口;以集体身份划定环境难民范畴;履行政府的职责,最大程度上较少跨国环境难民;对不同环境变化影响的人口采取不同的迁移手段;整合资源进行合作以更好地安置移民。     

Some International Protection Issues Arising During the 1970s and 1980s with Particular Reference to the Role of the UNHCR Executive Committee

Following a brief historical summary regarding the origins ofthe UNHCR of Executive Committee (ExCom) and its concern withinternational protection matters this article describes theaction of ExCom in regard to International Protection duringthe 1970s and 1980s. During this period efforts were undertakenby UNHCR not only to address current protection problems butalso to ensure that the principles of international protectionwere clarified, rendered more articulate and, when necessary,further developed. In carrying out these tasks UNHCR was greatlyassisted by ExCom, whose Conclusions on international protectionprovided an important conceptual framework for UNHCR's action.The article concludes that it would not be correct to regardthe action of the international community in adopting the UnitedNations refugee instruments and in establishing the Office ofUNHCR as primarily related to the "Cold War". Rather it wascomparable to the action taken by the international communityunder the League of Nations to address the humanitarian needsof successive groups of refugees prior to the Second World War.     

The Politics of Refugee Protection

This article looks back to the 1920s, and tries to tease outthe politics of refugee protection as it evolved in the practiceof States and international organizations in a period of growingideological divide. The question addressed is whether the politicsof protection at any particular moment are humanitarian or whetherthey serve primarily other purposes, in which the refugee ismerely instrumental. It is unrealistic to imagine that the problemof refugees can ever be entirely non-political. What the historyof the 1920–55 period confirms is the continued vitalityof self-interest as a motivating factor in the responses ofStates to refugee flows. The international refugee regime thatemerged in the late 1940s and early 1950s defined refugees throughthe politics of denunciation in a persecution-oriented definitionthat continues to limit and confuse, not only at the internationaloperations level, but also in national asylum procedures. Inthis context, the article concludes that the art for UNHCR isnot to allow solutions or assistance to have priority over protection.For if it cannot provide protection, it will be judged a failureand accountable, and not merely excused because it tried hardin difficult political circumstances.     

Environmental Refugees? Classifying Human Migrations Caused by Environmental Change

What distinguishes environmental refugees from other refugees—or other migrants? Are all environmental refugees alike? This essay develops a classification to begin to answer these questions and facilitate future policies and research on environmental refugees. Environmental refugees may have considerable control over the decision to migrate, but this varies by the type of environmental disruption. The origin, intention, and duration of environmental disruptions shape the type of refugee. Refugees from disasters and expropriations have limited control over whether environmental changes will produce migration. Gradual degradation allows “environmental emigrants” to determine how they will respond to environmental change.     

Family planning for refugees

In response to a recent influx of Vietnamese refugees and their settlement in Kai Tak camp the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (FPAHK) promoted family planning and supplied contraceptives. FPAHK field workers organized film shows and talks on family planning on 3 consecutive days for 4000 refugees. Most of the refugees were transferred to the Shamshuipo camp to await resettlement in foreign countries. The FPAHK have begun recruiting acceptors in that camp.     

Dynamics of precarity among ‘new migrants’: exploring the worker–capital relation through mobilities and mobility power

ABSTRACT

This article conceptualises the role of mobilities within precarious working and living conditions, drawing on qualitative analysis of interviews (n = 52) and a policy seminar (n = 50) in North-East England. It focuses on refugees, asylum seekers, and Eastern European EU migrants, as policy-constructed groups that have been identified as disproportionately concentrated in precarious work. The article develops three ‘dynamics of precarity’, defined as ‘surplus’, ‘rooted’, and ‘hyper-flexible’, to conceptualise distinct ways of moving that represent significant variations in the form that precarity takes. The article concludes that understanding precarity through mobilities can identify points of connection among today’s increasingly heterogeneous working class.     

人口城市化空间路径的理论与研究及其启示

城市化的实践进程表明,一个国家的人口城市化往往遵循"城市化—郊区化—逆城市化—再城市化"或者"大城市—中等城市—小城市"的空间路径而展开。文章对"空间循环假说"、ROXY指数方法、"区域城市化"概念以及"差别城市化理论"等人口城市化空间路径理论的演绎进行了梳理,并对国内外相关研究进行了总结。结合中国人口城市化进程特点,文章认为,人口城市化空间路径理论与研究对中国城市化的道路模式、区域规划以及都市圈与城市群区域人口城市化问题的研究有启示作用。     

Trajectories of Employment Gaps of Refugees and Other Migrants: Evidence from Austria

This paper analyzes the labor market integration of non-European refugees originating from middle- and low-income countries for the period of 2009–2018 in Austria. We assess their probability of being employed relative to Austrian natives and compare it with that of other non-European migrants and European refugees and other immigrants from low- and middle-income non-EU countries. We draw on a register-based panel dataset covering the complete labor market careers of all individuals residing in Austria. We control for macrolevel explanatory variables (e.g., the labor market situation at the time and the place of settlement) and individual characteristics. The analysis shows that initial refugee employment gaps relative to natives are large in the first years, when labor market access is difficult. After a period of 7 years, the unconditional gap between refugees and natives declines to 30 percentage points, similar to that of other migrants, but the gap is still decreasing. After controlling for a set of explanatory variables, the conditional gap amounts to only 10 percentage points at that time. Moreover, our analysis provides insights into differences in employment gaps across population subgroups of immigrant groups and natives by gender, age, education level, and types of employment.

     

Migradollars: The remittances and savings of Mexican migrants to the USA

In this article, we use new data from 22 communities to estimate the total flow of dollars back into Mexico as a result of migration to the United States. Our estimates include remittances sent while working abroad and money brought back on return trips; they incorporate transfers by temporary as well as permanent US workers; they include money transferred by legal as well as illegal migrants; and they include funds sent or brought by household heads as well as other family members. We estimate that US$ 24 million in migradollars flowed into the sample communities during the survey year. In some places, the flow of US money equalled or exceeded the value of locally earned income. When generalized to all of Western Mexico, our sample suggests a regional flow of US$ 1.5 billion; and when our data are inserted into an estimation model developed earlier by Lozano Ascencio, we estimate the total flow at US$ 2 billion for Mexico as a whole. Although most of this money was spent on consumption, investments in productive activities were significant, and directly or indirectly, we conclude that migradollars play an extremely important role in Mexican economic production.This article is based on a paper, presented at the University of Chicago, 8 October 1993.     

中国妇女婚姻状态及其影响因素分析

利用 1997年全国人口与生殖健康调查数据 ,分析影响妇女婚姻状态的社会经济因素 ,并通过多元回归模型 ,在有统计控制的条件下 ,检验各社会经济因素对婚姻状态影响的显著性。结果表明 ,居住地、民族、教育程度、收入和地区各因素都有对婚姻状态独立而显著的影响。其中地区的影响最大 ,而其他因素没有系统性模式。对于收入、民族和地区的影响 ,在以往的研究中没有确立它们与婚姻状态的关系     

The Fiscal Cost of Refugee Immigration: The Example of Sweden

The world currently has more refugees and internally displaced persons than it has had since World War II. Yet the readiness of many wealthy countries to provide asylum to these refugees is waning, and a major reason for this is the fiscal burden that would result from larger refugee intakes. To evaluate the size of this fiscal burden, this study estimates the net fiscal redistribution to the total refugee population in Sweden, the country with the largest per capita refugee immigration rate in the Western world since the early 1980s. The total redistribution in 2007 corresponds to 1.0 percent of Swedish GDP in that year. Four‐fifths of the redistribution is due to lower public per capita revenues from refugees compared with the total population, and one‐fifth to higher per capita public costs.