UPCOMING EVENT
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Washington, DC
Every year, humanitarian crises threaten the lives and livelihoods of over 250 million people worldwide, and donor governments must make the best use of their resources, knowledge and capabilities to respond to these challenges. On November 10, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement will host the launch of the Development Assistance Research Associates Humanitarian Response Index 2009, which helps donor governments ensure that humanitarian assistance has the greatest possible impact for people suffering the effects of crises and disasters. Read More
UPCOMING EVENT
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On November 10, Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Kongdan Oh and Ralph Hassig, adjunct associate professor of psychology at the University of Maryland University College, will discuss their new book The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009). For decades, the people of North Korea have lived in extreme isolation under a closed and repressive regime, where individual rights are restricted and the regime exercises complete control over the political class and legal systems. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Washington, DC
On November 4, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted Eric Schwartz, assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, to discuss the challenges of implementing humanitarian programs and affecting policy in government. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 26, 2009, United Nations General Assembly
Since 2004 there have been encouraging trends related to internal displacement. Walter Kälin notes that the use of the Guiding Principles as the relevant framework for protecting IDPs and the development of national and regional laws and policies on internal displacement have been positive trends. However, despite such positive trends, the challenges presented by climate change, the disregard for civilian populations in conflict zones, a shrinking humanitarian space, and protracted displacement situations still remain unchanged. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Andrew Solomon, October 23, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Decades of armed conflict, natural disasters and climate change, have given rise to sizable populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout Africa. On October 23, African heads of state and government signed a legally binding convention on internal displacement, which as Andrew Solomon notes, demonstrates their commitment to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of IDPs, to facilitate durable solutions and to ensure that millions of people are no longer excluded from society as a whole. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 23, 2009, AU Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and IDPs
Forced displacement is a devastating experience that often takes years or even decades to recover from. Africa hosts the worlds largest population of internally displaced persons and, as Walter Kälin points out, has taken the initiative to go beyond the existing state of law by creating the first binding international law on internally displaced persons. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Washington, DC
As we approach the twentieth anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, countries such as Iran, Russia, China and Cuba are trying to learn how to prevent similar "velvet revolutions" in their own countries. On October 6, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on the challenges and opportunities posed by nonviolent civic movements for political change around the world. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Andrew Solomon, September 23, 2009, Forced Migration Review
The need to protect the rights of persons displaced by conflict and find durable solutions to their displacement is inextricably linked to achieving a viable, sustainable peace. Therefore, as Andrew Solomon argues, no realistic plan for peace and reconciliation should ignore the rights and interests of internally displaced persons. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
September 23, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Central America is a region constantly exposed to risks from natural disasters. It is important for governments to develop a human rights based approach to disaster response in order to decrease the likelihood of human rights violations of the victims of natural disasters. In order to promote the development of such strategies as well as strengthen the cooperation of humanitarian and human rights agencies in the field, CONRED, CEPREDENAC, and the Brookings-Bern Project, with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland, convened a workshop on disaster response and protection in situations of natural disaster in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris and Diane Paul, September 22, 2009, Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World
People affected by natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other calamities often face urgent protection needs that may not be immediately visible to humanitarian actors caught up in trying to provide water, food, shelter, medical care and other lifesaving assistance. In this paper, Elizabeth Ferris and Diane Paul provide an overview of protection challenges confronting those affected by natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, September 02, 2009, International Studies Review
The numbers are startling. There are close to 40 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world today, uprooted by conflict and human rights violations. The problems facing the refugees and IDPs are daunting. While reviewing two books, Cohen argues that the overall problem of forced migration goes beyond humanitarian and human rights solutions, requiring multilateral action aimed at preventing and resolving the crises at the heart of displacement. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Tamara Cofman Wittes and Michele Dunne, August 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recently visited Washington for the first time since 2004. Tamara Cofman Wittes and Michele Dunne examine how he and President Obama can achieve shared goals for the Middle East. Wittes and Dunn analyze areas in which the relationship could be improved and offer suggestions for strengthening the partnership with both the citizens and government of Egypt. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Maati Monjib and James Liddell, August 05, 2009, The Brookings Institution
On July 30, notables from all corners of Morocco gathered at the Royal Palace in Tangier to celebrate the tenth anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s ascendance to the throne. Maati Monjib and James Liddell investigate what has changed in the country since King Mohammed first took power with a commitment to an open and democratically ruled society. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, August 03, 2009, United Nations General Assembly
Internal displacement continues to be one of the world's major humanitarian and human rights challenges and many internally displaced persons (IDPs) experience serious violations of their human rights. In his annual report to the UN General Assembly, Walter Kälin argues that it is important to translate the increasing recognition of the human rights dimension of internal displacement at the international and regional levels into effective action at the national and local levels of government. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, July 31, 2009, The Washington Post
The now-defunct six-party talks in which the U.S., South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China participated focused almost exclusively on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. But, as Roberta Cohen argues, with a struggle for succession underway in Pyongyang and some of the country's internal controls reportedly beginning to erode, it's the time to rethink the near-exclusion of human rights from the U.S.-North Korean dialogue. Read More