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U.S. Immigration Reform May Finally Help Stateless People
May 09, 2013 Sarnata Reynolds Africa, Bangladesh, Burma, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kuwait, Nepal, South Sudan, Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Statelessness

This post originally appeared on UN Dispatch.

The G8 Plan to Prevent Sexual Violence: Can It Work?
May 01, 2013 Guest Africa, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Women & Children

Last month, flanked by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura on one side and spokesperson Angelina Jolie on the other, and with members of the G8 group of nations fanning out in support from behind, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stood at a press podium to deliver a pledge on behalf of the G8 group of ministers to “end sexual violence in conflict.” 

The Climate Displacement Gap
April 17, 2013 Guest Africa, Burkina Faso, Climate Displacement, Colombia, Mali, Niger, Pakistan, Americas, Asia

Crisis after crisis, natural and climate change-related disasters such as floods, droughts, and storms have displaced people from their homes in countries around the world. Though a causal link between any weather event and climate change is difficult to prove, climatologists have long believed that climate change will result in an increase in extreme weather events. Floods, droughts, and storms almost always impact the lives of individuals, forcing them to flee their homes as a result of safety or reduced food supply, among other factors.
In Burma, Rohingya Face a New Threat: Flooding
March 13, 2013 Refugees Intern... Burma, Climate Displacement, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Statelessness

By Isabel Rutherfurd, Refugees International Intern

Speaking to Burmese in Yangon last December, I heard a lot of cautious optimism and relief about the reforms inspired by the government’s transition to democracy.

Aid Must Be on the Agenda at Burma-Kachin Peace Talks
March 07, 2013 Sushetha Gopallawa Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security

This month, the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) will hold their second round of negotiations so far this year. The long-running Kachin conflict has resulted in more than 100,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), and a permanent cease-fire between the parties is desperately needed. Without it, tens of thousands of civilians will remain cut off from life-saving assistance.

The Many Faces of Climate Displacement
January 08, 2013 Alice Thomas Africa, Burkina Faso, Climate Displacement, Mali, Niger, Americas, Asia, Middle East

The day Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast, I was in Mali, a country in West Africa’s Sahel region. As a native New Yorker, I was stunned and dismayed to see pictures of the flooded streets and tunnels of Manhattan, of destroyed homes and schools on Staten Island, and of thousands of my fellow New Yorkers displaced and in shelters. But I was even more struck by the indiscriminate nature of what I was witnessing both in Mali (one of the world’s poorest countries) and the United States (one of its richest): massive humanitarian emergencies resulting from more extreme weather.

Thein Sein Should Send Suu Kyi to Rakhine
December 17, 2012 Melanie Teff Bangladesh, Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security, Statelessness

This article originally appeared in The Bangkok Post.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been more successful in mobilising Myanmar's people for change than any figure in recent history. Through her perseverance, she convinced her compatriots that with time, effort and unity of purpose, reform really was possible. The odds were long, but eventually she won and was proved right.

Stateless in America: Part I
December 10, 2012 Avy Mallik Americas, Asia, Statelessness

Exactly one year ago, a historic summit took place in Geneva on the rights of refugees and stateless people. On December 9, 2011, the United States and 154 other nations met to discuss the importance of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. But what made the conference historic was not the debate, but the pledges.

Burma Raises Prospect of Rohingya Citizenship
November 02, 2012 Sarnata Reynolds Bangladesh, Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security, Statelessness
In an interview with The Hindu newspaper this week, Burmese Minister of Information U Ang Kyi said that his government is attempting to address the ongoing violence in Rakhine State through the development of a "win-win solution for all stakeholders." Acknowledging that treating the stateless Rohingya as trespassers was an underlying problem that needed to be addressed, he said the government was considering a process whereby “third-generation” R
Burma's Rohingya: Beyond the Communal Violence
October 15, 2012 Avy Mallik Bangladesh, Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Statelessness

On Tuesday, October 9th, the Open Society Foundations and Refugees International co-hosted an event on the ongoing inter-communal violence in Rakhine State, Burma, which has displaced thousands of stateless Rohingya. The event brought together representatives of the U.S. government, civil society, and the media to review recent developments in Burma and Bangladesh.

In Speech to a Challenged UN, Three Tasks for Obama
September 20, 2012 Michelle Brown Africa, Burkina Faso, Burma, DR Congo, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Middle East, Protection & Security

As the 67th General Assembly opens this week, and as the United Nations gears up for the countless high-level meetings and side events that follow, the enormity of the challenges facing the UN is striking.

Aung San Suu Kyi and the Road Ahead for Burma
September 19, 2012 Michel Gabaudan Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security, Statelessness

The political thaw in Burma has advanced so quickly that it is hard to believe Aung San Suu Kyi was here in Washington yesterday, giving her first public speech at the outset of an historic trip to the U.S.

Yet as Suu Kyi was quick to point out in her remarks (which you can view in the video below), the country’s progress to date is fragile and easily reversible. Indeed, she reminded the audience at the U.S. Institute of Peace that she remains but the leader of a small opposition group in Parliament, not the head of government.

Bangladesh Compounds Misery for Rohingya Community
August 03, 2012 Melanie Teff Bangladesh, Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Statelessness

It’s hard to imagine that life could get much worse for the Rohingya, a stateless Burmese Muslim minority group. But yesterday’s news that Bangladesh has ordered non-governmental organizations to stop providing Rohingya refugees with (already minimal) services will surely increase their suffering.

Women & Children: Equal Dignity, Equal Assistance
July 10, 2012 Marcy Hersh Africa, Americas, Asia, Middle East, About RI, Women & Children

As the new Senior Advocate for Women & Children’s Rights, I am thrilled to join the RI team and lead this important program to improve access to basic services and protection for women and girls displaced by conflict and crisis.

Bangladesh Breaks the Law by Turning Back Rohingya
June 21, 2012 Melanie Teff Bangladesh, Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security, Statelessness

One of the most persecuted groups in the world is now facing more violence and suffering, yet help is being denied them.

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has turned back more than 2,000 people seeking refuge from communal violence in Burma’s Rakhine State. These refugees were fleeing targeted attacks on the Muslim Rohingya community, and refusing them entry puts Bangladesh in violation of international law.

Rio+20: Connecting the Dots Between Disasters and Displacement
June 20, 2012 Davina Wadley Africa, Climate Displacement, Colombia, Americas, Asia, Middle East

Today, world leaders are gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). They will be joined by participants from the private sector, governments, non-governmental organizations, and other interested groups.

There's No Such Thing as a "Climate Refugee"
June 08, 2012 Davina Wadley Africa, Climate Displacement, Americas, Asia, Middle East
Earlier this week, I joined members of the DC chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and a group of climate-conscious Washingtonians at the DC venue Bloombars to view Michael Nash’s film Climate Refugees and discuss our impressions of the film. 

The discussion kicked off with my biggest criticism of the film – its title. 
Senate Bill Makes Displaced a Priority
May 23, 2012 Marc Hanson Africa, Climate Displacement, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Middle East, Protection & Security, Statelessness, Women & Children

Yesterday, we got a preview of a rare good-news story out of Congress: If the Senate has its way, America won’t abandon its commitments to the world’s most vulnerable and persecuted.

While President Obama recently received praise for reducing the rate of U.S. government spending, it’s Congress that must that must make the hard decisions about to how to prioritize funding trade-offs.

Countering Climate Extremes Really Does Take a Village
May 11, 2012 Alice Thomas Climate Displacement, Americas, Asia

Newtok is a small Native American village on the northwestern coast of Alaska. Indigenous populations have inhabited Newtok for at least 2,000 years. But over the past two decades, unprecedented changes have taken place that threaten Newtok’s very existence.

Accelerated coastal erosion – exacerbated by thawing permafrost, declining sea ice protection, and warmer temperatures  – along with increased storm surges and salt water inundation of fresh water supplies, are making life here untenable. So the Newtok community has decided to move.

Burma: Look to the Locals
April 16, 2012 Michael Boyce Burma, Humanitarian Response, Asia

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the next steps America would take in its tit-for-tat rapprochement with Burma. Her announcement followed the (by most accounts) successful Burmese by-elections, in which Aung San Suu Kyi's once-banned political party won 43 of the 45 open seats.