Forced Migration Online: Blog

A new series of podcasts, recorded at a regional presentation in Amman, on the situation of Iraqi refugees, is now available from Forced Migration Online. The presentation was jointly organized by the Refugee Studies Centre and the Regional Human Security Centre (RHSC) in Amman, Jordan.

Based on a recent RSC Policy Briefing on Iraq’s refugees – beyond tolerance, this one-day event provided a platform for an open discussion  on the situation of Iraqis displaced internally and Iraqis displaced in the region.

The keynote address was given by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. Other participants included:

• Dr Nasir Al-Samaraie, Adviser to the Iraq Head of Delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross
• Dr Philip Marfleet, Associate Director, CMRB, University of East London
• Dr Dawn Chatty, Deputy Director, RSC, University of Oxford
• Professor Adel Tweissi, Secretary General of the Higher Council of Science and Technology
• Mr Abed El-Baset Al Kabariti, Ministry of Interior, Government of Jordan
• Mr Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Jordan
• Ms Liana Paris, Displacement Monitoring Officer, IOM Iraq Mission

Key principles for consideration by policy makers were presented and discussed. The emphasis was on protection and durable solutions to displacement.

• Listen to the Podcasts
• Read: “Iraq’s refugees – beyond tolerance”
• Subscribe via iTunes

The Refugees Studies Centre at Oxford University has recently published a strategic overview of current policy trends and future directions in the forced migration field. The following seven interconnected themes were identified as being of key research interest and of immediate and future relevance to policymakers:

• state fragility and forced migration;
• the economics of forced migration;
• environmental displacement;
• displaced groups with specific needs;
• durable solutions;
• humanitarian space and spaces of protection;
• realising protection: legal and institutional challenges.

The document also identifies areas likely to demand attention in the future.

Prepared by Dr Katy Long, a researcher at the RSC, the document also benefited from inputs by senior RSC staff and researchers and some external policy partners of the RSC.

It is hoped that this overview will be instrumental in informing the research agenda, policy priorities and institutional practices of the wider academic community and policy stakeholders, helping improve international humanitarian action and conflict prevention, and addressing the rights and needs of forced migrants.

The RSC would welcome receiving your feedback on the relevance and usefulness of this document. We also encourage you to contact the RSC should you wish to discuss a specific topic further, share information on a particular area, or support our research. Kindly direct your feedback or queries to the RSC’s Policy Programme Officer, Ms Héloïse Ruaudel, at rscpolicy@qeh.ox.ac.uk.

• Forced migration: Current policy trends and future directions