Forced Migration Online: Blog

The research guide on Iraq has been updated to reflect rising levels of displacement and other recent developments. Since 2003, UNHCR estimates that at least 2 million Iraqis have left Iraq and a further 1 million have been displaced inside the country. One in eight Iraqis has been forcibly uprooted, and according to UNHCR estimates, some 40,000 to 60,000 are leaving their homes on a monthly basis. There are an estimated 1.4 million Iraqis seeking refuge in Syria and a further 750,000 in Jordan. See also the resource summary which highlights a selection of web-based resources that focus on Iraq.

UPDATE: Also worth noting, the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq have published a series of 6 briefing papers summarizing current issues, trends and lessons learned facing operational humanitarian organisations in Iraq. The papers address the following areas:

1. Adapting to Insecurity in Iraq
2. Operational Modalities
3. Personnel Management
4. Interactions Between Aid and Conflict
5. Humanitarian - Military Interactions
6. Perceptions of Humanitarianism

• Iraq Research Guide

The web page for the video Lost Nation: Stories from the Uyghur diaspora has been updated to feature the interviews as 5 individual films. These can be viewed in a web browser (QuickTime or Flash format) or via iTunes.

• Lost Nation (full film)
• Riza Bekin, Istanbul
  Discusses personal migration and current human rights in China
• Anwar Rahman, Geneva
  Discusses personal migration and Uyghurs in Pakistan
• Enver Tohti, London
  Discusses personal migration and Uyghur Chinese relations
• Gulamettin Emet, New York
  Discusses his personal migration in 1940s to India, then Turkey and Germany before being the first Uyghur to settle in the USA
• Enver Can, Munich
  Discusses personal migration and treatment of Uyghurs in Afghanistan and China.

The country of Afghanistan is ethnically, linguistically, and physically diverse. This updated Afghanistan research guide covers the nation’s long history, from ancient Sarzameen-e-Bay, through to the Soviet occupation, the rise of the Taliban, the aftermath of 9/11 and concludes with a current political overview.

Twenty three years of civil war in Afghanistan created large numbers of refugees and IDPs - many of whom have returned home over the last six years following the fall of the Taliban in 2001. For many, their search for employment, adequate and affordable housing, access to basic services, reclamation of property, and reintegration into communities has been fraught with difficulty. At the same time, return is made difficult or in some cases impossible as peace and security remains illusive in some parts of the country. As the country struggles along the long road of reconstruction, the durability of the return is dependent on the establishment of the state - its institutions and the establishment of the rule of law - and its ability to create opportunities within an environment of security which enables its citizens to thrive rather than simply survive. Throughout, significant challenges lie ahead as Afghanistan’s development indicators continue to be poor. An estimated 20-40 per cent of rural Afghans are malnourished, and roughly 70 per cent of the population live on less than USD 2 a day. Over two-thirds of Afghans over the age of 15 cannot read and write; and one in five children die before they reach their fifth birthday.

This updated research guide provides an overview of the influxes of Palestinian refugees to Lebanon since 1948 and subsequent conflicts in the country. It provides historical background to how the refugees came to be in Lebanon and examines the conditions under which they live. This research guide is one of five examining the situation of Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

The video section of the website has now been updated. The film Lost Nation: Stories from the Uyghur diaspora has been launched following a preview screening at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Other enhancements to the video section include additional formats, in addition to QuickTime streaming versions which we use to deliver video for almost all possible bandwidths, the films are now in Flash and iPod format. The videos are also available for free via the iTunes store, or you can subscribe to the video RSS feed.

Please let us know if you have any comments about the videos on FMO.