Conferences and courses
The Immigration Advocates Network invites you to join a free webinar, ‘From immigrant to new American: Effective communication tools for naturalisation service providers’, on 6 February 2012 at 5:30 pm GMT. The use of ethnic and mainstream media is a proven method of encouraging legal permanent residents to take the step to become naturalised. Help demystify the process of engaging with all media outlets in your city by getting the tools and know-how from experts at the National Immigration Forum, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.
To register for this free webinar, visit this link. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information on joining the webinar. If you have questions, please email the organisers.
Seminar on planning migrant integration policies in EU member states
The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) will hold a seminar on ‘Planning workable policies for migrant integration in the EU Member States’ on 24–25 February 2012 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The seminar will analyse the added value of EU policies and instruments in the design, planning and implementation of national policies, projects, programmes and initiatives, while recognising that integration is primarily the role of the Member States.
The seminar will be conducted in English and is primarily aimed at public officials from national, regional and local authorities of the EU Member States and candidate countries; officials from EU institutions; professionals in the private sector; law enforcement officers; consultants; staff of NGOs, institutes and think tanks; and others working on European migration and integration policies. Speakers will include Centre for European Policy Studies staff, academics, practitioners, civil society representatives and officials from the EU institutions.The participation fee is EUR750, and EIPA offers a 10 percent reduction of the fee for its members. The registration deadline is 7 February 2012. Those interested may download the information package and/or visit the website.
Ockenden International Lecture, Oxford
To mark the establishment of the Joyce Pearce Junior Research Fellowship in Refugee Studies and Forced Migration, the Chancellor of Oxford University, The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes, CH, will be speaking on ‘Oxford’s international reach’, on 7 February 2012 at 5:15 pm at the Simpkins Lee Theatre, in Lady Margaret Hall (LMH). Joyce Pearce was an alumna of LMH and co-founded Ockenden International, the UK registered charity working to promote self-reliance for refugees and displaced people. Please email the Development officeat if you wish to attend the lecture and reception.
Forum on opportunities and challenges for visible migrants and refugees in Australia
Much of the public debate in Australia about the ‘fitting in’ of recent migrants and refugees has reflected the narrow politics of the ill-informed in a race to the bottom of nowhere. As a result, the voices of recent and arguably more ‘visible’ migrants and refugees have not been fully heard. ‘Whose country is it anyway? Opportunities and challenges for visible migrants and refugees in rural and regional Australia’ is a free public forum which aims to provide a space for some of these recent experiences to be explored. The forum will be held in Melbourne, on 9 February 2012 from 6:30–8:00 pm. For more details, visit the website.
Conference on politics and governance in international migration
The Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California (UC) is hosting the Third Annual UC Conference on International Migration: ‘Politics and governance’ on 10 February 2012 at the Weaver Center of the Institute of the Americas, UC San Diego. The conference is divided into four panels: local policy responses; unauthorised migration; Latino politics; and refugees and security. Those interested in attending the conference can contact Ana Minvielle. For more details, visit the website.
Discussing unsafe return to countries with poor human rights records
The University of York invites you to a day of presentations and discussions on the theme of ‘Unsafe return of refused asylum seekers to countries with poor human rights records’. The conference will take place on 18 February 2012, from 11 am–4 pm, at the university’s Physics Building, in Lecture Hall P/L 002.
Speakers will be discussing the following topics: gathering evidence for the report ‘Unsafe Return’ which records the ill treatment of Congolese refused asylum seekers removed to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the conclusions and recommendations of this report; gathering evidence in Cameroon; how to ensure evidence is robust enough for use by lawyers and in Court; and training Law students to research Country of Origin Reports.
This is an opportunity for groups monitoring or wishing to monitor the post-return experience of refused asylum seekers to discuss future collaboration. To book a place, send an email to this address.
APRRN legal aid training
The Asia Pacific Rights Network (APRRN) Southeast Asia Legal Aid Training will be held from 21–23 February 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. The detailed agenda will be shared later. In the past, APRRN has collaborated with the Fahamu Trust on the Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network project which was launched in June 2010 to enhance the provision of legal aid with respect to refugee status determination and the protection of human and refugee rights in East, South and Southeast Asia. For legal aid training details and queries, contact the organisers via email or by phone: +66 2653 2940 102. To register for the training, click on this link.
Seminar on Congolese refugees
The Oxford Central Africa Forum (OCAF) and the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Department of International Development, present ‘From DR Congo to Tel Aviv: A story of Congolese refugees’, a seminar led by Faida Bakaji Tshuma (winner of the 2010 PlaNet International Microfinance Award), Maria Jose Kanag (Congolese human rights activist with asylum in Israel), and Andrea Kruchik Krell (founder of Microfy, a microfinance organisation currently partnered with CitiBank). The seminar will be held on 24 February 2012, at 4:30 pm in Seminar Rooom 2, Queen Elizabeth House, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford. For more details, visit the website.
Summer course on statelessness
Tilburg University Summer School, in the Netherlands, will be hosting a one-week long course on statelessness from 23–27 July 2012. The course will deal with legal and policy issues associated with statelessness, as well as address the status of stateless persons, their human rights and right to international protection, and ways to research and document statelessness. In addition, the course will take a closer look at a number of specific questions relating to statelessness, such as UNHCR’s mandate and work, the influence of gender discrimination in creating statelessness, the detention of stateless persons and the litigation of the right to a nationality.
Only 30 places are available, and English-speaking participants from all over the world are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will have experience in working on issues related to citizenship and statelessness, or significant experience in a related field such as minority rights, migration, forced displacement or child protection, as well an interest in the issue of statelessness. Course fees are EUR950, and a limited number of scholarships are available. Deadline for applications is 15 March 2012. For further information and to apply, visit the website.
International symposium on Arab Spring and questions of mobility
After the ‘North Africa in transition: Mobility, forced migration and humanitarian crises’ workshop organised by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the International Migration Institute (IMI) at the University of Oxford in May 2011, the RSC and IMI are organising a second international symposium on migration and forced migration in North Africa and the Levant. The symposium, ‘The Arab spring and beyond: Human mobility, forced migration and institutional responses’, will be held at Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, on 20 March 2012. With the participation of international scholars, practitioners and policy makers, the workshop will examine the extent to which the Arab Spring has shifted migration dynamics, and migration and refugee governance.
The following questions will also be addressed: How have varying processes of political, economic, and social contestation in North Africa and the Levant affected human mobility? To what extent have events transformed or impacted the institutional behaviour and responses of international organisations and civil society groups working in the field of migration and refugee protection? How have publics and governments in North Africa and the Levant positioned or repositioned themselves in relation to issues of asylum and migration? For further information, please contact Heidi El-Megrisi.
Rutgers University one-day conference on immigration detention in the US
Rutgers School of Law–Newark announces ‘Immigrant detainees: Alone, unrepresented, and imprisoned’, a day-long conference examining the immigration detention system. The conference, to be held on 23 March 2012, is being co-sponsored by Rutgers School of Law–Newark, Seton Hall Law, Lowenstein Sandler PC, Rutgers–Newark Center for Migration and the Global City, Rutgers Immigrant Rights Collective, and the Rutgers Human Rights Forum. Conference speakers will be announced and registration opened shortly.
As of now, panel topics will likely include: the realities of civil immigration detention (including who is being detained and why, and the conditions of their confinement); mandatory detention (including the impact of mandatory detention policies and alternatives to detention); security and technology (including the use of video hearings, restricted access to lawyers, or restricted access to a law library or computer technology); and access to counsel in immigration court proceedings for detainees.
For more information, contact Anju Gupta, Director of the Rutgers–Newark Immigrant Rights Clinic.
CFMS Summer Institute on Resettlement
The Center for Forced Migration Studies at Northwestern University has announced its 2012 Summer Institute, ‘Settling resettlement’, to be held from 8–14 July, on the university campus in Evanston, Illinois. The Summer Institute, conducted in English, is a six-day, non-degree earning seminar intended for researchers, policy makers, academics and practitioners working in issues of forced migration, resettlement and humanitarian assistance both within the United States and abroad. Through lectures, focused discussions, workshops and simulation exercises, the Institute provides a forum to exchange ideas, build relationships, develop new approaches and policy recommendations and learn about new developments in the field.
The deadlines for registration are 15 April 2012 for visa applicants, and 15 June 2012 for non-visa applicants. Regular registration fees are USD1,000, and limited scholarships and partial tuition assistance are available. To apply for financial aid, please send a CV and a cover letter detailing your need request and how the institute will contribute to your professional development. For more information and to register, visit the website.
World Congress of NGOs 2012
Registration is now open for the World Congress of NGOs, to be held from 5–8 July 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, and convened on the theme of ‘The role of NGOs in times of global crises’. Join NGO representatives from around the world, as well as prominent international and national leaders from the governmental, intergovernmental and for-profit sectors. Plenary sessions feature leading authorities exploring NGO topics, special symposia focused on issues of specialised interest, workshops with experts providing practical training and guidance for NGOs, and panel sessions for NGO representatives to introduce their organisations/activities.
The conference will be held in English, and registration for international attendees closes on 5 June 2012; registration for Kenyan residents closes on 25 June 2012. For more information, visit the congress website.
2012 Rift Valley Institute courses
The Rift Valley Institute (RFI) annual field courses offer an intensive, graduate-level approach to the history, culture and political economy of three sub-regions: Sudan and South Sudan; the Horn of Africa; and the Great Lakes. Courses are six-day, dawn-to-dusk lectures, seminars and panel discussions led by international specialists, and scholars and activists from the region. Download the prospectus here. Dates and locations are: Sudan and South Sudan Course, Rumbek, South Sudan, 26 May–1 June; Horn of Africa Course, near Mombasa, Kenya, 16–22 June; Great Lakes Course, Bujumbura, Burundi, 7–13 July. Applications are considered in order of receipt. Apply online here. For further information or to request the application form as a Microsoft Word document, send an email to this address.
