News
Current news is important for monitoring an unfolding humanitarian crisis. The resources below are regularly updated, provide international or regional coverage, and report on disasters, complex emergencies, conflict situations, and the displacement that results.
- AlertNet (Reuters Foundation, UK)
- News provided by humanitarian aid agencies that are AlertNet members. Current reports are available under “From the Field,” or via the search engine.
- IRIN - Integrated Regional Information Networks (OCHA, Switz.)
- Reports on humanitarian issues in Africa. Information is made available online or via e-mail in English and French.
- ISN Security Watch (International Relations and Security Network, Switz.)
- Focuses on conflict, peace and security issues. Includes latest headlines, news from the last five days, and a searchable news archive.
- Migration News (University of California-Davis, U.S.)
- Monthly newsletter with archived copies since 1994. Provides international news coverage and a book database (under “literature”). Users can view the newsletter online or sign up to receive an e-mail edition.
- UNHCR News (UNHCR, Switz.)
- Arabic version
- Chinese version
- Czech version
- French version
- German version
- Greek version
- Italian version
- Japanese version
- Korean version
- Polish version
- Russian version
- Slovak version
- Spanish version
- Swedish version
- Turkish version
- Sources include full-text world news stories provided via NewsEdge, as well as UNHCR news reports, press releases and briefing notes.
- World Refugee (World News Network, UAE)
- Provides headline news from a wide variety of news sources; also groups news stories by broad topic. Includes links to related World News Network thematic news pages.
See also:
- News Sources (FMO, UK)
- Provides additional links to forced migration news sources.
- World Newspapers (Lithuania)
- Provides geographic access to online newspapers and English news sites; also provides country-specific news headlines and book titles. Search engine available.
Journals/Newsletters
A separate Guide to Forced Migration Periodicals has been compiled, which lists journals, substantive newsletters and other regularly produced publications that are relevant in the field of forced migration studies. The publications are divided into “full-text” and “table of contents/abstracts,” then sub-divided by the following themes: forced migration, humanitarian assistance/emergency management, human rights, and migration/ethnic relations.
Annual Reports/Yearbooks
A number of full-text annual reports are listed below, providing variously country-by-country coverage of human rights violations, United Nations human rights activities, humanitarian aid and assistance, food and nutrition situations, as well as overviews of the principal forced migration issues that arose during the preceding year.
- Annual Reports (Amnesty International, UK)
- Full-text reports for 1997-present
- Arabic version
- French version
- German version
- Spanish version
- Annual Reports on Humanitarian Aid (European Community Humanitarian Office, Belg.)
- To locate these reports in full-text since 2001, perform a “Document Search” in the Register of Commission Documents; first, select “Humanitarian Aid” from the drop-down menu next to the “Department Responsible” field, then type in “Annual Report” in the “Words in Title or Subject” field. The report is available in all EU languages; the language of the report can be selected using the drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the search results page.
- Armed Conflicts Report (Project Ploughshares, Canada)
- Full-text of current report
- Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (U.S. Department of State)
- 1999-present
- For the Record (Human Rights Internet, Can.)
- Annual summary of the UN's and European system's human rights work; both English and French versions can be accessed from here.
- Human Development Report (UNDP, U.S.)
- Full-text available since 1999, overviews and indices available for previous years.
- Human Rights in the OSCE Region: the Balkans, the Caucasus, Europe, Central Asia and North America (International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Austria) (1997-present)
- Under the Topics drop-down list, select “IHF Annual Report on Human Rights Violations.”
- Humanitarian Action Report (UNICEF, Switz.)
- Current report.
- Peace and Conflict Series: Global Surveys of Armed Conflicts, Self-Determination Movements, and Democracy (Integrated Network for Societal Conflict Research, U.S.)
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- Reports on the World Nutrition Situation (Administrative Committee on Coordination, Sub-Committee on Nutrition, Switz.)
- Third and fourth reports available.
- The State of Food Insecurity in the World (FAO, Italy)
- English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese versions since 1999 can be accessed from this URL.
- The State of the World's Refugees (Oxford University Press, UK)
- Biennial reports of UNHCR; 2000 edition also available in French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, German and Spanish.
- World Disasters Report (IFRC, Switz.)
- Summaries only.
- French version
- Spanish version
- World Refugee Survey (U.S. Committee for Refugees)
- Editions available since 2003; also see info. on individual countries in “Refugee Conditions by Country”
- World Report (Human Rights Watch, U.S.)
- Current edition; reports available since 1989; summaries in French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Portuguese as of 2002
International Instruments
Web addresses are provided for a selection of key instruments and standards, as well as for collections of human rights, statelessness, and other relevant conventions and treaties.
Specific titles (the country indicated in parentheses refers to the signatory location):
- The Addis Ababa Document on Refugees and Forced Population Displacements in Africa, 1994 (Ethiopia)
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- Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, 1984 (Colombia)
- Spanish version
- Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 (Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Declaration on the Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in the Arab World, 1992 (Egypt)
-
- Geneva Conventions (Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, 1998 (Switz.)
- Available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and many other languages.
- Organization for African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, 1969 (Ethiopia)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 (U.S.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Recommendations for a South Asia Protocol/Charter for the Protection of Refugees, Migrants, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons (Nepal)
-
Collections:
- Basic Instruments (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Gambia)
- Click on “Legal Instruments” in the menu, then select an instrument to display; in English and French.
- Includes texts of principal human rights treaties in Africa.
- Inter-American Treaties (OAS, U.S.)
- Spanish version
- Includes texts and state parties; can browse by subject or year.
- International Human Rights Instruments (UNHCHR, Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Organizes treaties by subject; access to status of ratifications provided for selected instruments. Does not include regional treaties.
- International Humanitarian Law Database (ICRC, Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Includes texts and state parties for humanitarian law treaties and commentaries on the Geneva conventions and protocols.
- Legal Information (UNHCR, Switz.)
- See REFINT.
- Spanish version
- Provides access to universal and regional instruments in full-text, with lists of states parties and overviews of reservations/declarations.
- Peace Agreements Digital Collection (U.S. Institute of Peace)
- Provides peace agreements for 18 different conflicts; some texts available in multiple languages.
- Treaty Office (Council of Europe, France)
- Includes texts and state parties; offers multiple search options; English, French, German, Italian, and Russian versions accessible from this URL.
Policy Statements
These URLs link to the institutional policies and official documents of various key international and regional organizations mandated to provide assistance and protection to forced migrants.
- Asian Development Bank, Involuntary Resettlement (Philippines)
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- Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers, Ad Hoc Committee of Experts on the Legal Aspects of Territorial Asylum, Refugees and Stateless Persons (CAHAR)(France)
- In English and French.
- Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population (France)
- French version
- ICRC's Role and Mandate (Switz.)
- Arabic version
- French version
- Spanish version
- Provides links to ICRC's Statutes and information on its legal basis.
- Inter-American Development Bank, Involuntary Resettlement (U.S.)
- Spanish version
- Portuguese version
- OHCHR, Documents (Switz.)
- This database houses the principal documents of the former Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (formerly the Sub-Commission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities). Available in English, French and Spanish.
- UN Documentation Centre (U.S.)
- Provides access to resolutions, decisions and selected documents of the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council, in the six official languages of the UN.
- UN Information System on the Question of Palestine (U.S.)
- Documents can be accessed by date, document symbol, title, type, subject, or source; a search engine is also available.
- UNHCR, Executive Committee Documents (Switz.)
- Arabic version
- French version
- Spanish version
- This section includes the Conclusions on International Protection, Notes on International Protection, and Standing Committee reports. In addition, it provides access to EXCOM reports since 1995.
- UNHCR, Statute (Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- World Bank, Revised Policy on Involuntary Resettlement (U.S.)
- Select "Policy"
See also:
- Legal Information (UNHCR, Switz.)
- Database providing access to UNHCR policy papers (REFPOL), national refugee-related legislation (REFLEG), and international instruments (REFINT).
Operational Resources
Operational Guidance Materials (OGMs):
This category is defined by UNHCR as “manuals, guidelines, handbooks, kits, training materials, checklists, …as well as other related materials… [which] have the common objective of helping…field staff perform in their job… .” While any number of publications might be seen as “helping field staff perform in their job,” OGMs are characterized by their practical, “how-to” orientation. No comprehensive collections of these materials currently exist on the web, but several organizations make a selection of titles available on their sites.
- New Zealand Digital Library (Univ. of Waikato, New Zealand)
- Provides access to a variety of digital libraries housing humanitarian and/or UN collections. Topics covered include health, food and nutrition, environment, AIDS, development, Africa, etc.
- Policy & Issues (Reliefweb, Switz.)
- Includes a number of humanitarian titles, which can be browsed by date, source, and document type.
- Publications (UNHCR, Switz.)
- Includes the Handbook for Emergencies, Resettlement Handbook and Partnership Guides.
- Reference Books (Médecins Sans Frontières, Belgium)
- These guides cover emergency kits, logistical support, medical supplies and equipment, diagnosis and treatment, clinical guidelines, and refugee health. In English and French.
- UNHCR Health, Food & Nutrition Toolkit (Regional Centre for Emergency Training in International Humanitarian Response, Japan)
- Includes tools for field workers and an “Essential Reference Collection".
Principles of Humanitarian Assistance and Conflict Management:
This section includes declarations of minimum standards, codes of conduct, and guidelines for operating in a humanitarian crisis or a conflict situation.
- The People In Aid Code of Good Practice (People in Aid, UK)
- Available in English, French, and Spanish.
- Code of Conduct for Conflict Transformation Work (International Alert, UK)
- Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief (IFRC, Switz.)
- Declaration of Minimum Humanitarian Standards, 1990 (Institute for Human Rights, Finland)
- The Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC, Switz.)
- French version
- Spanish version
- Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, 2000 (Sphere Project, Switz.)
- Principles of Humanitarian Aid and Recommended Code of Behaviour for Military and Civil Defence
Personnel in International Disaster Relief Assistance in Times of Peace (“Oslo Guidelines”), 1994 (OCHA, Switz.)
- Providence Principles (Humanitarianism and War Project, U.S.)
- (see Appendix IV)
See also:
- “Operational Materials,” FMO Web Catalogue
- Browse through further descriptions of handbooks and guidelines.
- Sphere Reading Materials on FMO (UK)
- Provides direct links to references from the Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response; most are to the full-text equivalent, but if this is not available, then only the bibliographic reference is noted.
Evaluation Reports
These resources facilitate the retrieval of program evaluations and reports of lessons learned during past humanitarian emergencies.
- Active Learning Network on Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance (ALNAP), Evaluative Reports Database (ODI, UK)
- Searchable database housing evaluation reports; some are available to the public, while others are restricted.
- A Case by Case Analysis of Recent Crises: Assessing 20 Years of Humanitarian Action, May 1999 (Médecins du Monde, France)
- In .pdf format; posted on the Journal of Humanitarian Assistance site; reviews operations in Iraq, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Burundi, the former Zaire, Chechnya, and Kosovo.
- Humanitarianism and War Project (Tufts University, U.S.)
- Reviews experience of the international community in dealing with complex emergencies and makes recommendations for improving the humanitarian system. Offers a number of its reports in full text. (Note: Project terminated end of June 2006)
- Policy Development and Evaluation Service (UNHCR, Switz.)
- Posts full-text evaluation reports dating from 1994. Also provides links to other relevant evaluation sites and evaluation handbooks.
See also:
- InterAction Evaluation Resources (U.S.)
- For additional resources and suggestions relating to evaluation.
