During a job interview, several years ago, I was asked the question 'what is change?'. Considering the interview was for a three month internship for my first experience in the humanitarian sector, I decided to take the very (liberal? positivist?) path of conflating progress with change, and muddled through a description of the journey from… Continue reading On changes
Is the increasing role of the private sector in refugee protection 'a revolution', or a 'cop-out'? Or both? Either way, businesses are increasingly impacting state migration policies. Refugee protection advocates need to become more proactive and nuanced in their approach to the increasing private sector interest in refugees, by steering companies towards joining calls for… Continue reading On the private sector and refugee protection
My recent radio silence can be blamed on a new job: an exciting new opportunity to be more involved in research and advocacy on displacement in Central America. I’ve been spending my days recently learning a host of new skills: proposal writing; situation monitoring and infographic designing. The power has gone off a couple of… Continue reading On migration routes
Earlier this month UNHCR released an updated draft for the Global Compact on Refugees, and formal negotiations continued in the humanitarian capital. I was pleased to read the updated draft: UNHCR have made clear that reducing the number of refugees living in protracted situations without durable solutions (Paragraph 5.4) is the overall goal of the process.… Continue reading Following international negotiations from afar
UNHCR has released its ‘zero-draft’ for the Global Compact on Refugees, ahead of the formal consultations happening over the next six months. While it provides a list of good practices to improve refugee protection, its proposals for improving responsibility sharing are hardly the groundbreaking system change that was the initial intention for the Compact. The draft… Continue reading A blueprint for the Global Compact on Refugees
This is the first in a series of regular round-ups of articles and resources that I will be posting. I'm an avid reader of regular 'recommended reads' made by bloggers or news sites (such as IRINnews and Refugees Deeply), so I thought it would be time to establish my own compilations of some of the links… Continue reading Extreme weather
The impact of violence is felt daily in the Northern Triangle of Central America and is a major driver of displacement, yet its very nature obstructs identification of and access to those in need of protection.
Imagine waking up one day to the sound of bulldozers on your street and to being told to leave your home because your land was to be the site of a new tourist holiday resort, road or airport.
Suzanna Nelson-Pollard 