Category: Opinion
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Australia failing to protect its women and children in Syrian refugee camps
Chris Fitzgerald writes in Policy Forum. The dire situation of women and children in Syrian refugee camps raises questions about Australia’s obligations to repatriate citizens trapped in camps and Australia’s human rights record. In February this year, 12 United Nations special rapporteurs wrote to the Australian Government about the conditions facing the…
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It’s time to step up Australia’s support to Pacific climate refugees
Chris Fitzgerald writes in Policy Forum. Australia has an obligation to support Pacific communities displaced by rising sea-levels. The recent flooding on the east coast of Australia is a wake-up call to take climate change seriously and to consider its wider implications on Australia’s Pacific neighbours. Human induced climate change is the…
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Lukashenko’s Revenge: Migrant Crisis on Poland-Belarus Border
Malwina Talik writes in Fair Observer. Migrants currently trapped on the Belarus-Poland border are being used by the “last dictator of Europe” for his personal vendetta against the EU. Hundreds of people stand in front of a barbed wire; some try to force it. Behind them are troops encouraging them…
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Emirates Humanitarian City (EHC): UAE’s approach to humanitarian assistance
Philip Eliason writes in Fair Observer. The crisis in Afghanistan is a perfect example of emerging challenges and opportunities for new strategies in humanitarian assistance. Early investment by Abu Dhabi in a rapid humanitarian response hub paved the way for an Emirati regional leadership role in humanitarian affairs and a model for future multilateral operations. The Emirates Humanitarian…
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The US must pay attention to displaced Nicaraguans
Rachel Schmidtke and Irla Atanda write in Fair Observer. The situation in Nicaragua is becoming increasingly dire. The crisis in the country is going largely unnoticed. The Biden administration has made it clear that US engagement with the Western Hemisphere is a priority. Much of its early focus has been on Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El…
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Germany’s refugees face a future without Angela Merkel
Kiran Bowry writes in Fair Observer. Deep conviction drove Merkel while handling the European refugee crisis. Now, many refugees cannot imagine a Germany without her. In 2015, the European refugee crisis awoke Germans from a long and comforting slumber that Angela Merkel had lulled them into with her political style. The term “asymmetric demobilization” came to be known…
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Rohingyas fleed persecution in Myanmar, but face new challenges in Bangladesh
Bahauddin Foizee writes in Oped Column Syndication. Although Rohingyas found safety in Bangladesh, their lives have never been the same, courtesy to the experiences they had to go through in Myanmar and the challenges they continue to face in Bangladesh. The horrible scenes of hungry, tired and almost lifeless Rohingya…
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Rohingya refugees: Bangladesh suffering adverse impact of forced migration
Shafi Mostofa writes in Policy Forum. Already the most densely populated country in the world, accommodating one million refugees has created serious problems that Bangladesh must do more to address. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslims residing in Myanmar have sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh over the last forty years. These…
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Climate change refugees in the Pacific !
Ian Fry writes in Policy Forum. Unrecognised by the global community as ‘refugees’, those who are displaced by climate change-related events are unlikely to receive adequate legal protection. In 2013, Mr Ioane Teitiota from Kiribati asked the New Zealand High Court to allow his appeal against a decision made by the Immigration…
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Australia’s major parties tiptoe around pressing migration issues
Marianne Dickie writes in Policy Forum. Refugee policy has long been a contentious topic in Australian politics. But, despite having the perfect opportunity to address its problems, major parties have largely dodged discussing it in the election campaign. Fears of an ‘immigration election’ have ensured that the failures of Australia’s…
Refugee Observer 