As a member of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) International Steering Committee organizing the Civil Society Days at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), I have thoroughly enjoyed the last three days at the GFMD. Hosted by Istanbul, a city in the midst of the current migration crisis, and with Turkey now being the largest host country for refugees in the world. The days were rich in discussion and debate with several excellent speakers and the Syrian … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2015
Is this the end of Asylum in Europe?
In early September 2015, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade & Development Cooperation together with the State Secretary for Security & Justice sent a letter to their House of Representatives about the European asylum system. The letter proposes a new policy based around three central points: 1) That asylum seekers should be processed by UNHCR within their region; 2) That asylum seekers who reach the Netherlands can be sent back to a ‘region of safety’; 3) That some refugees … [Read more...]
Understanding the current refugee/migrant crisis in Europe UNU-Merit Panel Discussion
At UNU-Merit/ MGSoG the PhD-Committee organized and hosted a panel discussion on the current refugee crises. The panel was moderated by Zina Nimeh, Assistant Professor and included myself and three other panelists: Melissa Siegel, Associate Professor; Maurice Boon, Dutch Refugee Council; and Mohamed Nour Khatib, Not Just a Number. Mohamed is a Syrian refugee in the Netherlands who started the organization Not Just a Number to bring a human face to Syrian refugees and remind us all that each … [Read more...]
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Migration Presentation
On 1 October I was invited to give a talk to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on migration by the Africa Group. The talk was a high level overview of migration myths, trends, and current developments in Africa. It was great discussion and I am grateful for the opportunity to present and share my take on migration issues. The presentation concluded with my four recommendations for the ministry to consider: 1) Migration should not be viewed as problem- This statement has been clearly made … [Read more...]