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...]
Governing Irregular Migration: States, Actors and Intermediaries (IRMA) Final Conference
On 8-9th July, ELIAMEP and EUI co-hosted the final conference of the Governing Irregular Migration: States, Actors and Intermediaries project in Athens. This project examined the experiences of migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Albania, Georgia and the Ukraine to Greece. It was a great conference and I really enjoyed learning more about these diverse migration routes to Greece. I presented on irregular Afghans in the Netherlands modes of survival and future plans. It was a great session with … [Read more...]