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Countering Climate Extremes Really Does Take a Village
May 11, 2012 Alice Thomas Climate Displacement, Americas, Asia

Newtok is a small Native American village on the northwestern coast of Alaska. Indigenous populations have inhabited Newtok for at least 2,000 years. But over the past two decades, unprecedented changes have taken place that threaten Newtok’s very existence.

Accelerated coastal erosion – exacerbated by thawing permafrost, declining sea ice protection, and warmer temperatures  – along with increased storm surges and salt water inundation of fresh water supplies, are making life here untenable. So the Newtok community has decided to move.

Cartagena Diary, Pt. IV: 19 Years Too Many
April 18, 2012 Marc Hanson Colombia, Americas, Humanitarian Response

Editor's Note: RI Senior Advocate Marc Hanson has been in Cartagena, Colombia, for the Summit of the Americas. This is his final diary entry from the trip, but do check out his first, second, and third entries as well.

Cartagena Diary, Pt. III: The Colombia Obama Won’t See
April 13, 2012 Marc Hanson Colombia, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

Editor's Note: RI Senior Advocate Marc Hanson is in Cartagena, Colombia, this week for the Summit of the Americas. Click here to read his final entry.

Cartagena Diary, Pt. II: Citizen Security Takes Center Stage
April 12, 2012 Marc Hanson Colombia, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

Editor's Note: RI Senior Advocate Marc Hanson is in Cartagena, Colombia, this week for the Summit of the Americas. He'll be recording his activities and impressions on our blog throughout the trip. Click here to read Part III.

Cartagena Diary, Pt. I: Food for Thought
April 11, 2012 Marc Hanson Climate Displacement, Colombia, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security

Editor's Note: RI Senior Advocate Marc Hanson is in Cartagena, Colombia, this week for the Summit of the Americas. Click here to read his second entry.

Yesterday was consumed by flights (DC to Houston, Houston to Bogota, Bogota to Cartagena) and long delays at the airports in between. This provided plenty of time to occupy the mind with reading.

Will Americas Summit Tackle Displacement?
March 08, 2012 Garrett Bradford Climate Displacement, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Venezuela, Americas, Humanitarian Response, Statelessness

A "complex security and humanitarian crisis.” That’s how Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) described the situation for Latin America's refugees and displaced people at Tuesday’s panel discussion, Refugees, Displacement, and Hemispheric Stability in Latin America, on Capitol Hill.

In Panama, a Critical Moment
February 27, 2012 Marc Hanson Colombia, Panama, Americas, Protection & Security

A quick and comprehensive resolution to Panama’s most acute refugee crisis is imminently achievable. Unfortunately, that’s been the case for over a decade.

More than ten years ago, targeted violence drove more than 800 rural Colombians from their homes, and over the border into Panama. Panama allowed these families to remain in the Darien jungle under a Temporary Humanitarian Protection protocol, but did not allow them to work or travel freely throughout the rest of the country.

U.S. Must Follow Up Colombian Aid With Effort
February 24, 2012 Marc Hanson Climate Displacement, Colombia, Congress, U.S. Administration, Americas, Humanitarian Response

This blog first appeared on The Hill Congress Blog. 

Poisoned Climate: Still Submerged in Colombia
February 14, 2012 Alice Thomas Climate Displacement, Colombia, Americas

This blog post originally appeared at ThinkProgress Green as a guest post.

'¡Buenos Días!' from Colombia
February 10, 2012 Garrett Bradford Climate Displacement, Colombia, Americas

You're easily fooled upon arrival in Bogotá. You think, "This is it. This is Colombia." At over 9,000 feet above sea level and average temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, Colombia's capital enjoys an "eternal spring" year round. After a few days in the hospitable climate of Bogotá, I couldn't help but think: "I hope the rest of the country is like this."

The next day I found that such is not the case. For two years now, record-breaking rains have produced the worst flooding in 80 years throughout much of the country.

“Only God Is Watching Over Us Now”
January 20, 2012 Hollyn Hammond Haiti, Americas

What is going on in Haiti two years after an earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince? Last week, I met Evans in an IDP camp in the Petionville neighborhood of Haiti’s capital city. A ten-year-old who is relatively small for his age but bouncing with energy, Evans is like most young boys surviving in Port-au-Prince. He is street smart, looks out for his mother and sisters, and had his life changed forever on January 12, 2010. What makes Evans different from the other boys? He speaks English, a rare skill even for adults in Haiti.

Amazingly, a Dysfunctional Congress Delivers
January 18, 2012 Marc Hanson Africa, Burma, Colombia, Congress, DR Congo, South Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Protection & Security

This week, the Washington Post published a poll showing that the U.S. Congress has set a new record for disapproval. A whopping 84 percent of Americans do not approve of the way Congress is doing its job. Media coverage of the House and Senate highlights the brinksmanship and polarized politicking that seems to surround every piece of legislation – and now, even routine nominations and confirmations.

Building on the Success of 2011
January 03, 2012 Michael Boyce Afghanistan, Africa, Colombia, DR Congo, Iraq, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, About RI

Happy New Year, from all of us at Refugees International! Before we start tackling the challenges of 2012 – and there will be many – we bring you a brief wrap-up of all things RI from the year gone by.

First, "RI in 2011: By the Numbers":

16 Days: To End Violence Against Women, Enlist the Men
December 09, 2011 Michel Gabaudan Afghanistan, Africa, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Women & Children

For the last two weeks, my colleagues have reflected on global efforts to combat violence against women and girls, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. Today, I want to examine a vital and practical solution to the problem of gender violence: the engagement of men and boys. 

The Loss of a Great Human Rights Activist
December 05, 2011 Melanie Teff Dominican Republic, Haiti, Americas, Statelessness, Women & Children

Sonia Pierre was 13 years old when she was first arrested and threatened with deportation, for organizing a protest for the rights of sugar cane workers. She continued her struggle for the rights of marginalized people in the Dominican Republic (DR) right up until her sad and untimely death yesterday from a heart attack, at age 48.

16 Days: “Land Is Dignity. Land Is Security.”
November 30, 2011 Tom Bewick Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Americas, Women & Children

Gender-based violence continues to affect millions of Colombian women and girls who’ve been displaced by ongoing internal conflict.

Civil Society: The Solution to Latin America’s Neglected Refugee Crisis?
November 15, 2011 Michael Boyce Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Americas

Last week at the US Institute of Peace (USIP), members of civil society and government met to discuss one of the world’s most pernicious, and least well-known, displacement crises.

Unlike the situations in Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan, the 5.4 million displaced persons in Latin America rarely grab global headlines. But their numbers are staggering and their plight is serious.

Statelessness and Nationality in the Dominican Republic
October 27, 2011 Sarnata Reynolds Dominican Republic, Haiti, Americas, Statelessness

Wednesday’s conference on statelessness and the right to nationality in the Dominican Republic (DR) saw presenters from many countries and fields of work join in a constructive dialogue.

This example of statelessness, caused by the retroactive loss of nationality rights for Dominicans of Haitian descent in the DR’s new constitution, has been a major source of civil strife. It has left many without access to their rights, and has shaken their most basic sense of who they are and where they belong.

Bringing Stateless "Out of the Shadows"
October 25, 2011 Michael Boyce Africa, Bangladesh, Burma, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kuwait, Libya, Nepal, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Statelessness

Today, leaders from government, civil society, and the UN gathered at the US Institute of Peace to explore statelessness and its impact on women worldwide. The Institute's sparkling new headquarters played host to an insightful and inspiring discussion - a fitting kick-off for a week full of stateless advocacy here at RI.

An advantageous relationship: UN peacekeeping and U.S. interests
July 25, 2011 Anna Cooper Americas, Protection & Security
The Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP), for which the Refugees International peacekeeping team serves as the secretariat, held a forum here in Washington on July 19. We invited three experts to come and talk about UN peacekeeping and US interests.