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Out in the Cold in Calais

The UN Refugee Agency posts a short documentary on the plight of migrants in the French port city of Calais. Well worth a watch.

Iraqi asylum seekers forcibly returned from…Europe?

The UN Refugee Agency set out guidlines last April which advised that asylum seekers from central Iraq be considered in need of international protection due to the human rights and security situation in central Iraq.  Not all governments, however, are taking heed.  From the UN Refugee Agency:

Angelina Jolie visits Dadaab refugee camp

Angelina Jolie uses her considerable celebrity to draw attention to the world's largest refugee camp.  Some 300,000 Somalis live in Dadaab, Kenya, having fled persistent instability in Somali.

And here is Erin Weir of Refugees International discussing her recent trip to Dadaab.  She says that despite some political progress in Somalia, the size of Dadaab is growing, and stretching the ability of the international community to maintain the camp. 

 

One issue that Jolie alludes to is the onslaught of malaria that typically accompanies the (coming) rainy season. Refugees are particularly vulnerable to malaria. So, if I may, consider sending a net.

Ken Bacon, We Will Miss You

Refugees International President Ken Bacon passed away yesterday from an aggressive form of melanoma.  He was 64 years old.   

Ken was part of the extended UN Dispatch family.  He cut an On Day One video for us last year.  And in May, Ken contributed a guest post to UN Dispatch on the little known and deadly nexus between malaria and refugees.

Ken was someone who dedicated his life to helping the world's most vulnerable populations.  Even in his final days, Ken remained focused on how to prevent and mitigate the pain experienced by those that will inevitably suffer from displacement caused by climate change.  Just last week, Refugees International announced plans to establish the Ken and Darcy Bacon Center for the Study of Climate Displacement

I know many UN Dispatch readers admired Ken.  I certainly did.  You can share your thoughts and memories of Ken and his work on a memorial page on Refugees International.   And if you are so moved, you can keep Ken's legacy alive by contributing to the new Ken and Darcy Bacon Center for the Study of Climate Displacement.   Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.