A preliminary qualitative investigation into the relationship between pre-, peri- and post-migration factors/experiences and the psychological well-being of adolescent male Afghani asylum seekers living in the UK.

This qualitative study explores the influence of pre-, peri- and post-migration experiences on the psychological well-being of adolescent male Afghani asylum seekers living in the UK. It aims to provide a preliminary investigation of these experiences using the participants’ own voice in order to contribute towards addressing a gap in the research field and guide ongoing outreach, social and clinical work with this population, both locally, and nationally. Eight adolescent Afghani asylum seekers completed semi-structured interviews which were analysed using a thematic, template-driven approach. Findings were comparative with existing literature and theoretical underpinnings highlighting the ongoing and compounding nature of experiences throughout each stage of Bhugra and Jones’ (2001) model of migration. Although the psychosocial well-being of this group was shown to gradually deteriorate throughout the migration process, the study found that the course of well-being fluctuated in line with the respective loss or restoration of components of Witmer, Sweeney, and Myers’ (1998) wheel of wellness and Silove’s (1999) psychological sub-systems. Participants discussed a period of psychological well-being during their early arrival in the UK, before a period of psychological maladjustment thereafter coinciding with the UK’s asylum-seeking process. The study developed existing theoretical knowledge by uniquely applying different models to an under-researched, vulnerable and increasing population. Findings also generated useful practical and clinical implications and established a good rapport with the local Afghani community such that future research can continue with the suggestions made

Global environmental governance: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

"This discussion paper is about the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - one of the multilateral agreements that came out of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. UNCCD is based on a conceptualization of international relations that transcends to a large extent the traditional notions of inter-governmental treaties. Such policy concepts are known under the framework of Global Governance as they allocate political action rather to the horizontal level - implying multi-actor-networks and the civil society - than to vertical or top-down processes. The paper first shows that - inspired by the Brundtland Report and the emerging process of globalization - Rio was the peak season for Global Governance concepts that found their way into treaties and triggered structural reform, thus shaping a different reality of multilateral cooperation. In a second step, the paper shows that the Convention to Combat Desertification is the most Global Governance oriented of all of UNCED's outcomes. Its legally binding text contains a number of pertinent elements, ranging from a stringent cross-over of environment and development issues, via the ąbottom-up approach', to a mix of policy tools such as mainstreamed national action programmes and partnership agreements." (author's abstract)Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist die UN-Konvention zur Bekämpfung der Desertifikation (UNCCD). Sie zählt zu den multilateralen Übereinkünften, die im Zuge der 1992 in Rio de Janeiro veranstalteten UN-Konferenz über Umwelt und Entwicklung (UNCED) geschlossen wurden. Die UNCCD basiert auf einem Konzept internationaler Beziehungen, das zu einem großen Teil jenseits traditioneller Vorstellungen von Verträgen zwischen Regierungen angesiedelt ist. Solche auch als Global Governance bezeichneten Politikkonzepte sind eher horizontal als vertikal orientiert und beziehen Akteurnetzwerken und Zivilgesellschaft ein. Ausgehend vom Brundtland-Report und dem sich entwickelnden Prozess der Globalisierung zeigt der Verfasser, dass Rio den Höhepunkt für Global Governance-Konzepte war; diese Konzepte fanden ihren Niederschlag in Verträgen und setzten strukturelle Reformprozesse in Gang, die eine neue Form multilateraler Zusammenarbeit schufen. Von allen Ergebnissen, die die UNCED zeitigte, ist die UNCCD am meisten auf Global Governance orientiert. Ihr rechtlich verbindlicher Vertragstext enthält eine Reihe entsprechender Elemente, so die Verbindung von Umwelt- und Entwicklungsfragen, einen bottom-up-Ansatz und einen Mix von Politikinstrumenten wie nationale Aktionsprogramme und Partnerschaftsvereinbarungen. (ICEÜbers