Norway’s Readmission Agreements: Spellbound by European Union Policies or Free Spirits on the International Field?

This article offers an analysis of the objective and substance of Norway’s readmission agreements in light of European Union readmission policies. It explores how readmission policy developments on the EU level also impact Norway’s practice, and argues that EU practice influences Norway’s work on readmission in three important ways. First, as part of a preventative strategic policy, Norway seeks to conclude readmission agreements with countries with which EU readmission agreements (EURA) exist. Second, EU visa facilitation agreements that are paired with EURAs form an indirect link between EU and Norwegian readmission agreements. Third, Norway uses the EURA-format as a basis for negotiations even with countries where no EURA exists. This article also examines Norway’s participation in the EU Global Approach on Migration and Mobility (GAMM), and finds that it is limited by the GAMM being only tangentially within the Schengen cooperation, and also by national political perceptions about linking readmission and development aid.publishedVersio

Att återvända till fäderneslandet - hur den nubiska drömmen kan bli en rättighet i det nya Egypten

«These are all my pages; do not tear them up. This is my voice; do not silence it. This is I; do not curse me. For I have lived among you and eaten with you, loved your culture, and still do. I am merely conveying to you, with the sting of truth, some of my sorrows, and those of my people.»publishedVersio

La categorización de los sirios en el Líbano como “vulnerables”

Los agentes humanitarios utilizan las evaluaciones de vulnerabilidad para detectar a quienes se encuentran en mayor peligro de sufrir daños, pero su uso en la respuesta a los desplazados sirios en el Líbano resulta problemático

Har satsingen på pedodonti gitt resultater? Henvisninger til spesialister i pedodonti i Hordaland i 2014-2019

Hovedmålet med denne studien var å vurdere om satsingen i pedodonti i vest fra 2013 hadde ført til en økning i henvisninger til spesialisttjenesten i pedodonti i Bergen sammenlignet med en tidligere kartlegging 2006–2013. Delmål var å registrere antall henvisninger, geografisk spredning, alderssammensetning, henvisningsårsaker, hvilke yrkesgrupper helsepersonell som henviste, ventetid, samt å sammenligne resultatene med andre norske og svenske studier. Grunnlaget for studien var alle mottatte henvisninger til spesialisttjenesten i pedodonti ved Tannhelsetjenestens kompetansesenter Vest/Hordaland i løpet av seksårsperioden 2014–2019. Totalt ble 1781 henvisninger registrert. Prosentandelen av den totale befolkningen barn og ungdom som ble henvist fra tidligere Hordaland, var markant høyere enn tilsvarende prosentandel rapportert i en tidligere studie i samme område (0,23 % vs. 0,03 %). Økt avstand fra behandlingsstedet resulterte i færre henvisninger, og særlig var henvisningsantallet fra tidligere Sogn & Fjordane fylke bekymringsfullt lavt. Aldersgruppen 7–15 år utgjorde nesten tre-fjerdedel av henvisningene, og erupsjonsproblematikk var årsaken til flest henvisninger. Den gjennomsnittlige ventetiden for spesialistbehandling var ca. 2 måneder. I tillegg utgjorde rådgivningstjeneste fra spesialister en viktig del av tilbudet. Studien viser at satsingen har gitt et bedre spesialisttilbud for barn og unge i vår region, men at det bør satses på å utdanne flere spesialister slik at en kan oppnå en bedre regional dekning.publishedVersio

Reimagining refugee identity systems: a sociological approach

This paper explores how the social identity of refugees shapes and is shaped through the process of registering with humanitarian organisations. Building on the recent advance of critical studies on digital identity systems for refugee management, we show how the lens of social identity is helpful in understanding the relationship between refugee information systems and refugee experiences of registration and accessing services. Identity is a key issue related to contemporary information systems yet remains an under-theorised area of investigation from a sociological perspective in the field of information systems, international development and refugee studies. Using qualitative data from refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Northern Uganda, this paper showcases the centrality of refugees’ social identity in determining the journey of vulnerable individuals focusing on three key dimensions. First, how the identities of refugees based on home and family in South Sudan were carried over to refugees’ new location in Uganda and were later transformed through the process of registration. Second, how work and career profile of their lives in South Sudan shaped the identity of refugees, and how the absence of education credentials limited the realisation of personal aspirations. Third, how interactions between institutions and refugees are both shaped by and shape refugee identity. Our findings point to important policy implications for designing and implementing refugee identity systems

The Effectiveness of Norway's Readmission Agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia

This article offers an analysis of the effectiveness of Norway's readmission agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia. Through the use of readmission agreements, Norway aims to reduce irregular presence by increasing the number of both voluntary and forced returns, as well as discourage future irregular migration by sending a “clear signal” to individuals without protection needs that they will be returned when their asylum applications are rejected. The effectiveness of these agreements thus lies in the extent to which they fulfill these objectives. While Norway's agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia have been explicitly highlighted as effective by Norwegian authorities, this article argues that readmission agreements may be expected to limit, but not to eliminate, return problems. Readmission agreements, however streamlined, will have different effects on different groups. It finds that Norway's readmission agreements have been only partially successful with Iraq, and wholly unsuccessful with Ethiopia

Recruiting Internally Displaced Persons into Civil Militias: The Case of Northern Uganda

This article explores the state-sanctioned recruitment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into civil militias in northern Uganda between 1996 and 2006. Drawing upon international and Ugandan domestic law, as well as empirical research in Uganda, it provides an illustrative case study of the circumstances in which IDPs were mobilised into an array of civil militias. By applying a framework elaborated by the UN Commission on Human Rights, it discusses, and subsequently determines, the lawfulness of this mobilisation. When doing so, the article highlights how, in Uganda, civil militias were dealt with completely outside of domestic law, despite repeated calls from Ugandan MPs to establish their lawfulness. It finds that government authorities long denied any liability for the conduct of the militias, and argues that the uncertain position of the civil militias created plenty of room for unmonitored conduct and substantial human rights abuse

Attributing Wrongful Conduct of Implementing Partners to UNHCR: International Responsibility and Human Rights Violations in Refugee Camps

Refugee camps are often managed by a wide set of actors other than the Host State. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr), tasked under international law to provide “international protection” to refugees and to seek “permanent solutions for the problem of refugees”, often sub-contracts the daily management of camps to non-governmental organizations (ngo). In 2013, unhcr collaborated with 733 ngos worldwide. Together with unhcr, these “implementing partners” often perform public powers normally exercised by the Host State. But when human rights violations occur following the conduct of a unhcr implementing partner, which actor(s) are responsible under international law? This article focuses on unhcr’s international responsibility for the conduct of ngo implementing partners. By exploring unhcr’s standard sub-contracting agreements through the lens of the International Law Commission’s (ilc) Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations (ario), it answers questions such as: Which human rights requirements does unhcr place on implementing partners? Under what circumstances may unhcr be held responsible under the ario for the acts of its implementing partners? It finds that an application of the ario would make unhcr internationally responsible for the wrongful conduct of implementing partners, even when sub-contracting agreements include clauses absolving unhcr from any liability