The Americas
The Projects plan to follow-up a meeting held in September 1997 with the Organization of American States (OAS), UNHCR and the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights, to explore the establishment of a regional planning institute concerning migration and refugee emergencies. This will entail preparation of an options paper under OAS auspices and an implementing seminar in the region.
FMP continue to co-sponsor the Refugee Forum, along with Human Rights Watch, the International Rescue Committee and the New School for Social Research. The Forum provides a locus for practitioners, policymakers and researchers to meet in New York on a bi-monthly basis to discuss international refugee policy. The Projects, along with the Emma Lazarus Fund, also plan to continue a series of seminars on U.S. immigration and refugee policy.
The Forced Migration Projects have published several special reports focusing on the Americas. These publications include:
A Proposal to Establish a Temporary Refuge Scheme in the Caribbean Region for Refugees and Migration Emergencies (1995) The Forced Migration Projects seek to encourage policy makers and implementers in this region to fashion a conceptual framework to better manage refugee and migration emergencies. Such a framework could promote stability, and avoid or ameliorate individual hardships. In the report, A Proposal to Establish a Temporary Refuge Scheme in the Caribbean Region for Refugees and Migration Emergencies, a set of principles is offered on the constituent elements of a temporary refuge scheme, including reception, ceilings, conditions of stay, duration of stay and solutions for those in need of new permanent homes. This report is also available in Français and in Español.
Haitian Boat People: Causes and Methods of Migration (1997) While the specter of mass migration from Haiti has at times dominated U.S. policy responses, including the September 1994 military deployment, it has not stimulated much research into the precise causes and modes of Haitian migration. Because of this, the Forced Migration Projects have published a special report entitled "Haitian Boat People: Causes and Methods of Migration". The objective of this special report is to encourage such research and promote planning for future policy responses to migration and refugee emergencies involving Haiti.