Crisis Migration
Humanitarian crises—situations in which there is a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health or subsistence beyond the coping capacity of individuals and their communities—occur with great frequency. In these situations, people move within and across land borders, on a temporary or permanent basis, in a legal or irregular manner. People move alone or with assistance from external actors, benefiting from evacuation mechanisms, voluntary migration programs or social and diaspora networks. Some resort to clandestine networks, traveling by land or sea, and take enormous security risks. Others remain trapped unable to reach safety. In late 2011, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation launched of an ISIM project that explores the migration implications of a broad range of humanitarian crises including the protection needs of those affected. This project focuses on crisis-related movements that do not fit within legal and institutional frameworks designed to protect refugees. It also seeks to identify principles and effective practices related to the rights of those who move or remain trapped; the obligations of governments; and the responsibilities of international actors.
This project is being funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
For further information, contact Elizabeth Ferris.
Reports & Publications
- New Models of International Agreement for Refugee Protection
- Evacuation and Repatriation of Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict or Natural Disaster
- Conflict or Natural Disaster: Does It Matter for Migrants
- Expert Statement on Internally Displaced Persons
- Migrants In Countries In Crisis Initiative: Guiding Principles
- Forced Migration, Displacement and Development
- On the Margins: Noncitizens Caught in Countries Experiencing Violence, Conflict and Disaster
- The Hyogo Framework, Disaster Risk Reduction and Mobility
- Humanitarian Crises and Migration: Causes, Consequences and Responses
- Planned Relocation, Disasters and Climate Change: Consolidating Good Practices and Preparing for the Future
- Forced Migration Special Issue: Crisis
- “Crisis Migration” in the Brown Journal of World Affairs
- Lessons Learned from the Development of the Guiding Principles on Internal