Challenges and Opportunities in Refugee Protection: Lessons from Afghanistan to Ukraine
- 13 July 2022
- 12:00pm – 1:15pm
- Online
- https://dajf.org.uk/event/challenges-and-opportunities-in-refugee-protection-lessons-from-afghanistan-to-ukraine
- 020 7486 4348
- events@dajf.org.uk
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According to UNHCR, the number of people forced to flee their homes has increased every year for the past decade and is now at its highest level since its records began. As of the end of 2021, it is estimated that over 89 million people were displaced by conflicts, violence, fear of persecution and human rights violations.
The withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan caused a mass exodus of refugees prompted by fear of the Taliban’s return to power. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also caused one of the largest forced displacement crises seen in Europe since WWII. Meanwhile, Japan remains a country with some of the most restrictive policies towards refugees and asylum seekers, where only a few refugees are recognised as such every year. The controversial UK-Rwanda policy has been approved by the Government. The current international situation, though, requires countries including the UK and Japan to be more proactive in providing refuge to the most vulnerable in the world.
In this session, the speakers from the UK and Japan will discuss the following topics:
- The UK’s and Japan’s current refugee policies, and the present situation and future outlook in both countries
- Similarities and differences in the treatment of Afghani nationals last year and those displaced from Ukraine this year
- How the UK and Japan can work better together to overcome the current difficulties and contribute to a stronger international refugee protection mechanism in the world
About the contributors
Naoko Hashimoto is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan, teaching refugees and forced migration studies in English and in Japanese. Prior to joining academia, Naoko worked for UNHCR, IOM and the Government of Japan as a practitioner for nearly 15 years. She holds a Master of Studies in Forced Migration, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford (as a Sir John Swire scholar), LLM in International Human Rights Law from University of London (International Programme convened by Queen Mary and UCL), and PhD in Politics from University of Sussex (as an International Fellow of Nippon Foundation). She is also affiliated with Refugee Law Initiative, University of London and serves as a Refugee Adjudication Counsellor appointed by the Japanese Minister of Justice.
Giorgia Doná is Professor of Forced Migration and co-director of the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging at the University of East London, UK. She is Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and member of the Independent Advisory Group on Country-of-Origin Information, Office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. For over three decades she has worked as a researcher, practitioner and activist with displaced populations and refugees in Central and North America, Eastern Africa, and Europe. Recent publications include: The Marginalised in Genocide Narratives (2019) and Forced Migration: Current Issues and Debates (2019, edited with AliceBloch).
Matthew Gibney (Chair) is Professor of Politics and Forced Migration at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Refugee Studies Centre. He specialises in the political and ethical issues raised by refugees, citizenship, and migration control. Matthew’s books include The Ethics and Politics of Asylum (2004), Globalizing Rights (2003), and (with Randall Hansen) Immigration and Asylum (2005), a three-volume encyclopedia. His research has appeared in journals including the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Studies and Citizenship Studies, as well as several anthologies. He has held Visiting Professor positions at Monash University, the University of Toronto, and the University of New South Wales.
