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July 15, 2005

Addressing the needs and rights of refugees: Fletcher Professor Karen Jacobsen speaks out

Visiting Associate Professor of International Diplomacy Karen Jacobsen has been speaking out recently about the need for greater attention to situations of protracted displacement. During the spring 2005 semester, she taught a popular course, “Research Seminar in Forced Migration and Human Security,” in which students evaluated methods for use in field research and learned how to develop a research proposal. “It was great to see students enthusiastic about doing field research. I hoped the class would develop a critical sense of rigor in the design and methods of field research, and that they would explore the ethical issues that arise in field research,” Jacobsen commented. “Questions about refugees and their activities can potentially create problems after the researcher leaves. We must be aware of the implications of our actions in the field at all times.”

“Many people are unaware of what happens after the emergency phase of a refugee influx is over. Today there are over 6 million refugees stuck in protracted situations, lingering in refugee or displacement camps from 5-20 years or more,” Jacobsen she reported. In her new book, The Economic Life of Refugees (Kumarian Press, 2005), Jacobsen explores how refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) survive economically along with the ways in which humanitarian programs can support their efforts to pursue livelihoods. “I am trying to show how refugees try to support themselves and their families, to secure food and education and eventually move out of camps to urban settings, or a third country of resettlement,” said Jacobsen.

In addition to teaching at Fletcher, Jacobsen is the Director of the Feinstein International Famine Center’s Refugee and Forced Migration Program. This program partners with three African universities, including the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Jacobsen is teaching a course this summer entitled “Displacement and the Pursuit of Livelihoods: Implications and Interventions.” Jacobsen also serves as Director of the Alchemy Project, which explores the impact of microcredit and other income generating programs on the entrepreneurial behavior and livelihood activities of refugees and IDPs in conflict-affected regions in Africa. Since the launch of the Alchemy Project in 2001, Jacobsen has arranged internships each summer for Fletcher students to work and conduct research with Alchemy partner NGOs in project locations in Africa. The information collected has contributed to Jacobsen’s research on livelihoods, as well as provided primary data for student masters’ theses.

On July 2, 2005, Jacobsen spoke with CNN International about The Economic Life of Refugees. When asked to identify the biggest problem in the current international response to refugee crises, she noted, “On the whole, international organizations, lead by UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], are doing a good job of providing immediate protection and meeting basic nutritional, medical and educational needs of the displaced. Nevertheless, I believe the biggest problem is that they are too focused on emergency situations and do not think more creatively about how best to support refugees’ own efforts to maintain and enhance their livelihoods over longer periods of time. This is true for not only for UNHCR and its partner organizations, but for the policies of host states as well.”

Jacobsen hopes her research combined with the ongoing work of the Feinstein International Famine Center and students at Fletcher will all shed more light on the continuing needs and concerns of the displaced after emergency situations have ended and media has attention has dissipated.

Article by Sarah Titus, MALD '05

Posted by jessica at July 15, 2005 11:15 AM