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292. Resettlement of Ecologically Displaced Persons Solution of a Problem or Creation of a New?
- Author:
- Tom Trier and Medea Turashvili
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- A much overlooked issue of social, political and humanitarian concern in Georgia has been the resettlement of so-called ecological migrants, or eco-migrants, i.e., persons who have been displaced due to natural disasters in their native villages. Resettlement and internal migration is not a new phenomenon in Georgia. Already in the 19th century, Georgians were relocated to populate sparsely inhabited border regions. Later with the Soviet collectivization of the 1930s-1950s, thousands of mountainous people were resettled, forcibly or voluntarily, to lowland parts of the country. In addition, regions that had been emptied of their indigenous populations during Stalin’s mass deportations of the 1940s were then repopulated with Georgians from other regions. In the 1950s and 1960s in particular, much of the population of the mountain regions of Ajara was resettled into other regions, in order to regulate the demographic balance and avoid over-population in the mountains. Since the early 1980s, the process of migration from mountainous regions has been further exacerbated by climate changes, which have had quite a significant impact on the livelihoods of the mountainous populations. Hence, over the past quarter of a century, tens of thousands of people have become homeless as a result of flooding, landslides, and/or avalanches. Various governments have responded to natural disasters in these mountainous regions of Georgia, beginning with the Soviet authorities of the 1980s, to the nationalist regime of Gamsakhurdia, over the leadership of Shevardnadze, and finally to the current Saakashvili government. Each has pursued a different approach. While in the early and mid 1980s, the process of resettlement was quite wellorganised, the late 1980s saw a serious increase in the number of natural disasters in Georgia’s mountain regions, coinciding with the breakdown of Soviet structures and the ensuing corruption. With the coming to power of a nationalist government under the leadership of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, resettlement policies were largely guided by a nationalist agenda designed to repopulate the minorityinhabited and border regions of Georgia with ethnic Georgians. Ecologically displaced persons soon found themselves as tools to advance such policies. During Shevardnadze however, this issue was literally ignored. After the “Rose Revolution” in 2003, the Saakashvili government took steps to address the problems of eco-migrants, although by all appearances consistent policy for addressing such issues is still out of sight.
- Topic:
- Migration, Minorities, Ethnicity, Displacement, Resettlement, and Humanitarian Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Georgia
293. The Economic Dimension of Minority Participation in Europe
- Author:
- Jonathan Wheatley
- Publication Date:
- 02-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- The issue of equal economic opportunities for members of national and ethnic minorities in Europe is important not only for economic prosperity, but also for the future peace and security of the European continent. Unequal access to employment, education, health and housing has, over the past fifty years, undermined political and economic stability in regions as diverse as the Balkans, Northern Ireland, South Tyrol and Cyprus. However, while European academics, think tanks and policy-makers have focused on social and economic exclusion on the one hand, and minority rights on the other, few attempts have been made to link the two.
- Topic:
- Security, Economics, Minorities, and Participation
- Political Geography:
- Europe
294. Coming to Terms with Forced Migration: Post-Displacement Restitution of Citizenship Rights in Turkey
- Author:
- A. Tamer Aker, Ayşe Betül Çelik, Deniz Yükseker, Dilek Kurban, and Turgay Inalan
- Publication Date:
- 08-2007
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- The large number of civil wars in the world in which ethnic groups are involved has given rise to a growing body of literature about how to rebuild nations so that they do not lapse back into violence. Among these is the well-researched new book by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (“TESEV”), Coming to Terms with Forced Migration: Post-Displacement Restitution of Citizenship Rights in Turkey. Its five co-authors, Dilek Kurban (TESEV), Deniz Yükseker (Koç University), Ayşe Betül Çelik (Sabancı University), Turgay Ünalan (Hacettepe University) and A. Tamer Aker (Kocaeli University) dig deeply into the causes of conflict and displacement in Turkey, seeking to go beyond official versions and to unearth what really occurred in their country and how best to move forward to resolve the political, economic and social divisions. Each of the authors brings a different discipline to the book, together examining displacement from a broad perspective, encompassing the sociological, political, psychological, demographic and legal. Reinforcing their two years of academic research is rigorous field work in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Batman, Istanbul and Hakkâri where they interview municipal leaders, civil society and the people who were forcibly displaced. Among their major findings is one especially important for the government and the international community to register: that internal displacement in Turkey is not just a security problem confined to a limited number of hamlets in the southeast but a widespread and large-scale phenomenon with impact on “the whole nation.” After all, some one million men, women and children were forcibly uprooted from rural areas in the east and southeast of the country as a result of the armed struggle from 1984 to 1999 between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan - “PKK”) and the Turkish military. Large numbers fled to urban areas all over the country where they have long experienced poverty, poor housing, joblessness, loss of land and property, limited access to physical and mental health care services, and limited educational opportunities for their children. Acknowledging the plight of the displaced in both rural and urban areas and developing effective policies and programs to help them reintegrate is therefore critical not only for the lives of the displaced but also for the coherence and stability of the country as a whole.
- Topic:
- Human Rights, Migration, Minorities, Democracy, Citizenship, and Displacement
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Mediterranean
295. Roms on Integration: Analyses and Recommendations
- Author:
- European Centre for Minority Issues
- Publication Date:
- 01-2006
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- The data gathered through this research point out certain problems with the state of health of the Romani population in the Republic of Macedonia. A conclusion is that these problems require special attention as well as great seriousness and precision in approach in order to fully defi ne and elaborate the health-related problems Roms face. Nevertheless even the data resulting from our research sounds an alarm for undertaking concrete steps towards the improvement of the health condition of the Romani population. With regard to vaccination, it would be desirable to organize visiting-nurse service teams which would take care of the children that have been brought back from Western countries and would make sure that they are vaccinated and registered while also taking care of those who have not yet been registered. The services responsible for sending invitations to vaccination should also perform their tasks more responsibly, as a large number of families have stated that for whatever reason they do not receive such invitations. Frequently, health workers verbally pass information about coming vaccinations to the mothers. As a result, it often happens that the mothers forget the date of vaccination. It is a fact that a large number of Romani mothers have a relatively low level of education and are not familiar with the purpose of the vaccines. It is therefore necessary to find a way for them to be familiarized with the purpose as well as the timing of vaccinations.
- Topic:
- Health, Minorities, Ethnicity, Discrimination, and Integration
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Macedonia
296. The Lisbon Strategy and Ethnic Minorities: Rights and Economic Growth.
- Author:
- Tove H. Malloy
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- The fact that member states’ approach to social inclusion is weak, whether rightsbased or growth-motivated is perhaps not surprising. Ethnic minorities are often considered second-class citizens, especially if they do not hold legal citizenship. Indeed, in some member states ethnic minorities are denied citizenship. But even in those member states where members of ethnic minorities do obtain citizenship, second-class status is often the norm. This is, of course, a reason why the rights-based approach is important. But it continues to be based on the assumption that social exclusion of ethnic minorities is but an economic burden to society, as if eliminating social exclusion would balance the books and jump-start the economy. It does not take into account that social exclusion is a drawback to economic growth because it is seen as a static phenomenon rather than an investment opportunity. EU policy makers would gain by recognizing that ethnic minorities constitute an untapped asset to society, a dynamic force that is amenable, adjustable, and willing. There is no reason to believe that members of ethnic minorities have less energy than the rest of us. To tap into this energy, the rights-based approach alone will not do. It must go hand in hand with investment policies towards economic growth. If EU policy makers were to see ethnic minorities as a vital investment component in the quest for economic growth, perhaps the recovery of the Lisbon Strategy might speed up.
- Topic:
- Minorities, European Union, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Political Geography:
- Europe
297. The Aspect of Culture in Promoting Social Inclusion in the European Union: Is the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) Working for Ethnic Minorities?
- Author:
- Tove H. Malloy
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- In the context of making the European economic area competitive while reaching certain social and economic goals, the 2000 European Council at Lisbon initiated an ambitious implementation scheme on its Social Agenda introducing the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) as an instrument to streamline and optimize Community and Member States’ policies. The OMC method is a ‘soft governance’ approach aimed at generating real political commitment and different types of norms, procedural as well as substantive, through a highly institutionalized process of information sharing, deliberation, monitoring and learning.1 The method was first introduced in the area of employment and has been followed by an OMC on Social Inclusion (OMC/Incl.). Other focus areas are social protection/pensions and health care. The OMC on employment has recently undergone a first evaluation, and the Commission is preparing to subject the OMC/Incl. to its first evaluation.2 No OMC focuses specifically on minority inclusion but the OMC/Incl. has developed into one of the key areas of European Union (EU) policy implementation that addresses the socioeconomic exclusion of members of ethnic and Roma/Sinti minorities.
- Topic:
- Economics, Regional Cooperation, Minorities, European Union, and Social Services
- Political Geography:
- Europe
298. Discussions and Recommendations on the Future of the Halki Seminary
- Author:
- Elçin Açar and Behice Özlem Gökakın
- Publication Date:
- 12-2005
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
- Abstract:
- Turkey has long discussed the “issue” of the Greek Patriarchate and the Halki Seminary. Such issues arise more frequently with globalization and Turkey’s EU candidacy. Recommendations on how to solve these issues have very often taken place in the media. Our approach is that in principle, this matter ought not to be recognized as a problem in democratic countries. We emphasize that non-Muslims have the right to educate/ train clergymen in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne, which established the constituent agreement for Turkey, and also multilateral agreements/treaties signed thereafter which set out concepts such as minority rights, human rights, freedoms and democracies. We aim to provide recommendations based on some of the arguments in favor of a solution.
- Topic:
- Human Rights, Religion, Minorities, Democracy, Freedom, and Armenians
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Middle East, and Mediterranean
299. Aspirations and Reality: British Muslims and the Labour Market
- Publication Date:
- 07-2004
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Open Society Foundations
- Abstract:
- British Muslims face severe obstacles in the United Kingdom's labor market and have a disproportionately high rate of unemployment, according to this report from OSI's EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP). Aspirations and Reality: British Muslims and the Labour Market calls for more effort to meet the employment aspirations and needs of Muslims in the UK, especially Muslim women and young Muslims. "Government, the private sector, and Muslims themselves must ensure that British Muslims are not left out of the workforce," said the report's author, Zamila Bunglawala, who co-authored the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit report on Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market. British Muslims seeking employment face multiple obstacles, ranging from gaps in mainstream labor market policy and employer practices, poor service delivery and a lack of faith-friendly work environments. The extent to which Muslims face religious discrimination in the labor market is unknown; the report stressed that further analysis is needed to improve the understanding of the British Muslim group as a whole. Muslim youths are at particular risk of social exclusion. With Muslims set to comprise almost a quarter of the growth in the working age population in Britain between 1999 and 2009, integrating British Muslims into the mainstream labor market must now be a priority for the government, the report concludes.
- Topic:
- Islam, Religion, Labor Issues, Minorities, and European Union
- Political Geography:
- United Kingdom
300. Violence in Kosovo and the Way Ahead
- Author:
- Harald Schenker
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
- Abstract:
- The events of 17-19 March 2004 have shocked both the international community and local institutions: protests against the alleged killing of three ethnic Albanian children escalated into violent clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs, and clashes with the international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, UN Police and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). The past four years seemed to be characterised by relatively positive developments in Kosovo. However, the recent troubles that left over 28 civilians and 1 KFOR soldier dead and hundreds wounded, 3,600 Serbs displaced, 30 Serbian churches and 200 Serbian houses destroyed, show that current policies on the international and local sides will have to be examined and revised and that, generally, much remains to be done in Kosovo for sustainable peace and genuine development. The fact that Kosovo Albanian leaders were as surprised by the events as the international community seems to indicate that the origins of the event are to be found below the political level and beyond the control of the political parties. In spite of their public appeals to stop the violence, the leadership failed to fully acknowledge responsibility and to deal with events appropriately, without relating the violence to issues of independence and transfer of competences. The events also indicate that the optimistic analysis of Kosovo’s current situation needs revisiting. Consequently, security policy and relations between the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and Kosovo’s Provisional Institutions of SelfGovernment (PISG) have to be reconsidered. It is too early to tell what exactly will be the consequences of events on UNMIK and PISG policies and activities, especially regarding the standards implementation plan and, more generally, the future of the province. A careful review of the political and security situation and of the roles of the parties involved should be encouraged.
- Topic:
- Minorities, Ethnicity, Conflict, Violence, and Diversity
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Kosovo