TORONTO, June 18, 2001 -- Front-line workers, policy makers and researchers in the field of refugee affairs from all parts of the globe gathering at York University this week will unveil a mural on the plight of refugees to commemorate World Refugees Day on June 20. The unveiling will take place on Tuesday, June 19 in the lobby of York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, Keele Campus, at 3:30 p.m.
The group of 70 from about 30 countries are attending the York Centre for Refugee Studies world-renowned summer certificate program on refugee issues. They have constructed their own version of Picasso’s Guernica in a 20-foot-long mural, each contributing a drawing or description of the experiences of a refugee they have known. Participants are refugee professionals working on every continent, including Kalsang Topgyal, a Tibetan human rights activist and lawyer based in Dharamsala, India.
York’s 9th annual summer course on refugee issues continues to be in great demand as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) holds global consultations this year to revitalize the international regime for protecting refugees. UNHCR representative in Canada Judith Kumin says it is becoming more difficult to protect genuine refugees as states are placing restrictions on access to asylum, and the quality of asylum is deteriorating in many parts of the world. The UNHCR is concerned that the universal refugee protection regime set up in the aftermath of the Second World War will become increasingly weak and fragmented.
"States in all regions of the world are preoccupied by growing numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers. They are unsure how to meet the challenges posed by irregular migration and by abuse of asylum procedures. And they are frustrated by the seemingly intractable nature of certain refugee problems," says Kumin.
This year’s CRS summer program, directed by York Professor of Law and CRS member Sharryn Aiken, includes panel discussions, case studies, simulation exercises and lectures from international experts in Canada, India and the United States, such as:
- World Refugee Movements: Root Causes & Consequences of Forced Displacement: Ogenga Otunnu, professor of history, DePaul University, Chicago.
- The Global Crisis of Internal Displacement and the challenges of providing protection to the millions affected: Erin Mooney, deputy director of the Brookings Institution CUNY Project on Internal Displacement.
- Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking: Robert Paiva, International Organization for Migration, New York.
- Statelessness and the UNHCR’s role and activities: Greg Lyndon, legal officer, UNHCR Canada.
- Ethics of Forced Migration: CRS Director Peter Penz, and York Professor of Philosophy Howard Adelman will debate prevalent theoretical perspectives in relation to asylum, refugee assistance and prevention of displacement.
- Comparative Refugee Status Determination and Protection: Judith Kumin, UNHCR representative in Canada; Sam Laredo, Immigration and Refugee Board Canada; Emilia Bardini, director, San Francisco Asylum Office, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service; V. Vijayakumar, professor and chair on Refugee Law, National Law School of India University and CRS visiting scholar; Peter Penz, CRS director (moderator).
- Anthropology and the Trauma of Exile: York Professor of Anthropology David Lumsden presents insights from a medical anthropological perspective on the refugee experience.
The program is now underway at the York Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, Keele Campus, 4700 Keele Street, and ends June 24.
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For more information, please contact:
Peter Penz, Director
Centre for Refugee Studies
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 66662
ppenz@yorku.ca
Colleen Burke
Coordinator, Centre for Refugee Studies
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 30391
cburke@yorku.ca
Susan Bigelow
Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22091
sbigelow@yorku.ca
YU/078/01
