NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by a grant to the National Academy of Sciences by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization that provided support for the project.
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Suggested citation: National Research Council (2002). Demographic Assessment Techniques in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Summary of a Workshop. Holly Reed, Rapporteur, Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration, Committee on Population. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council
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The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
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ROUNDTABLE ON THE DEMOGRAPHY OF FORCED MIGRATION
CHARLES B. KEELY (Chair),
Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
LINDA BARTLETT,
Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
RICHARD BLACK,
Center for Development and Environment, University of Sussex
STEPHEN CASTLES,
Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford
WILLIAM GARVELINK,
Bureau of Humanitarian Response, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, DC
ANDRE GRIEKSPOOR,
Emergency and Humanitarian Action Department, World Health Organization, Geneva
JOHN HAMMOCK,
Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts University
BELA HOVY,
Program Coordination Section, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva
JENNIFER LEANING,
School of Public Health, Harvard University
DOMINIQUE LEGROS,
Epicentre, Médecins Sans Frontières, Paris
NANCY LINDBORG,
Mercy Corps, Washington, DC
PAULA REED LYNCH,
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC
CAROLYN MAKINSON,
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York
SUSAN F. MARTIN,
Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
W. COURTLAND ROBINSON,
Center for Refugee and Disaster Studies, Johns Hopkins University
SHARON STANTON RUSSELL,
Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
WILLIAM SELTZER,
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Fordham University
PAUL SPIEGEL,
International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
RONALD WALDMAN,
Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
ANTHONY ZWI,
Health Policy Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
HOLLY REED, Program Officer
COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
JANE MENKEN (Chair),
Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder
ELLEN BRENNAN-GALVIN,
Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Washington, DC
JANET CURRIE,
Department of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
JOHN N. HOBCRAFT,
Population Investigation Committee, London School of Economics
F. THOMAS JUSTER,
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
CHARLES B. KEELY,
Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
DAVID I. KERTZER,
Department of Anthropology, Brown University
DAVID A. LAM,
Population Studies Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
CYNTHIA LLOYD,
The Population Council, New York
W. HENRY MOSLEY,
Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
ALBERTO PALLONI,
Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
JAMES W. VAUPEL,
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
KENNETH W. WACHTER,
Department of Demography, University of California, Berkeley
LINDA J. WAITE,
Population Research Center, University of Chicago
BARNEY COHEN, Director
Preface
The Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration was established by the Committee on Population of the National Research Council in 1999. The roundtable is composed of experts from academia, government, philanthropy, and international organizations. The roundtable’s purpose is to serve as an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan focal point for taking stock of what is known about demographic patterns in refugee situations, to apply this knowledge base to assist both policy makers and relief workers, and to stimulate new directions for innovation and scientific inquiry in this growing field of study. Charles B. Keely of Georgetown University serves as chair of the roundtable, and we thank him for his leadership and guidance of the group’s activities.
The roundtable meets yearly and has also organized a series of workshops (held concurrently with roundtable meetings) on some of the specific aspects of the demography of refugee and refugee-like situations, including mortality patterns, demographic assessment techniques, and research ethics in complex humanitarian emergencies. For more information about the roundtable and its activities, please contact Holly Reed, program officer for the Committee on Population (202-334-3167; hreed@nas.edu).
This report to the Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration is a summary of one such workshop, which was held on September 20-21, 2000, under the aupices of the Committee on Population. The purpose of this meeting was to address a basic problem faced by all humanitarian
relief agencies in an emergency: how to count the numbers of displaced persons and assess their general well-being. Workshop participants examined different methods for estimating refugee populations and their mortality rates, whether mortality was due to disease and malnutrition or human rights abuses (i.e., genocide). Humanitarian relief organizations and human rights groups have developed various techniques for assessing the demographic dynamics of conflict and post-conflict situations. The workshop explored the applicability of various methods in different types of emergency settings, how to improve existing methodologies and develop new ones, and the difficulties encountered by personnel in the field, including security, logistics, and access to a population.
This project was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. We thank Carolyn Makinson, population program officer at the Mellon Foundation, for her support and enthusiasm for the roundtable’s work.
Holly Reed authored the report. Elizabeth Wallace handled the arrangements for the workshop and Ana-Maria Ignat managed the manuscript during editing and review. This work was carried out under the general direction of Barney Cohen. We also thank Christine McShane, of the reports office of the Division of Behavioral, Social Sciences, and Education, for editing the report. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are solely those of the individual workshop participants and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organization that provided support for the project, nor of the National Research Council (NRC).
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Barbara Anderson, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan; Joanne Katz, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health; Nancy Mock, School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University; and Herbert Spirer, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by David Kertzer, Department of Anthropology, Brown University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author and the institution.
Jane Menken, Chair
Committee on Population