Protecting the Rights of Individuals Fleeing Conflict The Role of Scientists, Engineers, and Health Professionals: Proceedings of a Symposium–in Brief (2018) / Chapter Skim
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Protecting the Rights of Individuals Fleeing Conflict: The Role of Scientists, Engineers, and Health Professionals: Proceedings of a Symposium - in Brief
Protecting the Rights of Individuals Fleeing Conflict: The Role of Scientists, Engineers, and Health Professionals: Proceedings of a Symposium - in Brief
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Participants discussed ongoing efforts to help address difficulties faced by forcibly displaced persons, including scholars forced to flee their homes. Speakers also identified potential areas for further engagement of the academic community in response to these difficulties, highlighting methodological, ethical, and other considerations.
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During the symposium, many forced migration researchers described their efforts to support the development of effective responses to displacement by clarifying the needs of forcibly displaced populations, evaluating the impact of existing policies and programs, and identifying promising responses to displacement-related challenges. Researchers shared their work on a wide range of related topics, including public health in displaced populations, the use of mobile information and communication technology to support education in refugee camps, the impact of domestic political change on economic activities for refugees, and the development of incentive programs aimed at enhancing refugee livelihood opportunities.
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Other mentioned barriers to greater involvement of academics in humanitarian response efforts include inadequate funding, difficulties connecting research with relevant decision makers, lack of professional incentives, and competing obligations. Checchi suggested that new models of academic involvement in humanitarian response efforts should be explored, including creation of an independent standing international consortium, led by academic researchers, scientific bodies, and select, credible non-governmental organizations -- possibly with a scheme of delegation or accreditation by the United Nations -- for the purpose of monitoring information in crisis situations.
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suggested that big data, though often messy, may be able to offer a fairly low-cost way of answering questions related to forced migration -- "If we become creative in how we marshal those data, we can move the field forward." The UN's Global Pulse initiative, which harnesses big data for development and humanitarian action through labs in Uganda, Indonesia, and the United States, has several ongoing projects in this area. According to Director Robert Kirkpatrick, two of Global Pulse's projects involve identifying xenophobic speech targeted at refugees in social media across Europe and training an artificial intelligence algorithm to recognize refugee rescue events in the Mediterranean, using ship location data.
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Nziyonvira, who was forced to flee his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, indicated that an understanding of these needs and a willingness to learn from displaced persons are often missing on the ground. Several speakers emphasized that, when designing tools for displaced individuals that rely on access to technology, developers should be aware of the challenges these individuals face, the resources they possess, and how these vary by context.
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Finally, participants drew attention to the importance of ensuring the safety of displaced individuals when leveraging technological advances and data streams and avoiding actions that would expose these individuals to further risks. In particular, they pointed to dangers posed by inadequate data protection and the use of open digital platforms and "big data" by actors wishing to harm displaced persons.
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more holistic approach to these problems.17 Needs and Opportunities Over the course of the symposium, participants and audience members pointed to various ways in which scientists, engineers, and health professionals can help address the challenges facing displaced persons. They can, for instance, support colleagues fleeing conflict by encouraging institutions of higher education to host displaced scholars and, where possible, provide other forms of needed assistance (e.g., fellowships, travel grants)
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The statements made are those of the rapporteur or individual meeting participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all meeting participants, the Committee on Human Rights, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. REVIEWERS: To ensure that it meets institutional standards for quality and objectivity, this Proceedings of a Symposium -- in Brief was reviewed by Jessica Brandt, Brookings Institution; Daryl Grisgraber, Refugees International; and Muhammad Hamid Zaman, Boston University.
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