The “highlights” of 2017 are mostly lowlights. The year began with the inauguration of a racist US president who pledged to build a border wall to keep out Mexican “killers and rapists”, ban Muslims from entering America and tear up the liberal international order in favour of an America First strategy of nationalism, protectionism and xenophobia. While many of Trump’s actions have been symbolic, his clampdown on refugees and immigrants is very real. 2017 was …
Continue readingBrexit: Sufficient progress, Irish fudge, much still to do
“Sufficient progress” has been made on the terms of the UK’s orderly withdrawal from the EU to move on to discussing the framework of their future relationship next year. That is the European Commission’s recommendation to EU leaders who meet at the European Council on 14-15 December. Barring unforeseen hitches, that means negotiations can soon move on to discussing the post-Brexit transition period that the UK has requested and the …
Continue reading‘Step Up’ quoted in InfoMigrants
Our findings are quoted at length (in French) here.
Continue reading‘Refugees Work’ quoted in Open Democracy
First, they should make greater efforts to achieve CRRF’s Goal 2, “Building refugees’ self-reliance.” The Open Political Economy Network, in collaboration with the Tent Foundation, has laid out a number of ways to accomplish this in a new report, Refugees Work. They call for creating efficient, fair asylum systems to process applications, allowing asylum seekers with substantial claims to work immediately, and investing in language and skills training. Key to establishing these …
Continue readingThere’s nothing more patriotic than wanting your country to be better
By Jack Graham Reactionary nationalists like to portray themselves as the only true patriots, but wanting the best for your country ought to mean embracing openness and progress Nasty nationalism is back in force in Western politics. Since the Brexit vote, government ministers have attacked Remainers – those who wish Britain to remain in the European Union (EU) – and sceptical journalists for being unpatriotic. In the US, Donald Trump …
Continue readingHow to help refugees get into work fast
What kind of support do refugees really need to get jobs? Philippe Legrain outlines his new 22-country study for the Tent Foundation and OPEN on what works best to help refugees find employment quickly, thus bringing dividends to local economies. Read the full piece for Refugees Deeply here Photo: AFP PHOTO/STEFFI LOOS
Continue readingCan Brexit Britain really become a global trader?
By Guy de Jonquières There is no need to leave the EU to trade more with the rest of the world; Germany exports five times more to China than Britain does. Indeed, far from creating an open, free-trading Global Britain, Brexit is likely to close the UK off more Brexit enthusiasts love to talk up the wealth of economic opportunities they claim Britain will have once it leaves the EU. …
Continue readingLeaked UK immigration proposals could wreck hopes of a Brexit deal
It’s been a bad week for those of us who believe in open societies. Donald Trump cancelled an Obama-era programme that shields from deportation undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children. And leaked UK immigration proposals set out harsh terms for EU citizens after Brexit that threaten to scupper the already deadlocked Brexit negotiations. It is morally wrong to threaten to deport young people who basically know only the US, have done nothing wrong and should not be held responsible …
Continue readingStep Up: How to get refugees into work quickly
OPEN’s new report, published with the Tent Foundation, sets out how best to get refugees and asylum seekers into work quickly, with a focus on entry-level jobs. Governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and businesses provide many different schemes to help refugees get jobs, often without knowing how effective they are. However, there is plenty that they can learn from what works well elsewhere. From research, analysis and evidence from 22 advanced …
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