The movement of Ukrainian refugees and their pets across Europe’s borders unleashed an unprecedented solidarity with refugee animals, including the temporary lifting of transboundary veterinary requirements. Common responses to forced migration rarely facilitate or consider animals however; from basic shelter design, to refugee camp planning, and the provision of sanitation and food, animals are largely […]

During the negotiations about a future coalition government in Germany, the trio consisting of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals have declared their intention to modernise skilled labour migration to Germany. The aim being twofold, a greater number of skilled workers and better conditions upon arrival. Is this enough? In this blogpost, I suggest that Germany’s […]

The European Union (EU) and its Member States (MS) are heavily reliant on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC) to enforce their migration policies. PMSCs, for example, are involved in the management of offshore detention centres and in the implementation of forced returns. In this blogpost, I show that the absence of legally binding international […]

In mid-December 2021, I joined hundreds of leaders from around the globe for a virtual two-day gathering to assess progress on the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Leaders represented UN member states, non-UN member states, city governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia, sports organizations, and refugee-led organizations. The agenda was largely […]

Migration policies sometimes have visible effects . The optics of border pushbacks and the ‘scene of exclusion’ receive support from anti-immigration political factions and criticism from civil society and the legal community. Conversely, the ‘scene of rescue’ at national borders provoke broad public attention and humanitarian compassion, while inciting outrage among those resistant to migration. […]