Welcome to IRIN's reading list. Every week our global network of specialist correspondents share their top picks of recent must-read research, podcasts, reports, blogs and in-depth articles to help you keep on top of global crises. We also highlight key upcoming conferences, book releases and policy debates.
Four to read:
In Iraq, you can’t go home again
The so-called Islamic State’s sweep through Iraq, starting in June 2014, left a huge wave of displacement in its wake. There are currently 3.2 million internally displaced people in the country. But shouldn’t recent gains by the Iraqi government and allied militias mean some IDPs should be able to go home? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, as this eye-opening report from Minority Rights Group International and the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights documents. Conditions are rough for most IDPs, and return is also complicated by sectarian disagreements, tribal and local politics, and the control and rivalry of various militias. It’s been especially hard for Sunnis, who, by nature of their sect, are assumed to sympathise with IS. The return of many is denied by local councils. Others get back only to find their homes destroyed. As Iraqi forces make further gains – on Thursday they recaptured the western town of Hit from IS, and the long-awaited march on Mosul has almost begun – this is an issue that humanitarians and local government will need to tackle head on.
Four years of research went into ODI's latest study on the state of humanitarian aid. Punchy and challenging, it argues that the current set-up is riven with structural problems and unhealthy dynamics. Institutions that dominate now must "let go" and make space for a broader range of players. Just to keep you on your toes, they made a new hashtag as well: #ReMakeAid.
Many of the arguments will be familiar to IRIN readers, but what's interesting is that this line of trenchant analysis now seems less and less controversial. What has to happen next is less clear.
An all-star panel at the launch event said they wanted to see change; fewer appeared to want to be that change. So if you're hoping for a Disney "Frozen" moment at the World Humanitarian Summit, next month, you might yet be disappointed. You can watch the video here.
What if we just gave poor people a basic income for life? That’s what we’re about to test
Turning that old aphorism “teach a man to fish” inside out, it turns out there may well be value in just giving the man (and woman) the fish, instead of making them learn and then assuming there will be a job for them in this age of climate change. Tests show that the poor don’t stop trying when they are given money, and they don’t get drunk. Instead, they make productive use of the funds, feeding their families, sending their children to school, and investing in businesses and their own futures. Even a short-term infusion of capital has been shown to significantly improve long-term living standards, improve psychological wellbeing, and even add one year of life.
So the organisation GiveDirectly is planning to do just that: by providing 6,000 poor Kenyans with a basic income for 10 to 15 years, and then monitoring the impact. It could then turn the aid industry – and government public spending programmes – upside down.
A person’s gender, age, religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality and health or disability shape every stage of the migration experience. This briefing by the BRIDGE team at the Institute of Development Studies provides an insight into who migrates and who doesn’t, their reasons for migrating, experiences of the migration process, and what it’s like for migrants and refugees when, and if, they reach their destinations. The briefing concludes with recommendations to help the development and implementation of gender and age sensitive migration policies.
One to watch:
In this five-minute video, journalist Michael Hobbes explains why we should be less worried about land grabbing and other corporate human rights abuses committed by big name multi-nationals and more concerned about similar practices perpetrated by local companies and the officials they collude with. Hobbes calls these companies “the untouchables” because international human rights groups are powerless to hold them to account. While multinationals have global reputations and brands to consider and can even be sued in a US court for transgressions in Latin America or Africa, local companies are immune to such pressures. He gives the example of Green Fuel, a Zimbabwean ethanol company that has displaced more than 10,000 farmers and polluted local water sources while sparking zero international attention or outrage. Hobbes predicts that the problem will only get worse and calls for a new international architecture and new tools to pressure such companies.
One from IRIN:
Can South Sudan’s peace deal stick?
Close observers of South Sudan’s civil war will be forgiven for treating the latest manoeuvres in the implementation of a fragile peace deal with a healthy dose of suspicion. But on the surface at least, they represent real progress. The deputy rebel chief is already in the capital, Juba, preparing for the arrival on Monday of his boss, Riek Machar, who is poised to be sworn in as first vice president. The conflict erupted in December 2013 when Machar was accused of plotting a coup against President Salva Kiir. So after so much blood has been spilt, can the two men really work together in a joint administration and unite the country to end the war? In this timely analysis, IRIN Contributor Justin Lynch suggests there are serious obstacles on the road ahead. The most contentious issue is the number of states. Kiir divided the country in October into 28 states, up from just 10. How this decision is undone and how the new boundary commission goes about it could be pivotal. Among the other potential pitfalls are: the integration of former rebel fighters into the South Sudanese military; the dire economic situation; and the difficulty the transitional government will face in devising a new constitution just as presidential elections loom. Does Machar’s expected arrival in Juba on Monday herald an end to the war? Probably not. Might it be a major step forward? Let’s hope so.
Coming up:
InterAction Forum 2016
Monday 18 April – Wednesday 20 April: Washington DC
One of the leading global gatherings for the international development and humanitarian aid community will be held next week in Washington DC. Keynote speakers at the InterAction Forum 2016 include renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, USAID Administrator Gayle Smith, UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. Featured panelists on Monday’s opening day are Chris Elias, the president of the Global Development Program at the Billa and Melinda Gates Foundation, Helen Gayle, CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, and Victor Ochen, founder of African Youth Initiative Network. Three days of speeches, panel discussions and workshops and plenty of networking wrap up on Wednesday with a closing plenary on the Opportunities and Costs of Global Migration. Featured panelists include former UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres and top UN aid official, Stephen O’Brien.
For a full rundown on forum and how to follow the different events, see here:
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