Refugee & Genocide Populations

For my final project for my Wagner course in "Globalizing Social Activism & The Power of the Media" i thought it would be appropriate to focus in on Refugee & Genocide populations around the world, often inextricably linked, as individuals escaping from Genocides and fleeing from conflict often become refugees. Looking at how media networks, and digital tools online have enabled organizations to give voice to such global issues, and raise public awareness to increase aid efforts, and pressure policy makers to respond.

My family background leads me to have a rather personal attachment to both of these issues of Genocide & Refugee populations. My grandparents fled from Nazi Germany in the early 1930's to escape  after establishing themselves there for generations, and in hopes of survival they sought refuge in Holland for a couple of years closely escaping from Nazi extinction, and eventually made aliyah to Israel where they settled and reestablished a new life for themselves from a completely clean slate. The topic of Genocide because all of my relatives in my extended family with roots in Germany & Poland, were killed in the Holocaust, in the largest historical systematic extermination, that surpassed any fathomable manifestation of human evil and destruction. Furthermore, the Jewish commitment and obligation to "Never Forget" leads me to wonder how Genocides are currently happening around the world in places like Sudan, and Burma. Despite the commitment to "never again" with millions of donation dollars in relief efforts and non-profit initiatives, the world is sitting idol, and the genocides are continuing daily. Global Civil Society after the Holocaust,  learned that silence is the greatest enemy, but not enough is being done to fulfill the promise of NEVER AGAIN, it's happening now. 

The topic of Refugee populations is something i also have a personal connection to, having grown up visiting my family in Israel yearly, and deeply involved in the Middle East Palestinian & Israeli Conflict, the Palestinian Refugee crisis, and my belief in a need for a two-state solution leaves me compelled to research refugee populations further. What is being done to aid all of the Globally displaced communities, whose numbers are only increasing? What are  organizations like the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) doing to alleviate refugee problems worldwide? With nearly 31 million stateless people, and 8 million refugees worldwide according to UNHCR statistics, UN Refugee Agency ensures the basic human rights of vulnerable persons and commits that refugees not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution, attempting Long- term, the help civilians repatriate to their homeland, integrate in countries of asylum or resettle in third countries and start anew. 

This is a lot to dive into, so as i begin blogging and exploring i project the blog will organically develop focusing perhaps on more particular regions/topics.