Big Question: To what extent do countries have the responsibility (humanitarian and/or legal) to take in and/or aid refugees from the IndoChina refugee crisis during the 1970-80s?
- According to the UN, what responsibility do countries have to help people who are displaced by conflict?
- What problems do displaced people face—in the refugee camps, while they are on the move to seek safety, in the new country, etc.?
- What challenges does a receiving country face when it accepts a large number of refugees (e.g., cultural, economic, etc.)?
Core Readings from Ms. Selzer:
- MUN Instructions. Includes rubric, position paper example, core reading links, starter data on countries.
As you will need to write and present your position as your designated country, resources have been selected which will help you understand your country and their perspective. Should you have questions or problems with any of these, please stop in and see a teacher-librarian. We are always happy to help!
Primary Sources
1. Access the United Nations Digital Library for speeches to find out precisely what your country was thinking,
Primary Sources
1. Access the United Nations Digital Library for speeches to find out precisely what your country was thinking,
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Type the name of your country directly into the search bar below.
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- Once you have searched your country in the digital library, mark parameters on the left side: full text, resource type, Subject: Refugee.
- If you need to limit further, limit by date (choose a year between 1945 - 1989, i.e. 1979).
- Click on “Meeting record”.
- Download your speech! (Please note: Many countries speak at these meetings, so the best way to locate your country is to Ctrl - F (PC) or Command - F (Mac), and then search for your country within the document.)
- If you have problems or cannot download, you can:
* Email the teacher-librarian to download and email or print it for you.
- To better understand how to navigate this resource, please watch the video below:
2. UN Member States on the Record provides access to information about membership and statements of Member States at the UN.
- Once you have found your country, search "On the Record" for country-specific information (see image).
- You can also access United Nations country-specific information, including speeches here.
- For other resources, check out the top bar. You can research UN Resources & Documents which provides more links to more resources.
3. The Wilson Center Digital Archive contains newly declassified historical materials in translation from archives around the world.
- Click "Catalog". Type "refugee" into the search bar.
- Scroll down to "Results" -- you will see a list of Documents. Use the left column to refine results (Hint: Check out Year Slider -- see the image on the right
4. Constitute provides access to country constitutions from around the world.
- After finding your country, consider using Ctrl - F (PC) or Command - F (Mac) to search through the document for key words.
- For example, within the French constitution, my search for "foreigner" brought me to Article 53-1 of France's constitution, telling me the French stance on granting asylum to those who are being persecuted.
5. Specific Country Searches
permanent mission your country", i.e. "UN permanent mission France"
- UN permanent missions share details about a country's involvement in
permanent mission your country", i.e. "UN permanent mission France"
- Site specific search (using "site:" in Google)
- Many of you know how to do this already, but if you need a refresher, check here.
- However, did you know you can also use this method to search for information originating from a specific country?
- The process is similar. Just put "site:" followed by the country code (i.e. France is "fr"), a space, and then the search topic.
- To find academic sources that are credible on Google, you can refine searches with "ac" by plugging in "site:ac.fr" to search sources from French universities, for example.
Secondary Sources
1. Encyclopedias (password required outside of school). Find country background information in World Book Online or Britannica
2. School Databases through the school library website are great resources to find out more about your country:
3. Web Databases
1. Encyclopedias (password required outside of school). Find country background information in World Book Online or Britannica
2. School Databases through the school library website are great resources to find out more about your country:
3. Web Databases
- IMUNA: Country Profiles with links to further sources
- UNHCR's Refugee Population Statistics Database: Search by country of origin or host country -- Use the Refugee Data Finder (see image on right). You can see the distribution and numbers of refugees after you have limited search parameters.
Other Reliable Websites (specific primary and secondary)
- International Justice Research Center: "Asylum & the Rights of Refugees" -- Provides many links to primary and secondary documents about legal protections and rights, including link to the UNHCR 1959 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol
- Library of Congress: "Refugee Law and Policy in Selected Countries" (PDF download, March 2016). Provides refugee information by country. Consider searching by keyword to locate your country (i.e. CTRL - F "Japan").
- Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room
- Consider searching by the key words "Indochinese refugee" (click here for the results). Many historic documents can be found here (American perspective, however).
- Key document: "Indochinese Refugees: The Continuing Exodus"
- Canadian Encyclopedia: "Canadian Response to the 'Boat People' Refugee Crisis"
- Australian government (PDF download): "Indochinese Refugee Resettlement -- Australia's Involvement"
- The International Migration Review: "The Geneva Conferences and the Indochinese Refugee Crisis"
- Japan Association for Refugees: The history of refugee acceptance in Japan (scroll down for this)
- Global Change, Peace & Security: Saving Refugees or Saving Borders: Southeast Asian States and the Indochinese Refugee Crisis
Photo credit: UN flag at the Calgary War Museums / sanjitbakshi / CC BY 2.0