ASIA: IRIN Digest - February 2015

	humanitarian news and analysis

Table of contents 1. Opening up? Sri Lanka's new government confronts legacy of war 2. Peshawar killings provoke crackdown on Afghans 3. Drones for good? 4. Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it's not you. 5. Game of Drones 6. The World Humanitarian Summit: Talking shop or game changer? 7. India-Pakistan: The new victims of an old border dispute 8. IRIN's Top Picks: Cats, Celebrities, Cold War and Climate Change 9. Will Washington surrender in the War on Drugs? 10. Working to keep the peace: The impact of job schemes on ex-rebels Opening up? Sri Lanka's new government confronts legacy of war COLOMBO, 3 February 2015 (IRIN) - Sri Lanka's new government says it will tackle sensitive issues relating to the civil war that ended in May 2009, including allegations of human rights abuses, missing persons and political prisoners. But it still insists international investigators are not welcome. Read report online Peshawar killings provoke crackdown on Afghans KARACHI, 5 February 2015 (IRIN) - Thousands of Afghans in Pakistan have been arrested or moved from their homes of many years in the wake of December's killing of over 100 schoolchildren in the city of Peshawar. The Afghans, the majority of whom are not registered refugees, have been targeted in a government crackdown announced immediately after the killings. Read report online Drones for good? DUBAI , 9 February 2015 (IRIN) - Most commonly associated with spying and military missions, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - or drones - for humanitarian purposes is the subject of both hype and caution, but experts argue they could play an important role in disaster relief as well as having other useful civilian applications. Read report online Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it's not you. LONDON, 13 February 2015 (IRIN) - In recent years, aid agencies have increasingly used celebrities to raise awareness and money for their causes. There's just one problem: It doesn't actually work. Read report online Game of Drones BELGRADE, 24 February 2015 (IRIN) - In his latest column, recovering aid worker Paul Currion asks whether the debate over the use of drones misses a fundamental point: Does their very nature compromise humanitarian principles? Read report online The World Humanitarian Summit: Talking shop or game changer? LONDON, 25 February 2015 (IRIN) - With just over one year to go until the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, aid workers say the consultations so far have broadly succeeded at engaging an unprecedented spectrum of voices, but many fear the process still lacks any clear framework for turning talk into action. IRIN takes a look at the WHS preparations and some of the key issues emerging from the consultation process. Read report online India-Pakistan: The new victims of an old border dispute SIALKOT, 25 February 2015 (IRIN) - India and Pakistan's decades-old territorial dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir is often portrayed as a dormant conflict. But for the people of the region it is anything but. Read report online IRIN's Top Picks: Cats, Celebrities, Cold War and Climate Change DUBAI, 26 February 2015 (IRIN) - Our global network of specialist correspondents share some of their top picks of recent must-read research, interviews, reports, blogs and in-depth articles to help you keep on top of global crises. Read report online Will Washington surrender in the War on Drugs? NAIROBI, 26 February 2015 (IRIN) - The news this week that Jamaica is decriminalizing marijuana for personal use is the latest step in a global trend towards rethinking drug policy. For decades the international consensus has focused on criminalization and interdiction, but the approach has not only failed to stem drug production and use, it has also had a devastating impact on communities and individual lives. Read report online Working to keep the peace: The impact of job schemes on ex-rebels NAIROBI, 27 February 2015 (IRIN) - Job-creation schemes are the traditional way to tackle the post-conflict problem of unemployed ex-fighters and to reduce the threat they can pose to peace and stability in fragile states. Read report online

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