University Refugee Forum 2023
12 Dec 2023 | Geneva
Academic Integration: restoration and recovery perspectives
With the University Refugee Forum, the project Uni4Refugees wants to highlight the challenges that refugees face regarding the rebuilding of national institutions and structures in their countries, and discuss sustainable solutions.
Indeed, in countries like Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine, scholars and students recently faced the destruction of many state institutions, including higher education institutions. The forum will explore the role of academic structures in refugee integration as education acts as a powerful catalyst for change, opening doors to new opportunities and enabling individuals to unlock their full potential. Resilience and recovering play an important part of refugee integration and we will tackle these thematics while also taking into account the reshaping of local communities.
Linked-event to the Global Refugee Forum, organized by the UNHCR, which will take place on December 13th-15th 2023 at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland.
Date: 12 December 2023, from 4 to 7:30 pm
Venue: Les Salons, rue Jean-F. Bartholoni 6, 1204 Genève, Room Le Théâtre
This event will also be available online on Zoom.
Registration closed.
Program
16:00 Welcome
- Stefanie Gonzalez, Integration Delegate ad-interim, University of Geneva (UNIGE)
16:10 Introduction
- Stéphane Berthet, Vice-rector, University of Geneva
- Souhail Belhadj Klaz, CCDP Research Associate, Visiting Professor, Graduate Institute Geneva
- Anja Klug, Head of Office, Switzerland and Liechtenstein UNHCR
16:40 Key-note: Switzerland's commitment to higher education
- Regula Mader, Vice-Director, Head of Immigration and Integration, State Secretariat of Migrations
- Abdelaziz Mohammad Obaid, Horizon académique program alumni
17:00 Key-note: Politics, exile and training
- Dr Sihem Badi, Former Minister of Women's affairs in Tunisia
- Dr Wahid Majrooh, Former Health Minister in Afghanistan
17:30 Break
17:45 InZone's podcast hearing session: how our students see their future (Focus on Azraq's refugee camp in Jordan)
Introduction to InZone projects and refugee camps COS
Interviews
- Moderated by Karl Blanchet, Director of the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies and Thierry Agagliate, InZone Executive Director
18:30 Academic Integration: Researchers and teachers' point of views on recovery and re-building
- Dr Iryna Sotnyk, Researcher at UNIGE (Earth and Environmental Sciences Department)
- Dr Serkan Seker, Postdoctoral Researcher at UNIGE (Political Science and International Relations Department)
- Prof. Thomas Rohner, Professor Emeritus Holzbau & BIM, Founder of the CAS Rebuild Ukraine, Berner Fachochschule
19:15 Conclusion in plenary and final words from Stefanie Gonzalez
19:30 Cocktail