INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE LAW AND MIGRATION LAW

Initiatives in Sanremo

The Initiatives in Sanremo bring together policy makers, practitioners, and experts in a neutral and collaborative setting to address pressing international and regional protection challenges. Hosted at the Institute’s Villa Ormond headquarters, these initiatives include high level dialogues, thematic forums, tailored workshops, and training activities designed to connect theory with practice. Through expert facilitation, constructive exchange, and participatory methods, participants engage with complex protection issues, share experiences and best practices, and work towards practical, context specific strategies and solutions. Participants further benefit from continued learning through access to the Institute’s Online Learning Platform and its Online Resource Library, which includes key legal instruments and background materials. Upon completion, participants receive an official certificate from the Institute.

Tailored Workshop on Protection Within Mixed Movements (RDPP-NA)
In 2025 Sanremo hosted two Arabic language editions of the Tailored Workshop on Protection Within Mixed Movements, delivered in April. Developed with UNHCR under the Regional Development and Protection Programme for North Africa, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Interior, the workshops brought together government representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia to strengthen responses to mixed movements in the region.

 

Workshop on International Protection and Solutions for Syria
In September, the Institute delivered the first Workshop on International Protection and Solutions for Syria in Arabic, in collaboration with the UNHCR Middle East and North Africa Regional Bureau and with support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The workshop engaged officials from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria on protection standards and durable solutions. A second edition followed in November.

 

Marketplace on Forced Displacement Research
Also in September, the Institute partnered with the World Bank UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement to host the first in person Marketplace on Forced Displacement Research. The initiative connected researchers with policymakers and practitioners to strengthen the use of data and evidence in forced displacement policy.

 

 

Annual Cross Regional Forum on Implementing Law and Policy on Internal Displacement
In October, the Institute hosted the third Annual Cross Regional Forum on Internal Displacement, organized with UNHCR, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, and the Internal Displacement Protection Expert Group. The forum focused on aligning national and local responses for the protection of IDPs.

 

Tailored Workshop on Protection Within Mixed Movements
The year concluded with a final Tailored Workshop on Protection Within Mixed Movements in November, supported by the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Interior under the RDPP NA. The workshop strengthened regional cooperation among government representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Nigeria.

 

 

Upcoming Initiatives

 

In addition to the above regular initiatives, in 2026 the Institute is hosting the Refugee Law and Policy Forum. This high-level event is specifically designed for government officials from countries undergoing a transition towards state-led asylum systems, providing a space to discuss legal and policy frameworks, share experiences, and reflect on practical challenges related to the establishment and strengthening of national asylum systems.

 

If you wish to learn more about our upcoming initiatives in Sanremo, please send us an email to refugee.department@iihl.org

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