Academic Forum on the Promotion of Refugee Law

30 October – 17 November 2023
 

Live sessions of the Forum will be held from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Rome time (CET). A useful time zone Converter can be found on this link. 

The Course will be delivered in English.

Registration Form
Programme

Description

The world is facing unprecedented numbers of forcibly displaced persons. The number of forcibly displaced persons around the world according to UNHCR has crossed the 100 million mark in 2022. To address this, all of society needs to be called into service to contribute to providing forcibly displaced persons access to durable solutions and ensuring the effective protection of their rights. A vital role in that context is that of universities and other academic institutions.

The Academic Forum on the Promotion of Refugee Law convenes an international audience of academics who teach refugee law and manage various academic initiatives, such as legal clinics, moot court competitions, research programs, summer schools and others. It aims to support the strategic proliferation of such initiatives and to amplify the role of academia in refugee protection.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn and exchange best practices with their peers and work with other academics from all over the world in practical panel-based discussions.

This event is part of the pledges made by the Department at the Global Refugee Forum to support the capacities of governments, academic institutions, civil society and international organizations in the promotion of international refugee law and the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees.

Important Notice: The Forum does not focus on the content of International Refugee Law itself, but on the best methods and means used to disseminate and promote its principles and content through academic and capacity building initiatives. Therefore, individuals interested in learning more on refugee protection are advised to consult the Department’s Calendar of Activities [link].

Objectives

The overall goal of the Forum is to galvanize the community of academic teachers, trainers and researchers in pursuing projects that benefit refugees and facilitates the cooperation and sharing of best practices.
 
The main objectives of the Forum are to empower trainers and academics to:
  • Raise awareness on and advocate for the sustainable and coordinated proliferation of academic and capacity building initiatives on international refugee law at universities and training centers around the world;
  • Enhance and develop sound and up-to-date training programmes, in methodology and structure;
  • Promote the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees through advocating for their integration in the design of teaching and advocacy initiatives on refugee protection;
  • Foster the exchange of best practices and experiences among participants, practitioners and learning experts;
  • Identify areas of cooperation between institutions represented at the Forum.

Application deadline, Scholarships opportunities and Official Certificate 

Candidates are invited to register to the Forum by 25 September 2023.
 
At the end of the Forum, an official Certificate of Academic Ambassadorship of International Refugee Law will be awarded to those who attend the Forum in full.

Target audience

The Forum is developed primarily to benefit the following profiles of participants:
  • University professors and other academic staff involved in
    – teaching refugee law or other related areas of law;
    – managing legal clinics at the undergraduate or postgraduate level;
    – organizing moot court competitions;
    – conducting research on refugee related issues.
  • University administrative staff involved in:
    – Managing refugee scholarship programs;
    – Creation and accreditation of curricula.
Participants are expected to have previous knowledge of international refugee law and other related bodies of law. Based on the experience the participants bring, the Forum will create an environment of exchanging best practices to identify concrete ways to teach and promote international refugee law. 

Structure and Methodology  

The Forum focuses on advocacy and creating the maximum impact off the expertise of the participants.

The Forum is structured as a three-week virtual event, with three weekly sessions, each in the duration of 120 minutes. It aims at facilitating the creation of professional connections and therefore contributions from the selected participants will be integrated into each of the individual sessions in the agenda.

At the end of the Forum, participants will be invited to submit initiatives for which there is a need and that would produce impact in their own context. The Sanremo Institute will facilitate access to best practices for similar initiatives done in other countries.

Adminstrative information

Participation quota amounts to € 750. It must be remitted before the start of the Course by bank transfer. Visa and/or Mastercard are also accepted on the website of the Institute.
 
Queries on the Course registration and administrative questions should be directed to: admission.unit@iihl.org.