WELCOME to our second quarterly newsletter of 2018, keeping you up-to-date on our migration activities, events, and publications at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. |
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NEWS FROM OUR NETWORKS |
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Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) The Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) is the interdisciplinary research platform of Maastricht University that brings together scholars working in the fields of migration, mobility, citizenship, development and family life. Prof. Luana Russo and Prof. Maarten Vink, Co-director MACIMIDE are part of an international consortium that has been awarded a European Commission Action Grant to work on the project “Fostering Awarness, Inclusion and Recognition of EU mobile citizens’ Political Rights” (FAIREU). Furthermore, MACIMIDE is currently hosting junior visiting research fellow Lilian Frost who will present her work at the upcoming Migration Seminar "Unequal Citizens: State Resistance to Women’s Nationality Law Reform" hosted by MACIMIDE in collaboration with UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance on 25 April 2018. |
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Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility The Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) is an expertise centre at the convergence of research, counselling, knowledge exchange, and training activities in the domain of cross-border mobility and cooperation. Complementary to the research centre MACIMIDE, ITEM conducts interdisciplinary research within the scope of cross-border euregional mobility and cooperation issues, focusing on practical solutions for these issues. Members of the Migration Group are regularly involved in ITEM projects. Currently, PhD fellow Julia Reinold is contributing to a study on mapping services for newcomers commissioned by the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. In addition, she is co-organising a student think tank that will bring together German and Dutch students to exchange their views on living in a border region and how to increase the cross-border mobility of young people in the context of the Nachbar Nacht organised by the Municipality of Heerlen on 9 May 2018. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Prof . Dr. Arjen Leerkes joins UNU-MERIT Prof. Dr. Arjen Leerkes joined the Migration Group at UNU-MERIT as a professorial fellow. There has been a selective securitisation of migration since the 1990s, and it is against this backdrop that Prof. Leerkes studies how states impact patterns of international migration in (un)intended ways, and at what human costs. That interest has led to various publications on the effectiveness and legitimacy of different aspects of immigration regimes (migration policing, immigration detention, deportation and assisted return, admission policies for family reunification, asylum recognition rates). His second main research interest is to better understand how receiving societies influence patterns of immigrant crime and immigrants’ trust in the police. Prof. Leerkes obtained a PhD in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Amsterdam in 2007 for his dissertation “Illegal Residence and Public Safety in the Netherlands”. He is also an Associate Professor of Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a research fellow of the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. |
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Erasmus + HESTIA Project: video and blog post now available While classrooms in Europe are becoming more diverse, teachers are rarely given the specific knowledge and skills that will help them create the best educational outcomes for all. Such skills would include teaching their native language as a foreign language, helping students deal with trauma, and methods to promote intercultural understanding. These gaps will have to be addressed to achieve SDG4, inclusive and quality education for all. The Erasmus+ HESTIA (Helping Students in Acceptance) Project, a partnership of UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance with five schools across Europe, aims at sharing best practices for human rights education and the inclusion of migrant students in classrooms, combined with big ambitions for making wider changes for teacher training in Europe. Within the framework of this collaboration, the Migration Group in January 2018 hosted a five-day capacity training workshop for schoolteachers across Europe. A short video documentary and a blog entry summarising the workshop are now available on our website. |
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NEW PROJECTS |
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EuropeAid Framework Contract: "Services for the Implementation of External Aid" UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance are members of a consortium led by ECORYS that has been awarded with a European Commission multiple framework contract on “services for the implementation of external aid”, Lot 3 “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace”. The framework contract covers seven main themes including human rights, governance, civil society, local authorities and decentralisation, crisis management, migration, and security. The framework contract will be concluded for a total duration of four years (an initial contract of two years, renewable for a further two years). During the implementation period of the framework contract, for each request for services, several framework contractors within the relevant lot will be invited to submit an offer. |
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GIZ Project: Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Indian, Nepalese, and Ukrainian Diasporas in Germany UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance were recently commissioned by the German Development Cooperation Office (GIZ) to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse the Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Indian, Nepalese, and Ukrainian diasporas in Germany. These projects recognise that diasporas, being heterogeneous and complex, consist of various groups with different interests, agendas, and degrees of organisation. The projects aim to provide a comprehensive overview of Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Indian, Nepalese, and Ukrainian migrant organisations and associations based in Germany. Moreover, the characteristics and activities of these initiatives as well as their development potential will be analysed. The study, conducted by Charlotte Mueller, Katharina Koch, and Lika Sanikidze, informs GIZ’s Migration for Development Programme (PME), which focuses on promoting the capacity of migrants in Germany to engage in knowledge transfer to their origin countries. |
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ICMPD Project: AKT - Migrant smuggling and document fraud at air borders UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance have been commissioned by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) to qualitatively and quantitatively study document fraud and migrant smuggling by air (AKT Project). This study analyses the main features, developments and modus operandi of migrant smuggling at airports, in addition to the topic’s interconnections to document fraud and related poly-criminal activities. Following a case-study approach, the focus of the research will be on India, Nigeria, and Morocco as source countries and Europe as a destination. In addition, the research project entails a systematic review of existing laws and regulations concerning migrant smuggling and human trafficking by air at the country level and at the international level. The study is conducted by a research team including Vittorio Bruni, Clara Alberola, Sarah Langley and Prof. Melissa Siegel. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Mobility Partnership Conference in Baku In May 2018, Prof. Melissa Siegel and Sarah Langley will attend the Mobility Partnership (MP) Conference organised in Baku, Azerbaijan, within the framework of the project “Support to the Implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan” (MOBILAZE). The conference aims to fulfil the multilateral and regional dimensions of the MP objectives in Azerbaijan by taking stock of the MP implementation in Azerbaijan, benefit from the experience of other MPs, exchange effective tools on MP monitoring, support further MP initiatives, strengthen expert exchange and assess the impact of the MP in Azerbaijan. The one-and-a-half-day conference will gather representatives of Azerbaijani governmental institutions, the European Union, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and other international organisations (i.e. IOM, UNHCR), as well as representatives of state institutions from selected Mobility Partnership countries. |
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Migration Seminars In conjunction with the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE), the Migration and Development research group at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance organises a series of migration-related seminars to provide a platform to discuss the research output of researchers at the School and to invite external speakers to share their work. In April, we look forward to one or more seminars each week. On 11 April 2018, architect Anna Weber (RWTH Aachen University) will present "Ice Cream Parlors, Tea Parlours and Shishabars Migrant initiated architectural types and their relation to the City in Germany." On 12 April 2018, Khalid Koser will share his latest work on forced migration. On 18 April 2018, we welcome Maastricht University's Honorary Professor and Co-Director of POP, Klaus F. Zimmermann. Finally, on 25 April visiting scholar Lillian Frost will present "Unequal Citizens: State Resistance to Women’s Nationality Law Reform." To join our mailing list and receive invitations to future seminars, or to express interest in delivering a seminar, please email Veronika Fajth. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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Protecting the Human Rights of Migrants in the Context of Return On 6 March 2018, Dr. Katie Kuschminder was invited to attend a one-day expert meeting organised by the United Nations Office of Human Rights (OHCHR) aimed at exploring the human rights of migrants in the context of return. The meeting brought together representatives from across the United Nations organisations, civil society, and academia. The goals of the meeting were to: (1) discuss challenges and human rights protection gaps posed by current State return practices; (2) generate recommendations and next steps to address these challenges and gaps in protection; and (3) identify areas of focus for OHCHR’s continued work on migration and human rights. Speaking on the sustainability of returns, Kuschminder’s intervention discussed the need for separating the process of reintegration from remigration and effective strategies for post-return monitoring and evaluation. |
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Debate Café: The Future of Syria and the Syrian Refugees On 19 March 2018, PhD fellows Ayla Bonfiglio and Nora Ragab participated in a Debate Café at the Dominicanen Bookshop in Maastricht about “The Future of Syria and the Syrian Refugees”. A Debate Café covers important recent developments in science and society and strives to be a meeting place for experts, researchers and students. Drawing upon their research, Bonfiglio and Ragab discussed issues related to refugee return versus non-return, the various roles and responsibilities of countries of asylum and resettlement, as well as the roles and contributions of the diaspora within/to conflict and peace building. The event was organised by Universalis, the Unicef Student Team Maastricht and Studium Generale. |
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Inaugural Lecture: Franziska Gassmann On 23 March 2018, Prof. Dr. Franziska Gassmann successfully delivered her inaugural lecture “Inclusive virtuous circles: why governments need to invest in social protection (and why it's in their own best interests)”. Prof. Gassmann was appointed Professor in Social Protection and Development at Maastricht University in July 2017. She leads the research theme on Social Protection, Inclusive Innovation and Development at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance and is also a key member of the Migration Group. Her research covers social protection policies and the measurement of poverty and vulnerability, using primarily empirical methods on the basis of large household surveys. Her projects are financed by the NWO and international organisations (UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, WFP). She has more than 20 years of experience as consultant and adviser to international organisations, such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, OECD, ILO, UNDP and national governments. The online version of Prof. Gassmann’s inaugural lecture will be made available soon. |
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OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum The OECD’s Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum took place in Paris on 27 and 28 March 2018. PhD Fellow Ortrun Merkle was invited as a Youth ResearchEdge Competition Winner to present a poster and a research pitch on a paper co-authored with Julia Reinold and Prof. Melissa Siegel on corruption, gender and migration. The paper investigates how migrants’ experiences of corruption are gendered on route to Europe. This research contributes to the existing literature by furthering the knowledge on gendered experiences during migration and advancing the small body of literature on gendered forms of corruption. The research was met with a lot of interest and lively debate. The full paper can be found here. |
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TRAINING PROGRAMMES |
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Migration Management Diploma Programme: Welcome to the new cohort Five years ago, the Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP) accepted its first cohort of students. On 3 April 2018, we welcomed our sixth cohort of students to Maastricht. Students follow three months of intensive training on different aspects of migration policymaking. The MMDP trains practitioners and civil servants working in the field of migration and/or asylum and is sponsored by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. The programme aims to build capacity of those working in the field of migration but is also available to those who would like to upgrade their knowledge in the field. More information about our programme can be found in the latest brochure. |
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Online Courses For those who are interested but do not have the time to take a full-time course in migration studies, UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance offer a number of specially designed online courses to suit the needs of busy professionals. We currently offer three courses that can be started at any time: 1) Introduction to Migration Studies; 2) Migration and Remittance Effects; and 3) Comparative Migration Policy. Keep an eye on our website for the launch of a new online course in 2017 on Internal Migration by Prof. Ronald Skeldon and on Forced Migration later in the year. Watch introduction videos for the course on our YouTube channel (internal migration/ forced migration). For further information, please contact Katrin Marchand. |
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NEW PUBLICATIONS Fransen, S., & Bilgili, Ö. (2018). Who reintegrates? The constituents of reintegration of displaced populations. Population, Space and Place. First published on 27 February 2018. More information OECD (2018), The Resilience of Students with an Immigrant Background: Factors that Shape Well-being, OECD Publishing, Paris (co-author Özge Bilgili). More information Merkle, Ortrun, Julia Reinold & Melissa Siegel, 2018, Corruption, Gender and Migration, 2018 Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum, More information Merkle, Ortrun, Mar 27, 2018, Corruption, Gender and Migration: what are we missing?, OECD Global Anti-corrruption & Integrity Forum: Youth ResearchEdge Competition Winner - Research Pitch and Poster Presentation, More information Volante, Louis, Don A. Klinger & Özge Bilgili, 2018, Immigrant Student Achievement and Education Policy: Cross-Cultural Approaches, Springer International Publishing, USA, XVII, 214, More information Cebotari, Victor, 2018, Transnational migration, gender and educational development of children in Tajikistan, Global Networks, More information Cebotari, Victor, Melissa Siegel & Valentina Mazzucato, 2018, Migration and child health in Moldova and Georgia, Comparative Migration Studies, 6, More information Bruni, Vittorio & Ortrun Merkle, 2018, Gendered effects of corruption on the Central Mediterranean route, ECDPM GREAT Insights Magazine, 7, More information Koser, Khalid & Amy E. Cunningham, 2017, Migration, violent extremism and social exclusion, IOM World Migration Report 2018, Geneva: IOM, pp.209-24, More information Koser, Khalid , 2017, Migration and security: exploding the myths, in: G.Hugo, M.Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, E.P.Kraly (eds), Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration, Springer, London, pp.235-50, More information Koser, Khalid & Katherine Kuschminder, 2017, Assisted voluntary return and reintegration of migrants: A comparative approach, in: Marie McAuliffe, Khalid Koser (Eds), A Long Way to Go: Irregular Migration Patterns, Processes, Drivers and Decision-making, ANU, Canberra, Australia, pp.256-276, More information McAuliffe, Marie & Khalid Koser (eds.), 2017, A Long Way to Go: Irregular Migration Patterns, Processes, Drivers and Decision-making, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Ghana Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Niger Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Nigeria Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Gambia Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Mauritania Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Chad Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Mali Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Central African Republic Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Sierra Leone Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Côte D'Ivoire Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Burkina Faso Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Senegal Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Guinea Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information Bruni, Vittorio, Katharina Koch, Melissa Siegel & Zachary Strain, 2017, Study on Migration Routes in West and Central Africa, Commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Uganda Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Sudan Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, South Sudan Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Somalia Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Kenya Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Ethiopia Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Eritrea Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information UNU-MERIT, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, 2017, Djibouti Migration Profile, Annex to the Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information Marchand, Katrin, Julia Reinold & Raphael Dias e Silva, 2017, Study on Migration Routes in the East and Horn of Africa, Study commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, More information |
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Photo Credits: I. Hooijen, A. Leerkes, H. Pijpers, S. Brodin, K. Kuschminder, [15] Flickr: Albertogp123 |
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