News

New Migration Course for University College Maastricht

As Maastricht University enters Period 4 of the 2015/2016 Academic Year, University College Maastricht (UCM) is offering a new course on migration led by the Migration Studies Group at UNU-MERIT, including Melissa Siegel, Özge Bilgili, Michaella Vanore and myself, Katie Kuschminder as the Course Coo...
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Innovation Policy Workshop: DEIP Panama 2016

Our latest workshop on the ‘Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies’ (DEIP) was co-hosted in January 2016 by UNU-MERIT, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Panama’s National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT). This four-day course gathered a...
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Maastricht Team Coordinating UNU Migration Network

As of January 2016, coordination responsibilities for the UNU Migration Network were handed over from UNU-GCM in Spain to UNU-MERIT in the Netherlands. Dr. Melissa Siegel of UNU-MERIT is now the day-to-day coordinator of the Migration Network, assisted by Ms. Elaine McGregor, also of UNU-MERIT. Dr. ...
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New Walkshop for Educational Performance

How can we encourage more people to lead active lives, not only in general but also in an educational setting? We know that obesity and health problems are linked to a lack of exercise and we see a clear relationship between leading an active life and better health in general. Both feature a great d...
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Mygration Story: 100 Years From Ireland

It's nearly 100 years since the ‘Easter Rising’ in Dublin, an armed struggle that would lead to Irish independence after centuries of British rule. For the Irish side of my family, this was not an abstract moment in history. It changed all of our lives and all of our destinies; it meant new homes, n...
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Sustainable Development in Africa: Partnerships for Growth

“The 2030 Agenda forms the new global development framework anchored around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a total of 169 targets covering economic, social development, and environmental protection… In particular, Africa can take advantage of this universality of the 2030 Agenda ...
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‘Rubicon’ Grant for Migration Researcher

Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Katie Kuschminder has won a ‘Rubicon’ grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Kuschminder will now spend two years at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, close to Florence in Italy. Research K...
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Professor Ramani Voted Among #100 Women Achievers of India

Prof. Shyama V. Ramani of UNU-MERIT has been voted one of the #100 Women Achievers of India in the category of ‘Hygiene and Sanitation’, as part of a contest organised by the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development in partnership with Facebook. The result was made public on 1 Janu...
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Why working professionals are the most motivated students

January 2016 marks a new round for our programme on ‘Evidence-based Policy Research Methods’ (EPRM) – specially developed for working professionals. For people who want to improve their understanding of research methods, but don’t have the time to spend months away; for people with duties at home or...
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‘First Impressions’ Press Review: December 2015

How does foreign direct investment shape high-tech industries in developing countries like Pakistan? What are the pros and cons of diaspora engagement in fragile countries of origin such as Iraq? How does parental absence impact the educational performance of children in West Africa? Just three of t...
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Revenge & Radicalism: A Zero-sum Game?

After the Paris massacre, is the warmongering of certain European leaders justified? Is it right to seek revenge or will this fan the flames of radicalism? The reality is that many young Muslims have already turned their backs on Western values and are now actively terrorising that lifestyle —...
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UNU Statement for International Migrants Day

In honour of International Migrants Day on 18 December, the UNU Migration Network has released the following very compelling statement highlighting some of the most important migration concerns that must be addressed by future policies. The events of 2015 have brought unprecedented media and politic...
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Professor Shortlisted for ‘100 Women of India Award’

Prof. Shyama V. Ramani of UNU-MERIT has been working to make a small Indian village called Kameshwaram, devastated by the 2004 Tsunami, as clean as any in the world – and to document the process so that it can be replicated elsewhere. She is still grappling with the core problems of sanitation, wast...
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A Roadmapp for the UNU Jargon Buster

‘No human being is illegal‘ headlined a recent article in the Guardian, stressing how “the phrase ‘illegal immigrants’ is neither ‘accurate nor neutral’.” Heard time and again in the US presidential campaign, it’s yet another example of a dubious...
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Corruption & Migration: The Missing Link

Corruption occurs in rich and poor countries alike — and is therefore a global concern. Yet evidence shows that it affects poor people disproportionately and helps turn fragile states into failed states. Ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day, marked every 9 December, I want to highlight t...
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Putting a Human Face on Climate Change

This article is part of UNU’s COP21 series featuring commentary related to the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), 30 November–11 December 2015 in Paris. ••• Millions of people worldwide are at risk for displacement resu...
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The links between civil conflict & education in Colombia

Civil wars disrupt many aspects of life and development, including the education of the next generation. Yet until now there has been very little research into the subject. We spoke with Dr. Silvia Consuelo Gómez Soler after her record-breaking defence on this topical issue — which is relevant...
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Post-sanctions Iran: Innovation & the Next Generation

With sanctions set to be lifted, and Iran slowly opening up to the international community, we travelled to Tehran for a workshop on the ‘Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies’ (DEIP), from 18-22 October 2015. We spoke to three lecturers about their research and training experiences in the Is...
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Universal Children’s Day: Leave No Child Behind

“The one thing all children have in common is their rights. Every child has the right to survive and thrive, to be educated, to be free from violence and abuse, to participate and to be heard.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Universal Children’s Day, 20 November. Alan Kurdi w...
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World Toilet Day: How Can Firms Make a Difference?

A third of all humanity — around 2.4 billion people — have no access to adequate sanitation. Worldwide a billion people still defecate in the open. Poor sanitation increases the risk of disease and malnutrition, especially for women and children. Meanwhile, women and girls risk rape and ...
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