On the 6-8th March, we hosted the final conference in the PROTECT project at the nhow Brussels Bloom Hotel in Brussels. Consortium researchers, EU policymakers, UNHCR members, and others all made up the 113 registered guests. Here you will find a summary of the program, as well as resources from the conference.
All attendees were invited to study the PROTECT publications and policy briefs before arriving as well as upon arrival. A booklet containing short versions of the policy briefs was produced and shared prior to the conference. This may be found here.
All photos from the conference may be found here.
Day 1
09.00 – 09.15 Opening speech. Gillian Triggs (Assistant High Commissioner of the UN Refugee Agency).
09.15 – 09.45 Keynote – Lost in Migration. Which policies are needed to safeguard the international protection system? Hakan G. Sicakkan (Chair of PROTECT Consortium, University of Bergen).
A written version of Sicakkan’s keynote may be accessed here.
09.45 – 10.30 Keynote – Firefighters and architects: meeting daily challenges whilst renewing the EU’s asylum framework. Natasha Bertaud (Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Vice-President Margaritis Schinas).
11.00 – 12.00 Keynote – Law v. politics: Europe’s role in protection of the global protection system. Cathrine Wollard (Director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles).
13.15 – 14.45 Roundtable – Do citizens support international protection? Moderated by Cornelius Cappelen (University of Bergen), participated by Tobias Heidland (Kiel Institute of World Economy), Pierre Van Wolleghem (University of Bergen), Violeta Wagner (International Centre for Migration Policy Development).
15.30 – 17.00 Roundtable – International protection as a topic in traditional and social media. Moderated by Sara Hanke (University of Stuttgart), participated by Deniz Duru (Lund University), Anamaria Dutceac-Segesten (Lund University), Boris Mance (University of Ljubljana), David Ongenaert (Erasmus Rotterdam University).
Day 2
09.00 – 10.30 Roundtable – How effective is policy? Moderates by Frank Caestecker (University of Ghent), participated by Nick Gill (University of Exeter), Jeroen Jans (Head of Asylum Processes Sector, EUAA), Francesca Longo (University of Catania), Pierre Van Wolleghem (University of Bergen).
11.00 – 12.30 Roundtable – Protection at the border zones. Moderated by Christine M. Jacobsen (University of Bergen), participated by Idil Atak (Toronto Metropolitan University), Alieu Jalloh (Association of PADA Users), Marry-Anne Karlsen (University of Bergen), Luc LeBeouf (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology).
13.30 – 14.30 Keynote – Committing to international protection: expectations of the Global Forum on Refugees. Madeline Garlick (Chief of Protection Policy and Legal Advice Section, UNHCR).
15.15 – 16.45 Roundtable – Civil society as a motor of protection. Moderated by Stefania Panebianco (University of Catania), participated by Brian Dikoff (Migrant Organise), Charlotte Khan (Care4Calais), Jean-Baptiste Metz (A Drop in the Ocean), Simon Usherwood (Open University).
Day 3
09.00 – 09.45 Keynote – Implementing International Protection. Cathryn Costello (University of Oxford/Hertie School of Governance).
Cathryn Costello most unfortunately could not physically attend the conference due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, but kindly provided a recording of her keynote.
09.45 – 11.15 Roundtable – The Global Compacts on the International Protection Regime. Moderated by Idil Atak (Toronto Metropolitan University), participated by Lena Donner (Advisor on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Greens/EFA in the European Parliament), Maja Grundler (Royal Holloway, University of London), Stefan Maier (Head of Policy and Legal Support Unit, UNHCR).
11.30 – 13.00 Roundtable – The Global Compacts and Global Migration Governance. Moderated by Jürgen Bast (University of Giessen), participated by Younous Arbaoui (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Pauline Endres de Oliveira (University of Giessen), Rachid L’Aoufir (Transnational Corridors e.V.).
14.00 – 14.45 Keynote – Protecting the Unprotected: Do the Compacts Provide a Path? T. Alexander Aleinikoff (The New School for Social Research).
15.00 – 16.30 Roundtable – How to make Protection work. Moderated by Francesca Longo (University of Catania), participated by T. Alex Aleinikoff (The New School for Social Research), Sergio Carrera (Centre for European Policy Studies), Maja Grundler (Royal Holloway, University of London), Nicholas Maple (University of London), Hakan G. Sicakkan (University of Bergen.
16.30 – 17.00 Closing remarks. Leiv Marsteintredet (Chair of Comparative Politics Department, University of Bergen), Hakan G. Sicakkan (Scientific Coordinator PROTECT, University of Bergen), Simon Usherwood (Leader of the Organizing Committee PROTECT, Open University).
We thank all participants and attendees for making this conference a success.