The activities of the international conference on refugees entitled "Protracted Displacement - Hopes, Aspirations and Solutions" started today, which was organized remotely through the Zoom app by the Center for Studies of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration at Yarmouk University, and the German Jordanian University through the Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Applied Humanities and Languages and the Education Program The Syrian Jordanian Agency (EDU-Syria), the Academics Program in Solidarity at Free University of Berlin (AiS), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Academic Exchange Agency (DAAD), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and with the support of the German University Project Office at the University Magdeburg-Stendal for Applied Sciences, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the European Union, and it will last for four days.

On the first day, two working sessions were held, the first entitled "Protracted displacement as a regional and international phenomenon" moderated by the German-Jordanian University, with the participation of the University's Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Ralph Roskoff, who explained in his speech that the main objective of the conference is to shed light on the main issues and challenges related to the fate of refugees. It contributes to strengthening the response of host communities to refugees in light of protracted displacement movements, in addition to reviewing the needs that displacement imposes on refugees and host communities alike, and clarifying the role of governments and their institutions in supporting and caring for refugees, with a focus on the role of social work and the activities of civil society institutions in promoting health The psychological and mental health of the refugees, and encouraging them to join the host societies.

He added that the conference will be held in two periods, the first on (19 and 20) of the month of October, and the second on (3 and 17) of next November, through the technology of remote visual communication due to the repercussions of the new Corona virus pandemic, expressing his thanks to the Center Refugees and displaced persons at Yarmouk University has an important and effective role in supporting refugees and implementing projects concerned with empowering refugees and enhancing their capabilities, pointing out that the German Jordanian University and Yarmouk University have implemented many joint projects in this field, the most important of which is the Syrian / Jordanian education project, EDU-Syria, which provided the opportunity Many Syrian refugees can complete their university studies, which reflects positively on improving their scientific and practical capabilities and enabling them to engage in the local and international labor market.

The director of the Refugee, Displaced and Forced Migration Center, Dr. Anas Al-Subuh, spoke during the session, where he reviewed a set of figures related to the reality of asylum and displacement in the world, indicating that at least 80 million people around the world were forced to leave their homelands during the past ten years, in search of About a safe haven, as 26 million refugees have been registered according to the records of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and UNRWA, indicating that the displacement rates in the last ten years have witnessed a remarkable increase, pointing out that millions of people are displaced every year as a result of persecution, violence, conflict and human rights violations. In 2019, an estimated 11 million people were displaced, 2.4 million people sought protection outside their country, and 8.6 million new people were displaced within the borders of their countries.

Al-Sobh said that the war in Syria left 6.6 million displaced people at the end of 2019, explaining that Lebanon hosted (1 in 7) refugees, and Jordan hosted (1 in 15) refugees, while Turkey hosted (1 in 23) refugees. That after a full decade of displacement 2010-2019, 16.2 million asylum seekers were registered, 11% of them by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 3.9 million of them were secured to return to their countries of origin, and 5 million "asylum seekers" were granted international protection, pointing out that 80% of the refugees around the world are in a state of prolonged displacement, and that at least 59% of the refugees live in urban areas in their host countries, a percentage that is increasing annually, and the majority of the displaced live outside the camps established by their host countries.

He pointed out that nearly 36 million of the total 59.5 million displaced people (60%) originated in countries classified in the Fragile States Index as "on alert" and as "high alert", indicating that many of the major crises contributed to mass displacement during The past decade, including the outbreak of the Syrian conflict that continues to this day, the displacement crisis in South Sudan, the arrival of refugees and migrants to Europe by sea, and the massive humanitarian displacement crisis in Yemen.

For his part, Dr. Diaa Abu Tair, head of the EDU-Syria project, explained that the project provides scholarships for Syrian refugees and less fortunate Jordanians to pursue higher education or participate in vocational training programs in Jordanian universities and colleges, as the project began in 2015 and will continue until 2023, adding that EDU -SYRIA is an educational and humanitarian project funded by the European Union, where the project has graduated more than 1000 students so far, praising the efforts made by the organizers of this conference, which sheds light on many issues affecting refugees in the host countries in many aspects, especially in terms of education.

Dr. Floren Kostal of the Academics in Solidarity Program at the Free German University of Berlin spoke about the program, which aims to establish a network of researchers in Germany, Lebanon and Jordan, and to strengthen research and scientific cooperation relations between them, which opens new horizons for researchers and enables them to learn and learn about other cultures and civilizations, The program also provides support to researchers who are refugees, internally displaced and at risk through academic guidance and counseling for them, building a systematic network for them, funding small research endeavors that they undertake, as well as administrative and technical support for them.

 For his part, Muhammad Sayasneh, a Syrian student studying at Yarmouk University, reviewed his experience in facing the challenges and difficulties that he had faced since his arrival as a refugee to Jordan in 2013, pointing out that he was able to obtain a scholarship to complete his university studies in the civil engineering department at Yarmouk University as part of one of the international projects that It is concerned with empowering refugees in the educational aspect, reviewing some of the difficulties encountered, especially in engaging with the local and university community, pointing out that his participation in many courses and workshops enabled him to refine his skills and abilities, making him a qualified and efficient person in the future to enter the labor market.

Dr. Rawan Al-Ibrahim from the Department of Social Work at the German Jordanian University, and Francesca Alansi from the Institute for International Migration Studies at Georgetown University also participated in the opening session, where she talked about the protracted displacement of Palestinians after 72 years and the lessons learned, and Mr. Dominic Barstek, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Nations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who spoke about the dangers of protracted displacement in Jordan and the current situation and challenges of displacement, and during the session Sally Georgiery from UNRWA, who spoke about the protracted displacement protection system - Palestinian refugee protection, and the services provided by UNRWA to Palestinian refugees.

The second session entitled "Protracted Displacement and Higher Education in the Middle East Region", moderated by the Academics in Solidarity AIS Program and the EDU-Syria Project, was attended by the Ambassador of the European Union in Jordan Maria Hadjithiodosio, President of the German Jordanian University Dr. Manar Al-Fayyad, and Dr. Murad Erdogan from The Turkish-German University, Dr. Nahid Ghazoul from Al-Zaytoonah University, Nada Saleh from Giessen University in Germany, and a number of Dafi scholarship students from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.