The Social Sciences Research Center at International Burch University and the Swiss Embassy in Sarajevo have signed a Cooperation Agreement for the 2022 Conference on Migrations, formalizing the Embassy's support and undoubtedly strengthening the value of the multi-stakeholder event to be organized at International Burch University on April 5.
This contribution of the Swiss Embassy, as well as Amb. Daniel Hunn personally, demonstrate the Embassy’s vested interest in cooperating with the academic community, supporting empirical research, and contributing to building the capacities of local stakeholders, as well as its dedication to social phenomenon of migrations, both irregular and mixed as well as emigration.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alija Kožljak, the director of the Social Sciences Research Center, signed the grant agreement and noted that this is a major step forward in cooperation between the two institutions, which is further buttressed by the fact that both sides expressed mutual interest and willingness to continue and intensify cooperation.
The Conference on Migrations is the first international, scientific conference on the topic in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will be organized annually. It brings together various stakeholders, including those from academia, government institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to support the streamlining of evidence-based decision-making on this topic.
The Swiss Embassy will support procurement of Conference material, technical support for the hybrid nature of the Conference, and the participation of Amb. Eduard Gnesa as the former Special Envoy for International Cooperation on Migration Issues of Switzerland as a keynote speaker. This will make the Conference much more inclusive and widen its reach.
In addition to the Swiss Embassy, partners include the EU Delegation to BiH, the Foreign Policy Initiative, the ICRC Delegation to BiH, the IOM Mission to BiH, the OSCE Mission to BiH, as well as Face TV, the Peace Building Network, and Radio Antenna. The Conference is co-organized with the Center of Competence in Humanitarian Negotiation.
To participate, either online or in-person, register online by April 4 at midnight.