Manifesto on an Inclusive University
In response to the migrant crisis, UNHCR has proposed a "Manifesto on an Inclusive University" to Italian universities to facilitate refugees' access to higher education and promote their social integration and active participation in academic life. The Manifesto on an Inclusive University focuses on the condition of young people with international and temporary protection who intend to continue their studies and research in their country of asylum and stems from the awareness that the cultural, technical and intellectual experiences gained by refugees in various parts of the world can be a great resource for Italy.
Sapienza has formally subscribed to the Manifesto by committing to undertake or expand activities and programmes in favour of refugee students, such as information and tutoring services, recognition of degrees obtained abroad, scholarships and incentives, and university corridors for the legal entry of refugee students residing in third countries.
A Joint Working Group has been set up to act as:
- collector of initiatives concerning refugees and/or those seeking academic protection
- natural mediator with international partners, with particular attention to the CIVIS project partners;
- promoter of strategic actions to increase integration at the European level.
Initiatives:
From 2019 to date, there have been numerous initiatives that can be traced back to and inspired by the principles promoted by the Manifesto. In particular:
- participation in numerous international networks, among which SAR - Scholars At Risk
- participation in European and international cooperation programmes with a strong commitment to refugee integration and social inclusion tout court;
- participation in projects such as INHERE (https://www.uni-med.net/progetti/inhere/); RESCUE (https://www.uni-med.net/progetti/rescue/) and UniDiversity (http://www.unidiversity.eu/), all funded under the Erasmus+ programme;
- TANDEM, implemented by the International Organisation for Migration – Italy (IOM) with the support of the European Commission and aimed at the active involvement of students to foster the creation of a cohesive academic space and to strengthen the socio-cultural integration of international students enrolled in universities -https://web.uniroma1.it/memotef/sites/default/files/allegati_notizie/Age... (in Italian);
- the selection of refugee students as part of the government's 100 borse di studio per Titolari di protezione internazionale, promoted by the Ministry of the Interior, in agreement with the CRUI and in collaboration with the Associazione nazionale degli organismi per il diritto allo studio universitario - https://www.interno.gov.it/it/notizie/100-borse-studio-202223-studenti-p... (in Italian) ;
- the Corso di formazione su Rifugiati e migranti (Training Course on Refugees and Migrants), at the Department of Political Science - https://web.uniroma1.it/disp/disp/didattica/offerta-formativa/corso-di-f... (in Italian);
- the active support to the UNICORE project - University Corridors for Refugees - https://redazione.uniroma1.it/en/pagina/unicore-university-corridors-ref... ;
- the Outreach Call for Proposals which financed two projects in 2022 to support international students, refugees and migrants with a difficult migration background - https://web.uniroma1.it/dip_ecodir/en/dipecodir/research/salass .
Those just described are just some of the initiatives organised by Sapienza in line with the commitments indicated by the Global Compact on Refugees adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at the end of 2018 (which addresses Governments, civil society and also Universities, asking for a contribution to foster support initiatives and integration paths for refugees) and by the Rome Ministerial Communiqué.
More information on the Italian version of this page.