The IOM – International Organization for Migration and UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union seal their long-lasting and fruitful collaboration through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding.
Rome, 25.05.2023 – Conscious of the need for closer cooperation in matters of common interest, and desirous of further enhancing and strengthening such cooperation, IOM and UNIMED committed themselves to act in close collaboration and hold consultations on all matters of common concern.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at IOM premises in Rome by Laurence Hart, Director of the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean and Kherieh Rassas, the newly elected President of UNIMED.
UNIMED is a network of Higher Education and Research Institutions, active in promoting academic cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region and in Sub- Saharan Africa, in the Middle East and in Western Balkans in order to enhance the scientific, cultural, social, and economic development of the region.
IOM, committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society, acts to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and work towards effective respect of the human rights and well-being of migrants.
The two parties agreed to exchange information and documentation, encourage research studies, and promote consultation on matters of common interest to attain better complementary action and effective coordination.
The MoU identifies a multitude of common areas where to develop tangible, impactful, and sustainable actions, such as accessible and inclusive education, youth empowerment and development, skills mobility and youth employability, capacity building and training, skills mobility, technical cooperation, research and data collection.
Moreover, the MoU aims to promote collaborations in the framework of the UNIMED SubNetwork on Migration and to strengthen synergies with the HGRA project, an Erasmus+ capacity building project aimed to support Libyan universities in the management of the migration crisis.
The representatives of the two parties were visibly honored and enthusiastic about officially signing a partnership agreement which has its grounds on the core values leading the mission of IOM and UNIMED.
For more information:
- unimed@uni-med.net
- IOMMediterraneanPress@iom.int
