Debatmøde: Migrationspolitik efter det Arabiske Forår

TIME: Thursday, 27 September, 13.30 – 15.30

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

Since the outbreak of popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, the Arab Spring has been connected to political concerns over its impact on human migration and refugee flows.

TIME: Thursday, 27 September, 13.30 – 15.30

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

Since the outbreak of popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, the Arab Spring has been connected to political concerns over its impact on human migration and refugee flows.

Contrary to the widespread fears among European policy makers however, the Arab Spring has hardly resulted in waves of migrants and refugees towards Europe. Yet the political events have had a significant impact on migrants and refugees in both North Africa and the Middle East and beyond.

Violence, particularly in Libya and Syria, has created refugee flows fleeing to neighbouring countries, many already affected by political turmoil. Conditions for both migrant workers and irregular migrants in the region have generally worsened, prompting many to return home.

The impact of returnees coming back to countries like Chad, Niger and Mali is now being felt, both economically and politically.

The response from Europe has been mixed – on the one hand transition to democracy has received political and military support, on the other hand the regime changes halted a number of high-profile cooperation agreements to ensure effective migration control and readmission, leaving both the EU and individual Member States scrambling for new deals to keep irregular migrants and refugees from reaching Europe.

This public roundtable discussion brings together leading policy experts and academics from Africa, Europe and the United States to discuss how we should respond to the migration and refugee challenges brought about by the Arab Spring.

The roundtable discussion is focusing on policy responses not just in the region but also globally. Furthermore, it forms part of the international conference, “Border and Mobility Dynamics: Reconfiguring Borders and Mobility in Times of Crisis”, organized jointly by DIIS, the Institute of Anthropology and the Institute for African Studies, both at the University of Copenhagen.

Speakers:

Alan Bersin, Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, Bersin served as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, overseeing the 57,000 employees and $11 billion budget of the United States’ border agency.

Jean-Pierre Cassarino, Professor, the European University Institute and Director of the Return Migration and Development Platform. Cassarino also holds an associated research position at the Tunis-based Institut de Recherche sur le Maghreb Contemporain.

Thomas Thomsen, Chief Advisor and Team Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to joining the Danish International Development Agency at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomsen has held a number of senior positions in the International Department of the Danish Refugee Council.

George Bob-Milliar, University of Ghana and Visiting Researcher, DIIS. Bob-Milliar holds a PhD in African Studies and has written on both African democratization and migration.

Martin Lemberg-Pedersen, PhD Candidate and part-time Lecturer, University of Copenhagen. Lemberg-Petersen recently completed a PhD on migration management cooperation between Europe and North Africa.

Anne Sofie Westh Olsen, PhD Candidate, DIIS. Westh Olsen’s research focuses on circular migration and its impact on North and West Africa.

Chair: Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, Senior Researcher, DIIS.

The roundtable discussion will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Read more about the roundtable discussion and use our online registration form on the website no later than Wednesday, 26 September at 12.00 noon.

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.