Page 147 - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean

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Examples and best practice

RESCUE: REFUGEES EDUCATION SUPPOR T IN MENA COUNTRIES AFEM: ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES CHEFS D'ENTERPRISE DU MAR OC
Theme: Refugee mobility Theme: Women entrepreneurship
Funding: Erasmus+ Programme & partner countries: Morocco
Programme & partner countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and five EU Start: 2000
Timeframe: 2016-2019 More information: https://www.facebook.com/afem.maroc/
More information: https://www.uni-med.net/progetti/rescue/
The AFEM is a pioneer association that aims to gather women business leaders from Morocco. The Association is represented
UNIMED project for refugees to resume their studies through student mobility throughout the Moroccan territory in its national office (Casablanca) and in its seven regional offices (Rabat, Fes, Marrakech,
This regional project makes it easier for refugee students coming from the Syrian conflict and located in Lebanon, Jordan and KRG Tangier, Agadir, El Jadida and Meknes). The AFEM 's missions are:
(Iraq) to access higher education and the job market. It does this by setting up Refugee Student Operational Support Units, small • Promoting women’s entrepreneurship
offices whose mission is to blend specific services supporting the refugee students in resuming their academic training path. The
project partnership includes universities from Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and five European partners. It is coordinated by UNIMED, Italy: • Managing, guiding and supporting women entrepreneurs in their business development and in their competitiveness
• Encouraging the creation of businesses by women in Morocco
UNI(DI)VERSITY: SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY FOR • Promoting the image of the woman entrepreneur in Morocco and abroad
INCL USIVE SOCIETIES IN THE ERA OF MIGRATION • Representing women business leaders at decision-making levels as a unit group in relation to power networks

Theme: Diversity and inclusion for migrants and refugees RAISD: RESHAPING AT TENTION AND INCLUSION STRATEGIES FOR
Funding: Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnerships
Lead: Sapienza University, UNIMED DISTINCTIVELY VULNERABLE PEOPLE AMONG THE FOR CIBLY DISPLACED
Programme & partner countries: Belgium, France, Italy
Timeframe: 2020-2021 Theme: Diversity and inclusion for migrants and refugees
More information: https://www.uni-med.net/en/projects/unidiversity/ Funding: EC, Horizon2020
Lead: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UNIMED
In a context of increased xenophobia, cultural tensions, and toxic narratives on migrants and migration, much remains to be done Programme & partner countries: Belgium, France, Italy
for universities to fully embrace a 360-degree approach to the phenomenon of migration that goes beyond immediate initiatives Timeframe: 2019-2022
and builds inclusive Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and societies, taking responsibility for the important societal challenges More information: https://www.uni-med.net/progetti/raisd/
facing European countries. Such approach includes strategic planning for providing equitable access for migrant and refugee
students and staff, and reconsidering teaching and research activities. Forced displacement crises overcome societies and institutions all over the world. Pushed by the urgencies rather than events,
UNI(di)VERSITY aims to support European HEIs to uphold their role towards building inclusive societies in the era of migration, solutions are frequently reactive, partial, and disregard some groups. This project aims to identify highly Vulnerable Groups (VG)
with a view to promoting the social inclusion of migrants and refugees. For this purpose, the following objectives will be pursued: among these forcibly displaced people, analysing their specific needs, and finding suitable practices to address them. The concept
• Increase knowledge about outstanding and transferable HEI strategies and approaches towards diversity and inclusion in relation of ‘vulnerability context’ considers the interplay between the features of these persons and their hosting communities, their
to migration interactions and experiences, and how different solutions for attention and inclusion affect them. The project works within the
• Inspire commitment and support discussion on the role of HEIs as key actors in promoting inclusion and cultural diversity, and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework that proposes that all actors (including civil society) co-design actions,
addressing related societal challenges transversely integrate the gender perspective, and support sustainability.
• Raise awareness among the European academic community concerning the social responsibility of HEIs on inclusion in relation
to the phenomenon of migration INHERE: HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPOR TING REFUGEES IN EUR OPE
• Empower HEIs in the development of 360-degree institutional strategies that cover the full range of university activities (research,
teaching, administration, "third mission") Theme: Diversity and inclusion for refugees
• Mainstream practices and achievements in a comprehensive framework for action that would support HEIs' strategic planning Funding: Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnerships
in this domain across Europe Lead: UNIMED with UNHCR
Programme & partner countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Spain
MED4JOBS Timeframe: 2016-2018
More information: https://www.uni-med.net/progetti/inhere/
Theme: Inclusive growth
Funding: UfM Associated with increased migration flows, the social dimension of higher education is concerned with providing opportunities for
Programme & partner countries: Euro-Mediterranean refugees to participate in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), including the integration of persons with refugee status,
Start: 2013 asylum seekers and internally displaced persons who might access to relevant mobility schemes. This project aims to respond to
More information: https://ufmsecretariat.org/project/mediterranean-initiative-for-jobs-med4jobs/ the refugee crisis in Europe by strengthening knowledge sharing, peer-support and academic partnership among Higher Education
Institutions on initiatives and resources aimed at facilitating integration and access of refugees in European universities.
The ‘Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs)’ is a cross-sectorial initiative aiming to help increase the employability of Objectives:
youth and women, close the gap between labour demand and supply, and foster a culture of entrepreneurship and private sector • Collect and analyse good practice examples of HE approaches and initiatives on refugees and displaced students
development by promoting and replicating private sector job creation projects in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region.
Whereas growth in the Mediterranean in recent years has not enabled the creation of sufficient jobs, Med4Jobs will contribute • Sensitise HE governance, facilitating communication and institutional support within and outside the university
towards bringing job creation at the centre of socio-economic development debate, notably by shedding light on employment at • Provide relevant orientation and training to the university staff to empower universities so that they are able to take an active
local/national level. stand and further replicate successful approaches and practices
• Mainstream results, achievements and recommendations to HE institutions, HE networks and HE policymakers on the strategies
EUR O-MEDITERRANEAN W OMEN'S FOUND ATION that can be put in place to integrate refugees in higher education, therefore increasing the social dimension of the EHEA
Theme: Network of gender equality actors
Funding: French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Programme & partner countries: Euro-Mediterranean
Start: 2014
More information: https://www.euromedwomen.foundation/
The Euro-Mediterranean Women's Foundation is a trilingual (French, English and Arabic) online network of networks, so that all gender
equality actors in the Euro-Mediterranean region can engage in dialogue and work together. The Foundation establishes links between
knowledge and action. It connects people and projects to make gender equality advance by developing innovative tools to strengthen the
role of women in the Euro-Mediterranean space. United, these players promote dialogue, encourage networking, foster partnerships and
facilitate synergies between gender equality actors involved in improving women’s living conditions.