NATIONAL STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE IN KRI-IRAQ ‘HE and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES (CfP)’
On Monday January 21, 2019 the HOPES project funded by the European Union’s Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, the ‘Madad Fund’ and implemented by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the British Council, Campus France and Nuffic, organised its second National Stakeholders Dialogue, entitled ‘Higher Education and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES’ at the Erbil International Hotel in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).
Through the grant scheme of HOPES, several local and regional education institutions across KRI, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey are currently implementing 32 innovative short-term education projects targeting refugees and vulnerable host communities. In KRI, HOPES is funding five institutions to implement projects aiming at easing the access of students to higher education and providing them with capacity building courses and psychosocial support.
This gathering is part of a series of stakeholders dialogues organised on a national level bringing together representatives from these projects ministries, higher education institutions, key institutional stakeholders involved in tertiary education and the Syria crisis to discuss the main issues addressed by these projects, their achievements and challenges as well as to further explore approaches to guarantee their greatest possible impact and sustainability.
The National Stakeholders Dialogues seek to provide a platform for discussion and information exchange, in order to expand the dialogue on higher education and the Syria crisis, to strengthen coordination on a national level and explore new approaches benefitting all stakeholders.
Following the welcome notes by the Head of the EU Office in Erbil, Ms. Clarisse Pasztory, the Iraq British Council Director, Dr. Victoria Lindsay and the deputy director of the HOPES project, Dr. Abdel Nasser Hindawi; the dialogue incorporated a panel session and various presentations from representatives from the Duhok Polytechnic University, Bishkoreen Organization for Development of Women and Children, Bojeen Organisation for Human, MSELECT and Hawler Medical University.
The dialogue allowed to further explore the main issues addressed by the projects under the grant scheme of HOPES (Call for Proposals) and further recommendations and approaches towards helping both refugee and host community students and institutions.
