NATIONAL STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE IN LEBANON ‘HE and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES (CfP)’
On Tuesday 12 February 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 third National Stakeholder Dialogue in Lebanon, entitled ‘Higher Education and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES’ in collaboration with Issam Fares Institute for Public Policies and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Through HOPES, several local and regional education institutions across KRI, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are currently implementing 32 innovative short-term projects targeting refugees and vulnerable host communities. In Lebanon, HOPES is funding 4 projects to ease the access of students to higher education and provide them with capacity building courses and support.
This gathering was part of a series of stakeholder dialogues organised on a national level bringing together representatives from these projects, ministries, higher education institutions and other 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 which guarantee their greatest possible impact and sustainability.
The National Stakeholder Dialogues provide a platform for discussion and information exchange on higher education and the Syria crisis with the aim to strengthen national coordination and explore new approaches benefitting all stakeholders.
The dialogue in Beirut included welcome notes by Dr. Tarek Mitri, Director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policies and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut (AUB); Mr. Jose Luis Vinuesa, Head of the Economy and Local Development Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon; Dr. Ahmad Jammal, Director General for Higher Education as well as Dr. Carsten Walbiner, HOPES project director.
The gathering incorporated various presentations from representatives of Ettijahat-Independent Culture, the Centre for Lebanese Studies at the Lebanese American University (LAU), the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policies and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
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.
