TWO-DAY NATIONAL STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE IN TURKEY ‘HE and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES (CfP)’
On Tuesday and Wednesday 20 and 21 February 2019, the HOPES project funded by the European Union and implemented by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the British Council, Campus France and Nuffic, organised a two-day National Stakeholder Dialogue, entitled ‘Higher Education and the Syria Crisis: Innovative Projects under the grant scheme of HOPES’ at Metropolitan Hotels Ankara, Turkey.
Through HOPES, several local and regional education institutions across KRI, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are currently implementing 32 innovative short-term education projects targeting refugees and vulnerable host communities. In Turkey alone, HOPES is funding 13 projects to ease the access of students to higher education and provide them with capacity building courses and support.
This gathering is part of a series of stakeholder 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 Stakeholder Dialogues provide a platform for discussion and information exchange on higher education and the Syria crisis, to strengthen national coordination and explore new approaches benefitting all stakeholders.
In his welcoming notes, Mr. Steven De Vriendt representing the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis and the EU delegation to Turkey highlighted the high value of the small-scale projects implemented by local organisations in filling the gaps in the higher education field. Dr. Carsten Walbiner, HOPES project director assured that the partnership with Turkish Institutions allows to address problems on local level and to focus on the specific needs of beneficiaries.
The dialogue incorporated various presentations from representatives of Bursa provincial Directorate of Education, İstanbul University, Yasar University, İnsani Gelişme Vakfı (Human Development Foundation), WATAN Foundation, Yuva Association, Abdullah Gül University, Nişantaşı University, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Istanbul Aydin University, Türkiye Mülteci Konseyi (TMK) as well as İltica ve Göç Araştırmaları Merkezi (Research Centre on Asylum and Migration).
The two-day dialogue allowed to further explore the main issues addressed by the projects under the grant scheme of HOPES (Call for Proposals) and to develop and discuss recommendations and approaches towards helping both refugee and host community students and institutions.
