Participants in the Fifth International Conference " Refugees in Jordan: A Vision for the Future", which was organized over two days by Yarmouk University in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, discussed a number of themes related to issues of asylum, displacement and forced migration. The main session of the conference, organized by Yarmouk’s Center for Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies and the ALECSO Chair for Asylum, Displacement and Forced Migration, and chaired by the former Minister of Culture and Youth, Dr. Muhammad Abu Rumman, tackled a number of topics, such as “the psychological and social effects of asylum,” “politics and media”, “the legal dimension and the rights of refugees”, “the environment and technology: shaping the future”, “the mental health and therapeutic methods”, and “the economic empowerment of refugees”.
In this session, the former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment, Dr. Jawad Al-Anani, presented a paper titled "Jordan’s Owned Rights in exchange for hosting Palestinian Refugees", the former Minister of Education, Dr. Ibrahim Badran presented a paper entitled "Human Dignity and Asylum", and the former director of the Center of the Refugee Studies Center at the University of Oxford, UK, Dr. Don Chatty, presented a paper titled " Displaced Syrians and the Global Compact on Refugees: Reflections on the gap in understanding forced migration between researchers and practitioners."
The Director General of the Arab Council for Social Sciences, Dr. Stanay Shami, presented a paper titled “Refugee Studies as an Academic Field: Long Term View", the former Director General of the Palestinian Affairs Department, Eng. Yassin Abu Awwad, presented a paper titled "the Palestinian Refugees: Future Prospects", and the Mayor of Greater Irbid Municipality, Dr. Nabil Al-Kofahi, presented a paper titled "the Role of Irbid Municipality in Integrating Refugees." Also, the session included a discussion of "Orange Knowledge Program in Jordan and Future Opportunities" presented by the Regional Director of the OKP Program, Dr. Reem AlKhader, while the representative of the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Jordan, Ms. Lara Nassar, presented a paper titled "Challenges and Success Factors for Capacity Development and Upskilling of Syrian Refugees in Jordan", and the Director General of the International Medical Aid Society, Dr. Yarub Al-Ajlouni, presented a paper on "Scenarios Addressing the Future of Syrian Refugees in Jordan". Noteworthy is that the activities of the first day included two working sessions: the first discussed the theme "Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities", and the second session discussed the theme "Human Dignity: Empowering Women and Children".
The activities of the second day of the conference included six working sessions, two of which were chaired by the former Minister of State for Information Affairs, H.E. Sameeh Al ma’itah, and the former Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Mansour. During the sessions of the second day, a number of scientific papers were delivered before the audience. Dr. Muthanna Shehab and Prof. Fadel Hussein from the Iraqi University of Diyala presented a paper titled “Immigration and Diaspora from an Islamic and Legal Perspective, Causes and Solutions”, Dr. Hijazi Da’ajna and Dr. Hassan Qaddoumi from the Palestinian University of Hebron presented a paper titled "Spatial Analysis of the Water Pollution Problem in Al-Fawar Camp - Hebron", Dr. Faten Muhaidat and Aseel Al-Sarhan from the Hashemite University presented a paper titled "The Effect of a Group Counseling Program on Reducing Depression and Improving Self-esteem among a Sample of Syrian Refugee Women in Mafraq”, Dr. Riad Yasen and Dr. Mahmoud Jad-allah from Yarmouk University presented a paper titled "the Return Challenges of Syrian Refugees to their Home Country".
The conference also included several training workshops offered for students and the local community. These workshops dealt with a number of topics, such as the national and international framework for refugee protection, the role of the Ministry of Education in teaching Syrian students, and the electronic knowledge platform for reproductive health for young people.
On the sidelines of the conference, a competition for documentaries, drama, and awareness films was held, and it was judged by a group of Jordanian artists and academics from various Jordanian universities and the Royal Film Commission. The competition resulted in declaring the win of Ahmed Gharaibeh for the movie “With Blood We Water Hope” in the first place, Muawiya Al-Omari for the movie “Bella” in the second place, and Muhammad Al-Azab for the movie “This Is My Story” in the third place.
It is noteworthy that this conference was sponsored by His Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, and it was opened by the former Minister of Social Development, Hala Bseiso Lattouf.
