On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Vice President for Humanities and Administrative Affairs, Prof. Anis Khasawneh patronized the opening of the workshop organized by the Studies Center of Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration in cooperation with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty. This workshop, which lasted for two days and included 25 participants from Jordanian and Syrian refugees, was entitled: "The Reasons of Migration and the Future of Syria".
During the opening ceremony, Prof. Al-Khasawneh stressed the importance of holding such a workshop, which discusses a range of issues and challenges facing Syrian refugees and tries to help them create a better future and live in dignity in their host countries and when they return to Syria. He stressed that Jordan is aware that refugees are Jordanians' brothers; therefore, the country is not only hosting refugees but also trying to help them overcome the psychological crises they may go through as a result of the conflicts they have witnessed. This is achieved, as he stated, by enabling refugees to get involved in the labor market of the host communities on the one hand and encouraging them to develop their ideas and build their desired future on the other. He then pointed out that Yarmouk, realizing the need to further highlight refugees' needs, established its center of refugees, which aims at inviting the supporting institutions to hold the many programs that contribute to refugees’ empowerment, preparation, and capacity-building in the various fields of life. In addition, Al-Khasawneh praised the efforts of the (Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies Center) at the university and its keenness to cooperate with international organizations and institutions for the sake of empowering refugees and studying their needs.
In his turn, Dr. Anas Al-Subuh, the Director of the Center, explained that the workshop discusses several main axes concerned with abandonment and refugees. Naming a few among many, he mentioned the causes of migration in the Middle East, the challenges faced by refugees and migrants, political freedom and its association with migration, the impact of society and its association with migration, the link between economic freedom and migration movements, the challenges facing Syrian refugees, and the future of Syria and its reconstruction. He explained that the workshop, through the dialogue with the youth participating in it, also highlights the challenges that prevent refugees from returning to their country after the end of conflicts and the difficulties faced by refugees regarding their engagement with the host communities. He then extended his thanks to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for its support to holding such a workshop that positively reflects on the participants, the Jordanian and Syrian refugees.
In return, Yara Batayneh from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty thanked Yarmouk University represented by the Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies Center for its continuing cooperation with the Foundation and for its keenness to offering training programs and workshops for refugees in Jordan. She explained that such a strategy enables refugees to engage with the host community and become productive members, which enriches their abilities to reconstruct and develop their home country after the end of the conflicts.
However, Dr. Abdulbaset Athamna of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Yarmouk University participated in the first discussion panel of the workshop. He explained the concept of migration, its types, and the difference between voluntary and forced migration, indicating that the reasons of migration, in general, are either economic, where individuals leave their countries to others to improve their living situation, or political, where individuals are forced to leave their countries to others due to regime pressures and/or military conflicts. He pointed to some of the policies adopted by certain Arab governments, which resulted in the migration of many refugees.
Similarly, Dr. Khair Thiabat of the Department of Political Sciences at the University presented a paper in which he explained the most important political factors that contribute to the migration of peoples. He stated that the most significant factors that cause people to migrate are the lack of human security, the lack of political rights like the right to vote, the lack of the freedom of expression, and the absence of democracy.
Noteworthy that the workshop was attended by several officials from the University's Studies Center of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration as well as the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty.