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ECRE Annual General Conference 2017

NB! Registration is now closed due to oversubscription. If you are an ECRE member or from UNHCR please contact Omar Al Tarsheh at oaltarsheh@ecre.org.

Annual General Conference of the European Council on Refugee and Exiles (ECRE) together with the UNHCR-NGO Consultations takes place on 16-18 October 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia (Hotel Euroopa, Paadi 5). The AGC is organized by the Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) and ECRE.

For further questions about the AGC, please contact ECRE executive assistant Omar Al Tarsheh at oaltarsheh@ecre.org. If you wish to cancel or alter your registration, please contact ERC event coordinator Polina Polyakoff at polina@pagulasabi.ee.

NB! Please note that there is no participation fee this year. Accommodation during the conference is provided by ERC/ECRE to up to one participant from each organization. Travel support is provided to participants who face serious financial restrictions and who would otherwise be unable to participate. Please indicate such needs in the registration form.

Agenda for download: PDF. Workshop agendas and materials can be found from ECRE website.

Day 1: Monday, 16 October

9h00 to 10h00

Registration

10h00 to 11h15

Refugee rights in Europe: Is the crisis over?

  • Raivo Küüt, Deputy Secretary General for Public Order and Migration Policy, Estonian Ministry of the Interior
  • Pascale Moreau, Director for Europe Bureau, UNHCR
  • Catherine Woollard, Secretary General, ECRE

Moderator: Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and Chair of the Board of ECRE

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

11h15 to 11h30

Coffee break

11h30 to 13h00

UNHCR Europe NGO Consultation (part I): Promoting the Inclusion of Beneficiaries of International Protection in Europe

5 regional workshops co-chaired by a representative of UNHCR Regional Representation and by a representative of ECRE membership.

The consultations will focus on the key gaps and priorities identi ed in each region; participants will discuss thematic priorities linked to refugee inclusion, review on-going advocacy and litigation activities, and identify joint CSO/UNHCR activities for 2018- 2019 where feasible.

Reports will be circulated afterwards covering civil society recommendations for UNHCR and suggestions for cooperation between UNHCR and civil society in the regions.

Regions: Western Europe (in room Lääne-Euroopa), Central Europe (in room Ida-Euroopa A), Northern Europe (in room Tallinn), Southern Europe (in room Lõuna-Euroopa) and South-Eastern Europe (in room Ida-Euroopa B).

13h00 to 14h00

Lunch

14h00 to 15h30

UNHCR Europe NGO Consultation (part II): Promoting the Inclusion of Beneficiaries of International Protection in Europe

Regional workshops continue.

15h30 to 16h00

Coffee break

16h00 to 17h30

UNHCR Europe NGO Consultation (part III): Refugee Rights in the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)

Presentation of the findings and recommendations of the report: Follow the Money: implementation of AMIF priorities at national level – Annabelle Roig-Granjon, UNHCR and Rachel Westerby, Consultant.

Facilitator: Daphné Bouteillet-Paquet, ECRE

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

19h00 to 21h00

Social event

At Erinevate Tubade Klubi (address: Telliskivi 60-A1-65, Tallinn, see map).

Day 2: Tuesday, 17 October

9h30 to 10h30

Externalisation of protection

With continued deadlock on the reform of the European asylum law and policy, European policy-makers are turning deliberately or by default to a strategy of “externalisation”. The panel discussion will explore the latest developments and the impact on Europe’s external affairs policies, including diplomacy, development and security, as well as the impact of this approach on other countries and regions.

  • Catherine Woollard, Secretary General, ECRE
  • Christian Friis Bach, incoming Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council
  • Yagoub Kibeida, Vice President, Mosaico, Azioni per i rifugiati

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

10h30 to 11h00

Coffee break

11h00 to 13h00

Workshops: Interactive workshops will bring together experts on the topics to share ideas. Facilitators from across ECRE will prepare the sessions, including methodology, in advance.

Each workshop will include 1) interactive discussion on the topic with ECRE members, ECRE Secretariat and external participants sharing their views; 2) presentation of and input into ECRE’s strategy and activities on the issue in question.

 

Workshop 1: Inclusion

Good practices and the way towards an inclusive Europe.

Facilitators: Eero Janson, ERC, and Tamim Nashed, ECRE

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

Workshop 2: CEAS reform

Practical Impact of Reform and Key Member States’ priorities.

Facilitator: Martin Rozumek, OPU

Room: Ida-Euroopa

Workshop 3: Accessing EU funds

Practical training for civil society on how to access AMIF funds.

Trainer: Annabelle Roig-Granjon, UNHCR

Room: Põhja-Euroopa

13h00 to 14h00

Lunch

14h00 to 16h00

Workshop 4: Strategic litigation

Litigation priorities, identifying strategic cases; and needs assessment.

Facilitator: Cecilia Vejby Andersen, Danish Refugee Council

Room: Põhja-Euroopa

Workshop 5: Resettlement

EU resettlement framework, ATCR, global development, and ECRE’s position.

Facilitator: Claire Rimmer Quaid, ECRE

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

Workshop 6: Communication

Influencing the public(s): towards a strategic approach to ECRE communications.

Facilitator: Vladimir Petronijevic, Grupa 484

Room: Ida-Euroopa

16h00 to 16h30

Coffee break

16h30 to 18h30

Debate: Don’t Dream It’s Over: Restricting Refugee Rights in the Nordic/Baltic Region

The debate aims to provide a snapshot of the situation for asylum-seekers and bene ciaries of international protection in the Nordic/Baltic region. Moderated by leading Estonian journalist, Evelyn Kaldoja, the head of the foreign desk at Postimees, Estonia’s largest daily paper, three experts from the region will provide their assessment of developments, including:

  • How has the Nordic/Baltic region responded to the European political crisis on migration? How are the countries of the region influencing European and global developments?
  • What are the trends in the region? Who are the villains and the heroes? How do countries influence each other?
  • What are current risks to the rights of asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection?
  • Who are the defenders of rights in the region? How can they be bolstered?
  • What is the broader impact of asylum issues on the politics and societies of the region?

Panelists:

  • Mina Jaf, Founder and Director of Women Refugee Route
  • Ahmad Zaki Khalil, Afghan Association in Sweden
  • Eero Janson, Estonian Refugee Council

Moderator: Evelyn Kaldoja, Postimees

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

Day 3: Wednesday, 18 October (For ECRE members only)

09h30 to 11h00

Regional meetings (for ECRE regional groupings)

  • Central Europe Region (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland) – Karl Kopp, ECRE Board member (in room Ida-Euroopa A)
  • Mediterranean Region (Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Turkey) (in room Lõuna-Euroopa)
  • Nordic/Baltic Region (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) – Egle Samuchovaite, ECRE Board member (in room Tallinn)
  • Southeast Europe Region (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYROM, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia) – Vladimir Petronijević, ECRE Board member (in room Ida-Euroopa B)
  • Western Europe (Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK, and international) – Jasper Kuipers, ECRE Board member (in room Lääne-Euroopa)

11h00 to 11h30

Coffee break

11h30 to 13h30

ECRE General Assembly (agenda available for ECRE members)

Room: Lääne-Euroopa

13h30

Meeting ends with lunch

ECRE AGC and UNHCR-NGO Consultations 2017 is financed by ECRE, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), ERC and National Foundation of Civil Society (NFCS).

National Foundation of Civil Society

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