Call for applications: Training Seminar on EU Advocacy
6 and 7 July 2023 in Brussels, Belgium
Are you actively engaged in advocating for refugee rights? Are you a refugee advocate or working in a refugee-led organisation? Are you interested in deepening and broadening your knowledge about advocacy on EU asylum policy and law?
The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) are organizing a two-day training seminar on EU advocacy on 6/7 July 2023 in Brussels (in-person).
Objectives and content:
- Provide an introduction to EU advocacy on asylum and related migration issues
- Introduce participants to EU policy-making and the role of the main EU institutions and actors working on EU asylum law and policy (with some reference to wider migration issues where relevant)
- Provide an overview of the role of the EU in asylum policy and politics both inside Europe and in its external relations
- Illustrate how EU policy can be influenced with reference to advocacy tactics and tools and through use of a case study
The seminar will include sessions that cover the following issues:
- Developing advocacy skills and strategies
- Introduction to EU policy making
- Role and responsibilities of EU institutions and agencies working on asylum and migration
- Basic introduction to the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) with reference to the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the concept of instrumentalization and Temporary Protection Directive
- Exchange with policy-makers and with NGOs working on advocacy at the EU level.
Participants:
A maximum of 25 people will be able to participate. In case there is more interest than places available, we will select participants based on information provided in the application form, looking at previous advocacy experience, plans to influence at the EU level, geographic representation and other considerations to ensure diversity among the participants. Preference for participation will be given to people with a refugee background, representatives of refugee-led organizations, and refugee advocates (self defined) based in Europe.
Application and registration:
If you would like to participate, please fill in the application form by Monday, 10 April 2023. We should be able to confirm your participation by 2 May 2023.
Logistics:
We will cover travel and accommodation expenses related to participation in the training. Participants will need to arrive in Brussels on Wednesday, 5 July, return travel will take place on Friday, 7 July from late afternoon onwards.
If you have any questions regarding the Training Seminar, please contact Begüm Dereli at bdereli@ecre.org. We will provide more information once your participation is confirmed.