Image: Erin Wilson / Flickr cc
The ongoing Syrian conflict and refugee crisis is the subject of a public seminar in Sydney on Wednesday 14 March that will bring experts from around the world together to discuss how to best help millions of people displaced by the conflict.
Sydney researchers will present at the seminar the preliminary findings from an Australian Research Council funded project looking at refugee settlement experiences here, including employment and education outcomes.
The project, which is currently underway, involves interviews once a year for three years with 200 refugee families who were part of Australia’s one-off intake of 12,000 Syrian-conflict refugees in 2016-17.
“This refugee cohort, who come equally from Syria and Iraq, is quite different from previous intakes – more than 80 per cent are Christian, many have been sponsored by family in Australia and many have professional qualifications – they are dentists, pharmacists and engineers,” says UTS Business School Professor Jock Collins.
“They face unique challenges but if given the opportunity to work in Australia can make a great contribution,” he says.
Despite the defeat of Islamic State in many parts of Syria, there is still ongoing violence and carnage, with no end in sight. More than five million Syrian refugees currently live in neighbouring countries, with around one million taking refuge in Europe.
“Germany saw more than half a million Syrians approved for asylum between 2015 and 2016, Sweden took the second largest per capita intake in Europe, and Canada also accepted around 50,000 refugees at the same time as Australia,” says Professor Collins.
“Experts from these countries will provide valuable insights into Syrian-conflict refugee settlement policies, experiences and outcomes.”
International speakers include Ümit Kiziltan, Director General of the Canadian immigration department; Dr Shahd Wari, Max-Planck-Institute, Germany; Carrie Hough, UK Home Office; Professor Tuomas Martikainen, Finnish Migration Institute; and Professor Pieter Bevelander, Malmö Institute, Sweden.
What: Public Seminar: Syrian-conflict refugee settlement
When: Wednesday 14 March 9am-5pm
Where: UTS Business School, Chau Chak Wing Building, Level 8, 14-28 Ultimo Rd, Ultimo
RSVP: Kathy Watson: katherine.watson@uts.edu.au