On 26 April, from 3 pm to 5 pm, the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration (GRITIM-UPF) of the Department of Political and Social Sciences is organizing an open seminar to analyse the mass exodus of refugees taking place as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Experts in migration and refugee dynamics, border processes and geopolitics will be addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine under a framework of human rights and international relations. Among other issues, the session, which will be open to all, will deal with: how can we build a research agenda focused on refugees and on the voices and experiences of the most marginalized?; how can we analyse the European response, both at political and social level?; what are the implications for the handling of migration and refugee problems in the near future?; and how do we tackle the pressures of conducting academic research with the moral obligation to help in a humanitarian crisis?

The participating researchers and the topics of their interventions in the open seminar, which can be followed via Zoom, will be:

• Lorenzo Gabrielli: “Deciphering representations of Ukrainian refugees and their impact on the border process”. 
• Carmen Geha: “Universities as actors for the inclusion and protection of refugees”.
• Iván Martín: “What will be the economic consequences of this new exodus for Europe, and the impact on European labour markets? 
• Silvia Morgades-Gil: “Activating temporary protection in Europe in the 21st century”
• John Palmer: “Lessons from Bosnia and Kosovo: refugees, rights and criminal responsibility in International Law”. 
• Gemma Pinyol-Jiménez: “Beyond the temporary protection directive: how EU countries are responding to non-Ukrainian citizens seeking protection”. 

The session will be chaired by Zenia Hellgren, also a GRITIM-UPF researcher.