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Public invitation  

International Workshop

The Palestinian Refugees: A Comparative Approach

The Refugees and International Migration Resource Unit in the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies at Birzeit University is pleased to invite you to participate in the international workshop on Palestinian refugees to be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008. In the lecture hall of the Law Institute, Birzeit University.

 
The workshop aims to highlight legal, economic and social perspectives on Palestinian refugees from a comparative point of view. Local and international experts will make presentations.

 Simultaneous interpretation (Arabic-English and English-Arabic) will be provided.

Workshop Program

 09:00 - 10:00 Opening

• 09:00 - 09:30 Registration

• 9:30 Opening Address: Dr. Nabeel Kassis, President of Birzeit University

• 9:40 Introductory Speech: Dr. Majdi Malki, Director of the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies.

10:00-11:50 First Session: Shifting Realities Among Palestinian Refugees

Chair: Dr. Ali Jarbawi, Professor of Political Science, Birzeit University

• 10:00. Dr. Youssef Courbage, Director of Research in the French National Institute for Demographic Studies, member, RMRU International Advisory Council,

 The importance of refugee and migration studies in understanding demographic transformations

• 10:20 Dr. Yasser Ammouri, Chair, Department of Law, Birzeit University,

 
                International law and the rights of Palestinian refugees.

• 10:35 Mr. Saji Salameh, Consultant, RMRU, Birzeit University,

    Palestinian refugees in Arab host countries: differing realities and problems.

• 10:50 Mr. Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees – UNRWA,

                UNRWA: Present dilemmas and future prospects    

• 11:05 General Discussion
• 11:50  Break

12:00-1:20 PM Second Session: Issues Concerning Palestinian and International Refugees.

Chair: Dr. Samir Awad, Chair, Political Science Department, Birzeit University

• 12:00 Dr. Nadeem Shehadeh, Middle East Studies Foundation, Chatham House, London,

                     Palestinian refugees in Lebanon - The issue of Nahr el-Bared

• 12:15 Dr. Abbas  Shiblak, Research associate at the Refugee Studies Center, University of Oxford

                       Reflections on Palestinian Diaspora in Europe

• 12:30  Dr. Peter Loizos, Professor, Development Studies Institute, London School of Economics (LSE).

  Long-term internally displaced persons/refugees: Some factors shaping life-course outcomes, with special reference to Greek-Cypriot IDPs

• 12:45 General Discussion

1:20-2:30 Third Session: The External Image of the Palestinian Refugees

Chair: Dr.Abdul Karim Barghouthi, Chair, Philosophy and Cultural Studies Department, Birzeit University

• 1:20 Dr. Issam Nassar, History Department, Illinois State University, USA,

                        Photographing the Palestinian refugee experience: The UNRWA photo archive

• 1:35 Dr. Roger Heacock, Professor of History, Birzeit University

Crystallizing the global memory: correspondents, editors, governments, and the nakba, 1947-1949

• 1:50 General Discussion
• 2:30 Concluding Remarks
• 3:00 Lunch

In an attempt to continue our Reinforcing the Democratic Process project, implemented in the context of the former Palestinian legislative council elections, and in proceeding in what has been offered to the public in this regard IALIIS seeks to activate the Palestinian Civil Society as a player as well as supporting the role of the Palestinian public through enhancement of the influence of Palestinian democratic awareness, public censorship and pressure groups.

This can be achieved through reaching a larger range of beneficiaries by conducting general lectures, meetings and messages. The project targets Civil Society organizations, university students and academics, unions and syndicates, the youth and women. Working with these people would help us reach larger horizons by influencing a larger mixture of people. Through explanation of the role of supervision in building a democratic society and enhancing the role of the individual in following up with promises and programs proposed before being elected and the parliamentary decisions, as well as forming pressure groups and raise awareness about the importance of these groups. In addition, modern mechanisms to achieve this and the role of democratic work of questioning the accountability of representatives will be emphasized.