Press Release 05.11.2025

Key points of the project and focus on the countries of the Middle East and Europe

The certified continuing education course, funded by the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), aims to strengthen international exchange, deepen expertise in circular migration and return, and build sustainable networks between countries of origin, transit and destination.

“We are delighted to once again welcome a diverse group of participants from the countries of the Middle East and accompany them throughout the one-year program,” says Joachim Scheurer, Managing Director of the Munich Forum for Dialogue. “Participants will have a unique opportunity to learn, network and create joint solutions. Within the framework of a circular migration concept, we need transnational and cross-organisational cooperation for integration and voluntary return.”

The group comprises 24 migration experts from Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The diverse composition of the group underscores the international character of the program, which will be expanded to include other important migration countries in the third course cycle, following the participation of participants from the Balkan countries in the first year and migration actors from West Africa, the Maghreb and other European countries in the second year.

For the third time in a row, the Department of Migration and Globalisation at the University for Continuing Education in Krems (UWK), headed by Mr Mathias Czaika, is organising the four-day classroom course and three additional digital course modules. Mr Mathias Czaika gives an interim assessment of the ” ” program after two academic years: “The feedback from previous participants has been very positive across the board. We have clearly succeeded in creating a culture of collaborative learning in which the diverse national and institutional backgrounds of the participants are seen as a real asset. The exchange between individual experience and scientific knowledge is perceived as a valuable opportunity to gain new perspectives. The first final theses also show that this newly acquired knowledge is already having an impact on the participants’ professional practice.”

Interim conclusion
The Certificate Program will now enter its second half with the third cohort in November 2025. Two study courses will be held until the end of January 2027, when the project ends. The broad scope and diversity of countries reflects the complexity of migration and helps participants to better manage and address the challenges of circular migration and voluntary return through mutual exchange, experience and networking.
The feedback and expectations of previous graduates and participants reflect the intention of the program. The individual interviews from the first two study courses can be viewed on the MFD website.

Submitted case studies and accompanying research
Case studies are developed at the end of the course. The papers submitted so far cover a wide range of topics and formulate approaches for migration projects within the framework of transnational cooperation for a dignified and safe return, including for specific target groups such as Roma, Voice of Travel (VoT) and children, as well as national groups of returnees in different geographical contexts, such as Turkey, Albania, Tunisia, North Macedonia, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Germany.

Stakeholder focus group
As part of the project, a focus group with key stakeholders in the field of return and reintegration was interviewed, during which topics such as trends in return policy, the educational needs of employees in the return sector, course expectations and prospects for adjustments to the study program were discussed. A number of key findings emerged from this very fruitful exchange. The need for cross-border cooperation was emphasised, as was the call for a shift in perspective away from treating individual cases and towards focusing on the needs of entire communities. Only in this way can reintegration in the country of origin be truly successful in the long term. However, this shift in perspective can only be ensured through close cooperation between all actors in both the country of departure and the country of return.

Outlook
The final round of the program will start in February 2026.
A closing conference will be held in November 2026 at the end of the project.

Further information on the project and the activities of the Munich Forum for Dialogue can be found on our website: https://munichforum.org/projekt-crm/.

About the Munich Forum for Dialogue gGmbH (MFD)
The Munich Forum for Dialogue is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting social dialogue. Our focus is on the design and implementation of bilateral educational projects in development cooperation. Through dialogue formats, we create spaces for encounter where different opinions, people and groups come together to engage in trusting, respectful and peaceful conversations without prejudice. Within the framework of constructive dialogues, we provide food for thought on important social issues.

About the University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK)
The University for Continuing Education Krems specialises in part-time continuing education. As a public university, it uses its expertise in research and teaching to tackle social challenges and tailors its study programs accordingly. With its continuing education courses and shorter continuing education programs in ten subject areas, it is aimed particularly at working professionals. With over 8,000 students from 90 countries, the University for Continuing Education Krems combines many years of experience in academic continuing education with innovation and the highest quality standards in research and teaching. The university holds the AQ Austria quality seal. Krems is located in the unique natural and cultural landscape of the Wachau region, 60 km from Vienna.