Press release
Migration experts in the field of return and reintegration from regions of origin, transit and destination network as part of the new Certificate Program ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’
On 27 November 2024, the first transnational, university-based continuing education program ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’ was launched, which was developed by the non-profit Munich Forum for Dialogue gGmbH (MFD) and the Department for Migration and Globalisation at the University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK). The program is funded by the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The participants in the first of four planned study groups come from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey, where they work in ministries, international organisations, NGOs or universities.
Strengthen international cooperation with the aim of safe and dignified return and reintegration
The UN Global Compact on Migration recognises the importance of international cooperation in facilitating safe and dignified return and reintegration to the country of origin. Well-planned and organised return programs contribute equally to safety and development in countries of origin, transit and destination.
Corinna Wicher, Head of the Security, Residence Law and Return Department at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), emphasises the importance of cross-border cooperation in the context of migration: ‘Migration and refugee movements have increased significantly in recent decades. Not all of the people affected by this can or want to stay in Europe or Germany permanently. The federal and state governments have therefore been supporting people in their voluntary return to their country of origin and reintegration for over 45 years now. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has been cooperating with other countries in various contexts and projects for many years.’
She also highlights the role of the new Certificate Program: ‘The project of the Munich Forum for Dialogue and the University for Continuing Education Krems, which is co-financed by the BAMF, is making an important contribution here. The ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’ certificate program supports our efforts to work cooperatively with the various countries of transit and origin. With its academic and partnership-based focus, the course aims to promote cooperation and professionalisation between national and international players alike, thereby contributing to a change of perspective and the structural and skills development of all those involved. We are very pleased about the start of the project’s first course and are looking forward to the ideas and approaches that will emerge from the study program.’
The initiator and head of the project, Joachim Scheurer, adds: ‘The project attempts to do justice to the complexity of migration in several respects. Successful (re-)integration and dignified return are mutually dependent and can only succeed if all those involved along the migration routes work closely together. This is because many countries are countries of origin, destination and transit in equal measure. Migration is a constant task of state welfare and can only be managed again and again in close international dialogue.’
Conception and implementation of the new study program in cooperation with the University for Continuing Education Krems
The two-semester Certificate Program ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’ is managed academically by the Department of Migration and Globalisation at the University for Continuing Education Krems in Austria. ‘This continuing education program fits perfectly into our portfolio. Not only does our university specialise in extra-occupational, specialist further education, but our department, with its many years of research and teaching activities and interdisciplinary expertise in the field of migration and integration, also offers the ideal conditions for implementing this certificate program here in Krems together with the Munich Forum for Dialogue,’ says the Head of the Department of Migration and Globalisation, Prof. Dr Mathias Czaika.
About the Munich Forum for Dialogue gGmbH (MFD)
The Munich Forum for Dialogue is a non-profit organisation for the promotion of social dialogue. Our focus is on the conception and implementation of bilateral educational projects in development cooperation. We use dialogue formats to create spaces for encounters in which different opinions, people and groups come together to engage in trusting, respectful and peaceful discussions without prejudice. We engage in constructive dialogue to provide food for thought on important social issues.
About the University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK)
The University for Continuing Education Krems specializes in academic continuing education for working professionals. As a public university for continuing education, it works with its expertise in research and teaching to over-come societal challenges and tailors its study programs to address them. The continuing education study programs cover ten fields of study and meet the specific requirements of students with work experience. With over 8,000 students coming from 90 countries, the University for Continuing Education Krems combines its many years of experience in university-based continuing education with innovation to provide outstanding quality in research and teaching at an international level. The University holds the AQ Austria quality seal. Situated 60 km from Vienna in the alluring world heritage region Wachau, Campus Krems is a highly attractive location.
Press Contact
Münchner Forum für Dialog gGmbH
Michaela Král’ovská
Project Officer Communication
T: +49 89 997409368
E: michaela.kralovska@munichforum.org
University for Continuing Education Krems, Department for Migration and Globalisation
Franziska Klauser
PR representative
T: +43 2732 893-5574
E: franziska.klauser@donau-uni.ac.at
Annex
Background and detailed information on the study program
With its continuing education program, the Munich Forum for Dialogue aims to strengthen dignified return and reintegration, provide valuable insights into the migration practices of other countries and at the same time promote an intensive and international exchange of knowledge and experience between participants.
In addition, the aim of the transnational educational program is to provide training for actors from countries of origin, destination and transit:
- the transfer and deepening of theoretical expertise based on practical examples of the management of circular migration and voluntary return
- applying the acquired knowledge and developing innovative ideas and models for successful return and reintegration programs in case studies – taking into account the specific regional needs of the respective cohort groups and
- the expansion of the professional network.
Graduates, who receive a certificate after completing the two-semester program, are able to establish sustainable structures in the respective countries of origin and transit. The knowledge they acquire enables them to implement successful return and reintegration programs in the long term.
Over the course of the three-year CRM project, a total of four study programs will be carried out, each with around 20 participants. The project will be scientifically monitored and evaluated over the entire period. The results will be summarised in an evaluation study and subsequently published.
Building strong partnerships across national borders
Cooperation is essential for approaching and recruiting applicants and thus for the success of the program in the respective countries of destination, transit and origin. The Munich Forum for Dialogue strives for close cooperation with international and local organisations as well as universities and national authorities that are active in the areas of migration, voluntary return and reintegration and have local experience with projects in these areas.
In the spirit of an inclusive and equal education approach, teachers and trainers from academia and practice from the participating regions and countries are therefore also involved. For example, Professor Dr Murat Erdoğan, Director of the Turkish Mülkiye Migration Research Centre (MÜGAM), is part of the teaching team for the first course module. In addition, the project manager of the Munich Forum for Dialogue and PhD candidate at the UWK Simona Schreier spoke about circular return on the second day of the course.
Outlook
The second group of the Certificate Program ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’ starts in May 2025 and is aimed in particular at return experts from West Africa, Europe and the Maghreb. In autumn 2025, the program will focus on Iraq, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Turkey and other European countries. The fourth and final round will start at the beginning of 2026 and end with the conclusion of the project in January 2027.
At the end of the project, a final conference will be held at which the results of the impact and evaluation study on the project will be presented. This will provide information on how training programs such as the ‘Circular and Return Migration Management’ Certificate Program can help to build sustainable structures and skills in the countries of origin, destination and transit and strengthen international cooperation with regard to circular migration and voluntary return.
Weblinks
Deutsch
www.donau-uni.ac.at/mig/return-migration
www.munichforum.org/projekt-crm
Englisch
www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/mig/return-migration
