As a follow-up of the recommendations of the Lisbon Forum 2016 roundtable on “Women refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean: Meet the immediate emergency needs and find the longer term solutions”, the North-South Centre is organising a conference on “Migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women and girls in Euro-Mediterranean region”, on the 3 and 4 October 2018 in Athens, Greece. The Government of Portugal and the Aga Khan Development Network support the conference which counts on the collaboration of the European Public Law Organisation and METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development.

By raising awareness among key actors of the region on different forms of violence in different contexts against migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women and girls, the event will recall the exiting standards and legal instruments related to the prevention from violence and discrimination, the protection and the integration of displaced women and girls. Finally, the event will highlight the role of diaspora communities, who are strategic partners in managing migration and in advancing social and economic inclusion, intercultural dialogue and peace building in hosting societies.

Protection and integration of displaced women and girls: best practice and proven success

Translating the roundtable’s recommendations into action, the conference will promote the cooperation and coordination of the relevant actors in the region by sharing practices and mechanisms with proven success. The North-South Centre will showcase best practices in protecting and integrating displaced women and girls from both shores of the Mediterranean.

In parallel, the North-South Centre’s pool of experts on women´s rights will assess the state of play in the Southern Mediterranean countries on this issue during a preliminary meeting on the 2 October and share their conclusions during the Conference.