International migration is a growing phenomenon involving the international community as a whole and engaging Member States in the protection of human rights. Analyzing migration as a crosscutting topic and understanding the challenges faced both by migrants and Member States is crucial for the development and implementation of national policies compliant with international human rights standards. According to the International Migrant Stock 2019, a dataset released by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), international migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million in 2019, an increase of 51 million since 2010.

Although there are numerous international legal instruments in place to ensure the protection of the human rights of migrants and refugees, violations of these rights widely occur. Indeed, despite the significant benefits of migration, economic migrants, asylum seekers and victims of trafficking and smuggling remain among the most vulnerable members of society and are exposed to discrimination, abuse and exploitation by transnational organized-crime networks.

In target 10.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Member States pledge to "Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies." This is a clear indicator of the major relevance recognized to international migration by the Agenda 2030.

With these considerations in mind, UNICRI, in cooperation with John Cabot University, will deliver the fifth edition of the Summer Course on Migration and Human Rights, a one-week online course shedding light on current issues related to international migration. More specifically, the curriculum of the course focuses on:

International migration, trafficking and asylum law
The rights of asylum seekers and refugees
Fostering children's resilience
Irregular migration: balancing human rights and security
Irregular migration by sea
Migration and rural development
Right to health for migrants and refugees
Migration and the challenge of religious pluralism
Decent work for migrants and refugees
Global displacement

The Summer Course offers professional, legal, social, scientific and academic perspectives through live webinars, group discussions, dynamic case studies, individual readings, and practical exercises. The faculty of the Summer Course is composed of leading scholars and academics from John Cabot and other universities, representatives of the United Nations system, international human rights bodies and the civil society.

Through a dedicated online platform participants will have the opportunity to interact with international recognized experts and peers from all over the world, so to build lasting professional relationships. This experience fosters intercultural dialogue and promotes a deeper understanding of some of the world's most complex and debated issues.

For further information on application process, entry requirements, registration fees and certificate of participation, please visit the How to Apply section or send a message to unicri.courses@un.org.