Dialogues and interventions on enhancing the protection of people on the move are gaining traction globally. However, most dialogues and interventions on human mobility whether global, regional, or national, remain disconnected from the lived experiences of the people on the move and the realities faced by frontline practitioners who support them. Migration researchers are increasingly shifting towards more engaged research approaches so that people on the move and stakeholders that directly work with them actively participate in developing knowledge and in shaping initiatives that impact their protection and integration.
The Enhance Protection and Asylum (EPA) Project, implemented through the MMD Grant Facility of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and co-funded by the European Union aims to strengthen the implementation of asylum systems and the protection of children on the move emphasizing capacity building, dialogues and advocacy guided by engaged research. To contribute to the already existing migration and mobility dialogues that are being held in South Africa and Uganda under this project, the project implementing partners are currently at a workshop focused on engaged research processes as fundamental in informing dialogues and processes for enhanced protection. Led by SIHMA a research partner within the consortium in collaboration with the University of the Western Cape, the event gives a platform for researchers to discuss and reflect on the importance of action-oriented research producing insights to inform interventions and dialogues for enhanced protection.
This workshop convenes academics and diverse stakeholders to explore and share knowledge and ideas on 1) designing, implementing engaged research and collaborative co-creation of knowledge and impact with people on the move 2) promoting approaches to engaged research that produce insights to inform interventions and share best practices, lessons learnt and case studies where migrant led research has informed program/policy amendments, improved service delivery, or advocacy actions. 3) Considering how universities and researchers can better sustain this in a scholarship of engagement in migration and mobilities research and advocacy at individual, departmental and institutional levels.
