COVID-19 and Migration

Thursday, 2 December 2021

14:00- 15:30, CET (Warsaw)

Venue: Online via Zoom

Language: English

Organisers: Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
and The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world immensely, including international mobility. It initially brought international migration to a halt, trapping people in “involuntary immobility”, then changed the directions and scope of foreign travel, affecting states’ policies and the human rights of migrants. Are these changes only a short break in irreversible long-term migration trends and patterns? What will the migration phenomenon look like after the pandemic is defeated? Has the pandemic solved the problem of irregular migration or will it only make the problem bigger in the years to come? This discussion will address these questions through three distinct perspectives on migration at the global, European, and national levels.

Programme

Opening

Patrcja Sasnal, Head of Research Office, PISM

Keynote address:

Felipe González Morales, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants: “The impact of COVID-19 on the human rights of migrants” United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants

Speakers:

Jolanta Szymańska, European Programme Coordinator, PISM: “Migration to the EU during the COVID crisis: Trends and Issues”
Marta Jaroszewicz, Assistant Professor, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw: “Labour migration in Europe in times of the pandemic—the Case of Ukrainians and Belarusians in Poland”

Moderator: Morten Bøås, Research Professor, NUPI

Those wishing to attend via Zoom are kindly requested to register here by 1 December. Once registered, you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting.

Alternatively, you can watch the livestream on our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PolandPISM

The online discussion is organised within the framework of the project “Migration and Development: Sharing knowledge between Poland and Norway (MiDeShare)”. The project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Grants and Norway Grants.