DMU and the United Nations Together

To help support refugees worldwide, the United Nations has asked DMU to take the lead in engaging universities across the globe in the #JoinTogether campaign.

In January, DMU visited the UN headquarters in New York to formally begin this work, inviting international universities to a summit held in one of the UN’s famous debating chambers, creating a global network of universities committed to finding ways to successfully integrate refugees into communities, while spreading messages of tolerance and understanding.

Students and staff from the eleven partner universities were joined by senior representatives from the UN as well as the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN.

Partner universities also signed a UN Together Action Charter to signal their intent to be part of the campaign.

Following the summit in New York the first year Youth Work and Community Development student ZamZam Yusuf spoke to UN Radio to share her experience and encourage greater tolerance for refugees around the world. You can listen to her interview here.

Third year International Relations and Journalism student Olly Sullivan documented the experience from a student’s perspective in a blog for the Times Higher Education magazine. In his blog, Olly talks about the awe inspiring surroundings of the United Nations headquarters and the sense of unity he felt during the discussions about how universities can help refugees.

See the full list of partner universities

Students from DMU then returned to New York to take part in a chat series event which will focus on developing a positive attitude to migration.

Two students, Hamdallat Abdulsalam and George Coyle, joined Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard in making presentations at the event on Tuesday 27 February. Find out more about the event here.

More than 250 DMU students then returned to the UN as part of June’s mass #DMUglobal trip to New York.

This conference, led by DMU, focused on championing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with a specific emphasis on SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Speakers included DMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard representatives from partner universities and United Nations representatives including Maher Nasser, Daniël Prins and Antje Kristin Watermann.

The conference reviewed the progress made by universities over the last six months and debated the current challenges for safety and dignity faced by refugees in local communities. New partner universities from around the world, which now total 38, were also be welcomed.