On May 14th at 1:00 PM in the Senate Hall of the University of Rzeszów, the Rector of the University of Rzeszów, Professor Sylwester Czopek, signed a letter of intent regarding the cooperation between UNHCR and the University of Rzeszów.

The meeting was attended by Yolanda Ines Zapata Henry, Head of the UNHCR Field Office for Refugees in Rzeszów.

As part of the Regional Initiative of Excellence project, carried out by researchers from the University of Rzeszów, cooperation with UNHCR was established, which consequently allowed for the collaboration between the university and UNHCR.

Currently, almost one million refugees from Ukraine are in Poland, mostly women and children, which constitutes about 2.5% of Poland's total population. UNHCR coordinates the actions of organizations within the framework of the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine (RRP) in Poland, most of which are Polish organizations. UNHCR supports the Polish government in ensuring access to territory, legal status and documentation, as well as access to refugee rights. https://www.unhcr.org/pl/

The cooperation between UNHCR and the University of Rzeszów will cover the following areas:

1. Supporting research activities and public dialogue aimed at improving protection conditions, solutions, and public policies, including for refugees in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship;

2. Developing new academic content related to protection and solutions for refugees, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons within existing or newly created courses, master's programs, summer schools, and other academic formats;

3. Raising awareness and engagement within the academic community through participation in informational events, public awareness campaigns, exhibitions, and special events dedicated to topics such as refugee protection, international refugee law, and human rights;

4. Promoting specific forms of student and young professional involvement in refugee protection and solutions programs implemented and/or supported by UNHCR and partners in Podkarpacie and Poland;

5. Promoting gender equality and supporting disadvantaged groups, particularly women and ethnic minorities among refugees, by offering internship and scholarship opportunities.

Photos by: Michał Święcicki