Two Weeks in Sanremo: Strengthening My Commitment to Refugee Protection and International Humanitarian Law
As a Pathways International-uOttawa Refugee Hub Fellow, Omer Malikyar attended the International Institute of Humanitarian Law's Sanremo Summer School to deepen his understanding of the legal foundations underpinning humanitarian action and refugee protection. Bringing together practitioners, policymakers, humanitarian workers, legal experts, and academics from around the world, the program explored how international humanitarian law and refugee law are applied in practice through case studies, simulations, and discussions grounded in real-world crises. For Omer, the experience reinforced that effective protection depends not only on strong legal frameworks, but also on political will, cross-sector collaboration, and the collective commitment of those working to translate international legal principles into meaningful protection and durable solutions for displaced communities.
Global Pathways to Refugee Protection
Through the Global Pathways to Refugee Protection course at the University of Ottawa, Refugee Hub Fellow Omer Malikyar explored how governments, civil society, and academic institutions can work together to expand safe and legal pathways for displaced people. Bringing together participants from Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and Canada, the course combined legal and policy analysis with hands-on engagement in real-world refugee protection challenges. A highlight of the experience was presenting policy recommendations on the United Kingdom’s Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot Pathway to officials at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). For Omer, the course reinforced that meaningful progress in refugee protection depends not only on innovative policies, but on building bridges between research, practice, and policymaking to create lasting opportunities for refugees worldwide.