Agenda

Day 1: Thursday 16 November 2017

13:30 – 14:30   Registration, refreshments (EESC Reception, Foyer 5th floor)

14:30 – 14:50   Welcoming remarks (JDE 52)

• Adam Shub, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Mission to the EU
• Daniel J. Costello, Ambassador of Canada to the EU
• Elizabeth Collett, Director, Migration Policy Institute Europe
• Cristian Pîrvulescu, President of the Permanent Study Group on Immigration and Integration, European Economic and Social Committee

14:50 – 15:15   Opening speech

• Yara Al Adib, Design Consultant and Entrepreneur, From Syria with Love, Belgium

15:15 – 16:30   Panel session: “How the field has matured: A progress report, one year on”

Chair: Tamim Nashed, Policy Officer on Refugee Inclusion, European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

• Eric Young, The Social Projects Studio / Distinguished Visiting Professor of Social Innovation at Ryerson University, Canada
• Luisa Seiler, Co-founder and Director, SINGA Deutschland, Germany
• Mireia Nadal Chiva, Head of Community Development, ReDI School for Digital Integration, Germany

16:30 – 17:00   Coffee break (Foyer on the 5^th floor)

17:00 – 18:30   Panel session: “Business, not as usual: Private sector innovation for refugee inclusion” (JDE 52)

Chair: Irini Pari, European Economic and Social Committee

• Pastora Valero, Vice President, Government Affairs, EMEAR, Cisco
• Justina Spencer, Manager, Global Corporate Responsibility, Deloitte
• Samuel Engblom, Policy Director, TCO Swedish Confederation for Professional Employees, Sweden
• Kavita Brahmbhatt, Co-founder, Action Emploi Réfugiés, France

18:30 – 19:45   Evening reception (Atrium on the 6^th floor)

Day 2: Friday 17 November 2017

08:30 – 09:00   Registration, coffee (EESC Reception, Foyer on the 6^th floor)

09:00 – 09:30  Refugees as agents of innovation (JDE 62)

• Maher Ismaail, Co-founder of DaliliNow.com, Germany
• Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Journalist, The Guardian

09:30 – 11:00  Workshops

1. New approaches to financing social innovation (JDE 3210)

Chair: Giuseppe Iuliano, European Economic and Social Committee

• Chris Clements, director, Social Finance, UK
• Carolina Gario, Policy Officer for the European Social Innovation Competition, DG Growth, European Commission
• Anna Krzyżanowska, Head of Unit "Coordination with the EIB Group, EBRD and IFIs”, DG ECFIN, European Commission

1. Not an urban legend: welcoming refugees in small and rural communities (JDE 2210)

Chair: Meghan Benton, Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute

• Christina Pope, Regional Manager, Welcoming America, United States
• Kerstin Carlsson, Project Leader, Framtidsbygder Dalsland Årjäng Munkedal, Sweden
• Magdalena Böhm, Project development officer, International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)

1. Improving the visibility of refugees’ skills (JDE 2252)

Chair: Inga Heemink, Acting Office Director, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Department of State

• Alisha Molter, Project Officer, Network IQ Dissemination Project, EBB, Germany
• Kavita Brahmbhatt, Co-founder, Action Emploi Réfugiés, France
• Ludwijn Braams, Managing Director, L&D Support Germany

1. Employer engagement: Innovative approaches to training and hiring refugees (JDE 62)

Chair: Laurent Aujean, Policy Officer, Unit Legal Migration and Integration, DG Home, European Commission

• Sayre Nyce, Executive director, Talent Beyond Boundaries, United States
• Peter O’Sullivan, Resettlement Officer, UNHCR, Bureau for Europe
• Mustafa Alroomi, Web developer at Cronos Groep, Belgium

1. Refugee entrepreneurship: A fast lane into work? (JDE 3252)

Chair: Liam Patuzzi, Associate Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute Europe

• Mireia Nadal Chiva, Head of Community Development, ReDI School for Digital Integration, Germany
• Clarelisa Camilleri, Project Manager FIBIA (Fostering Inclusive Incubation & Acceleration), European BIC (business and innovation centres) Network
• Yara Al Adib, design consultant and entrepreneur, From Syria with Love

11:00 – 11:15     Coffee break

11:15 – 12:45     Interactive panel session: “From niche to mainstream: Unlocking the potential of innovation for lasting change” (JDE 62)

CHAIR: Elizabeth Collett, Director, Migration Policy Institute Europe

SPEAKERS:

• Louisa Taylor, Director, Refugee 613, Canada
• Ben Mason, Project lead on digital innovation around refugees and migration, Betterplace lab, Germany
• David Manicom, Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Settlement and Integration Sector, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Laura Corrado, Head of Unit Legal Migration and Integration, DG Home, European Commission

12:45 – 13:00     Wrap up of the conference discussions (JDE 62)

13:00 – 14:30  Lunch  (Atrium on the 6th floor)