The 10th edition of the Summer School on Migration and Human Rights organized by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and John Cabot University was successfully held at JCU in Rome from 7 to 11 July, 2025. This year’s program brought together 31 participants from 19 countries representing five continents. The event promoted a rigorous and interdisciplinary exchange of perspectives on the evolving challenges at the intersection of migration governance and human rights protection. Over the course of five intensive days, participants – including university students, early-career professionals, and practitioners – engaged in a structured exploration of core political, legal, social, and humanitarian issues.
The curriculum addressed a wide range of topics, including international and European legal frameworks relevant to migration, asylum, and the rights of migrants and refugees, statelessness and the protection of stateless persons in a migratory context, and the influence of religion in shaping migratory policies.
A highlight of the program was the Special Focus Session titled “Darién Gap – A Call for Urgent Action,” featuring Federico Rios Escobar, an award-winning Colombian photojournalist and recipient of the 2025 World Press Photo Award (long-term projects category). Drawing on his extensive fieldwork experience, Rios Escobar presented a compelling visual account of migration through the Darién Gap, one of the world’s most perilous migratory routes between Colombia and Panama. The session was opened by Professor Mary Merva, JCU’s vice president, and Cristina Nardelli, senior fellow at UNICRI Rome liaison office, and moderated by Professor Silvia Scarpa, chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at JCU.
By bringing together a diverse group of participants and internationally recognised experts, the Summer School on Migration and Human Rights reaffirmed the commitment of both UNICRI and JCU to promoting hands-on education, informed multidisciplinary dialogue, and practical collaborative solutions to one of the most urgent global challenges of our time. In the words of Tavaka Mutungamiri, a student enrolled in the Master of Arts in International Affairs and participant in the Summer School, “The 2025 UNICRI Summer School offered more than just academic and career insight into an issue that has become increasingly topical. — It also offered perspective, driving at the very human experiences migrants face throughout the entire process of migration, the stark realities of exploitation and the dangers migrants face often just to get a better life. A wonderful program and initiative, I would recommend it to anyone with a pressing interest in all matters tied to migration.”
