On 6 November 2024, the Rector of UPJŠ, Daniel Pella, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and the International Organization for Migration, a leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, represented by the IOM Head of Mission in Slovakia, Valon Halimi. The subject of the memorandum is cooperation in providing support to foreign students, organization of joint events for students and staff of UPJŠ and participation in joint research projects with focus on migration.
The signing of the Memorandum was preceded by years of cooperation between UPJŠ and IOM in the form of offering internships for our students, participation of UPJŠ at the events of the Slovak Academic Information Agency (SAIA) and IOM focusing on the stay of foreigners in the Slovak Republic. On 27 March 2024, the Vice-Rector for Internationalisation, Silvia Ručinská, received a delegation of IOM Slovakia officials at UPJŠ: Valon Halimi, Head of Mission of IOM Slovakia, Martina Varholik, Coordinator of IOM activities in Eastern Slovakia, and Dušana Štecová, who expressed interest in cooperation mainly in research on joint projects regarding inclusion, diversity and migration, as well as the organisation of joint events such as conferences and workshops aimed at foreign students and researchers. The meeting also addressed the need to share practical experiences in providing support to people from abroad, as well as a common approach in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of this topic among policy makers.
“UPJŠ as a strongly internationalised university has much to offer, especially thanks to the Faculty of Medicine, which educates the highest number of foreign students every academic year. Inclusion and diversity are part of the UPJŠ strategy, and we have introduced a systematic approach in providing support to students from abroad. Within the Aurora Alliance we are working on the Peace Hub. We are also a member of the Euraxess network, with which we share information and practices on the recruitment of people from abroad. Our experts in intercultural communication and language education also have the necessary know-how and valuable experience,” concluded Vice-Rector Ručinská.
