About the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network

The Global Compact on Refugees, adopted in December 2018 by the UN General Assembly specifies that “a global academic network on refugee, other forced displacement, and statelessness issues will be established, involving universities, academic alliances, and research institutions, together with UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders.” (paragraph 43). Launched at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum, the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) facilitates specific deliverables on three objectives.

Objectives of the Network

1. Research in support of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees: i) ease the pressures on host countries; ii) enhance refugee self-reliance; iii) expand access to third-country solutions; iv) support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.
2. Teaching training and knowledge sharing to advance knowledge sharing on refugee, forced displacement and statelessness issues
3. Solidarity of the academic community with forcibly displaced scholars and students through concrete support (e.g. scholarships)

Ways of Working

The Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network: global, academic, interdisciplinary and building a network. 

Global

85% of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries.  GAIN seeks to augment the visibility of research, teaching and good practices from these contexts on the global stage. 

• Good practices can be submitted for consideration on the GCR digital platform here
• Self-reporting on 2019 pledges can be done here and new pledges towards the 2023 Global Refugee Forum made here - Both will contribute to quarterly, global-level reporting on implementation of the GCR (link to quarterly progress reports)
• As GAIN develops further, regional working groups and global level events will also take place highlighting the contributions from academic institutions in low-and middle-income contexts

Academic

• As key modalities for its work, GAIN will reflect the majority youth populations in most refugee-hosting countries, working to help junior academics connect to global networks and discussions promoting south-south and south-north dialogue.
• Refugees themselves are key contributors to the GCR, but often face structural burdens to engaging with the Academy.  GAIN will seek to highlight contributions made by persons with first-hand experience of displacement in its work.

Interdisciplinary 

The multi-faceted objectives of the Global Compact Refugees necessitate contributions from experts in many different fields. To advance burden and responsibility sharing GAIN works with universities, academic alliances, research institutions and individual academics from a variety of disciplines. 

Anchored in whole-of-society commitments to the Global Compact Refugees, GAIN seeks to ensure that academic contributions are shared in an accessible manner with policy makers and civil society actors.

Network

GAIN seeks to partner with forced displacement networks, alliances and consortiums on projects that advance implementation of the Global Compact Refugees.

More information available here.