We are happy to share that one of our MA students, Hanadi Abu Jazar, took part in an institutional meeting hosted by the Rector of the Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, Javier Lafuente. The event took place on 25 March 2026 and was organised by the General Secretary, Esther Zapata, together with the Director of the Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS), Jordi Prat. The meeting aimed to delve into the academic and personal circumstances of the fellows of the UAB Refugee Programme.
The meeting served as a space for students to articulate the academic, social, and personal challenges they encounter as participants in the programme. They placed particular emphasis on the need to expand institutional resources and strengthen solidarity networks across Spanish universities with the Palestinian academic community.
Rector Lafuente expressed his commitment to conveying these concerns to peer institutions within the framework of CRUE Spanish Universities, highlighting the UAB’s willingness to promote collaborative measures between European and Palestinian institutions and address the needs identified by the students.
The UAB has undertaken several solidarity initiatives in recent years and has issued institutional statements advocating for peace in the Middle East and condemning the ongoing violence in Palestine. Among its actions, the university highlights the #UABRefugee Scholarships Programme, which supports the studies of individuals who have been forced to interrupt their education due to armed conflict. The programme enables affected students—whether residing in Palestine or living as refugees in neighbouring countries—to continue or resume their academic training at the UAB.
In this context, our research project is also strongly committed to supporting refugee students and to contributing, in whatever ways we can, to a more supportive, and genuinely inclusive academic community.