On 17-18 May 2022, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) will hold international conference Migration Crisis: Challenges and Possible Solutions with the aim to initiate local and international discussion on new, complex and multifaceted challenges for governments and societies affected by emergent crises.
The purpose of the conference is:
The first day of the Conference will focus on new challenges for governments and societies regarding the increased flows of immigrants to Lithuania and neighbouring countries.
The second day will focus on emigration issues Lithuania faces for the last few decades and on results of the research project The importance of non-economic factors to the emigration of the Lithuanian population implemented by KTU project team.
You are kindly invited to participate in the International Conference Migration Crisis: Challenges and Possible Solutions for academic community and practitioners.
The conference will unify local and foreign participants from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and other countries representing different segments of the society: academic community, NGOs and local communities, human rights activists, politicians and representatives of central and local government as well as experts from international organizations.
The conference will provide a forum for various stakeholders to discuss complex problems faced during an influx of migrants and analyse challenges in protecting borders and keeping up with the international obligations in a weaponised migration crisis. Also, the conference will allow looking into crises from human rights and national security perspectives and discuss whether international human rights obligations are applicable in times of crisis. Ultimately, issue framing is to be addressed at the conference exploring the impact of issue framing on the community’s reaction and attitudes towards migrants resulting in a reluctance to respond effectively to the crisis.
Timezone: GMT+3 (CET+2, UTC+0)
8:30 – 9:00 Registration, welcome coffee
Kaunas University of Technology, Aula, A. Mickevičiaus str. 37, Kaunas
9:00 – 9:30 Opening session
Welcome
Dr. Ainius Lašas, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
Migration, Social Crisis, and Resiliency: An Overview
Dr. Thomas Bryer, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
9:30 – 11:00 Plenary session – Addressing the Hybrid Threat and Migration Crisis at the Belarussian Border
Key-note speech: Principles of Dealing with Crisis
Dr. Abdul-Akeem Sadiq
Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
Invited speakers:
Questions and Answers (15 minutes)
Discussant
Kęstutis Lančinskas, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Prevention of Corruption
11:00-11:15 BREAK
11:15 – 12:15 II Session – Managing Emergencies: Inter-organizational Relations and Institutional Resilience
Key-note speech: Developing and Sustaining Resilient Organizations and Institutions in Response to Crisis
Dr. Jungwon Yeo
Associate Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
Invited speaker:
Questions and Answers (15 minutes)
12:15 – 13:30 Lunch break
13:30 – 14:45 III Session – Human Rights and National Security in Times of Crisis
Key-note speech: Migration and Human Rights: Trends and Challenges in Europe and the Baltics.
Dr. Nils Muižnieks, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Europe (Latvia)
Invited speakers:
Questions and Answers (15 minutes)
14:45-15:00 BREAK
15.00 – 16:10 IV Session – Democratic Resilience in Communities
Key-note speech: Developing and Sustaining Democratic Resilience
Dr. Thomas Bryer
Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
Invited Speakers
16:10-16:15 BREAK
16:15-17:20 V Session – Public Innovation and Responses to Migration Challenges
Key-note speaker:
Dr. Amanda Daflos, Executive Director, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, Johns Hopkins University (USA)
Workshop facilitated by UCF and KTU Team
A set of interactive scenarios related to addressing national security, humanitarian assistance, and migrant integration will be discussed.
17:20 – 17:30 Closing of the day
Dr. Ainius Lašas, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
Registration by May 13
Organisers:
Municipal Training Center, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology,
School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida.
Conference language: English, with simultaneous translation to Lithuanian.
Date, place: May 17, 2022, A. Mickevičiaus str. 37, Kaunas, room 202.
Symposium. Editors: T.Bryer, J.Vaičiūnienė, V.Valentinavičius. Conference papers, short articles and commentaries will be published in the September issue of the journal Public Policy and Administration. Submission and more about the journal here.
The conference is funded by the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation under the Baltic-American Security Exchange program.
Participants should register by May 13. Participants outside Lithuania will be provided with zoom link for online participation for day 1.
Participants will be awarded certificates of attendance upon request.
Emigration research is often focused on economic factors as the main motivating force of emigration. However, economic factors cannot fully explain Lithuania’s emigration anomaly. For the last few decades emigration numbers were significantly higher than those of other EU member countries with similar economic conditions. This conference will present the results of the research project “The importance of non-economic factors to the emigration of the Lithuanian population”, funded by the Programme “Improvement of researchers’ qualification by implementing world-class R&D projects” (Agreement No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712–01–170), and discuss the emigration issue from the perspective of non-economic factors.
The conference invites local stakeholders such as municipality leaders and representatives, civil servants, policy makers, academic community, NGOs and local communities, activists and general public from Lithuania to participate in the round-table discussions on the emigration trends and measures to reduce emigration flows from Lithuania.
Timezone: GMT+3 (CET+2, UTC+0)
11:00 – 11:15 Opening Session:
Welcome speech by Thomas Bryer, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
11:15 – 12:15 Session I: Context of emigration: push and pull factors / Context of emigration: economic, social and cultural perspectives
Presenters:
Dr. Vilmantė Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė, Professor, School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology
Dr. Vilmantė Liubinienė, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
Questions and Answers
12:15 – 13:00 Break
13:00 – 14:30 Session II: Non-economic factors of emigration: project results
Presenters:
Dr. Thomas Bryer, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
“Global Causes of Emigration and Strategies for Addressing Population Shrinkage”
Dr. Eglė Vaidelytė, Associate Professor, Vice Dean for Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
“Historical Trends and Reasons for Migration in Lithuania”
Dr. Rimantas Rauleckas, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
“The survey on emigration intentions in Lithuania: the overview”
Dr. Eglė Butkevičienė, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
Jolanta Vaičiūnienė, Head of Municipal Training Center, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
“The Role of Local Government in Implementing Migration Policy: strategic plans and real actions”
Dr. Paulina Budrytė, Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
“Civic dimensions and intention to emigration, including NGO involvement”
14:30 – 15:00 Break
15:00 – 16:00 Workshops: drafting possible policy responses to emigration
Moderators: Dr. Thomas Bryer, Dr. Paulina Budrytė
16:00 – 16:15 Co-creating recommendations: summary of workshop results
16:15 – 16:30 Closing of the day
Dr. Thomas Bryer, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida (USA)
Organisers:
Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology
Conference language: Lithuanian, English.
Date, place: May 18, 2022, A. Mickevičiaus str. 37, Kaunas, room 202.
The conference is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. Research project: “The importance of non-economic factors to the emigration of the Lithuanian population”, under the Programme “Improvement of researchers’ qualification by implementing world-class R&D projects” (Agreement No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712–01–170)
Organising Committee:
Chair:
Dr. Ainius Lašas, Assoc. Prof., Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Members:
Jolanta Vaičiūnienė, Head of the Municipal Training Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Dr. Thomas Bryer, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU and Public school of administration at UCF
Vytautas Valentinavičius, PhD Cand. In Political science at Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Dr. Eglė Butkevičienė, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Dr. Eglė Vaidelytė, Assoc. Prof., Vice Dean for studies of Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Dr. Paulina Budrytė, Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Dr. Rimantas Rauleckas, Assoc. Prof., Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Ramunė Miežanskienė, PhD Cand. in Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
Jolita Ramanauskienė, Administrative Assistant of the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at KTU
