The General Assembly of the MENA Migrant Health Project took place in Tunis and Sousse, Tunisia, on 19-21 September 2023. After the welcoming session, hosted by the Spanish Ambassador in Tunisia, a significant part of the meeting was dedicated to presenting the progress of the project. To this end, the research working group presented the results of the systematic review, the findings of the qualitative study carried out in Morocco and Tunisia and the methodological plan for the evaluation and validation of the tool currently under development.
The team from Morocco shared significant progress in the establishment of the Migrant Health Secretariat in Morocco (Scientific Committee on Migrant Health), which is at an advanced stage. This accomplishment not only signified progress but also served as a source of inspiration for Tunisia,Egypt and Sudan partners, which are also entitled to establish a Migrant Health Secretariat in their countries.
In addition to the technical aspects of the project, the meeting focused on improving management and coordination, particularly with regard to future meetings and activities. In fact, Badr University was officially announced as a new partner in Egypt and it was agreed that the next meeting will be held in Cairo in September 2024.
Reinforcing the academic dimension of the project
The PhD programme is an integral part of the MENA Migrant Health project. During the meeting, the ‘PhD Guidebook’ was presented, serving as an essential resource to further define the PhD programme. The meeting also saw progress in the formation of joint supervision agreements, strengthening collaborations among partner universities and the University of Barcelona.
The meeting culminated in the “International PhD Symposium†in the Medicine Faculty of the University of Sousse where students presented their thesis proposals, preliminary findings, and progress before an international evaluation committee. This symposium underscored the importance of the academic component within the project and reaffirmed the commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers specializing in migrant health.
