Aiming at doing more, better and faster, the RRM is underpinned by four core principles, which are:

protection – make sure that the academic opportunities provided offer a safe, protective and healingenvironment to crisis-affected students; 
access – ensure that crisis-affected students are provided with quality higher education opportunities to complete their studies; 
equity – ensure access is provided to the most vulnerable students, notably young women; 
empowerment of individuals and communities – make sure that higher education provides the advanced capabilities necessary for societies to assume genuine ownership of the recovery process.

SHORT TERM STRATEGY – RUNNING A PILOT

We are inviting members of the global academic community (universities, polytechnics, colleges and other higher education providers as well as associations of universities and students), international and regional organizations, foundations, NGOs, the private sector to run a one-year pilot of the RRM during the 2018-2019 Academic Year. 

For all

♦ What does it mean?

⊲ To be part of the core-group of the RRM founders

⊲ As part of it, to develop close collaboration withthe RRM Task Force and other stakeholders in order to monitor the pilot and evaluate it in July 2019 before the RRM is upgraded and fully operational.

♦ What does it require?

⊲ Making a commitment to be part of the RRM project over one year to be announced on 5 April at the International Conference on “Higher Education in Emergencies”.

For Universities and other higher education providers

♦ Running the pilot will require that each university/higher education provider commits to:

⊲ Host a number of refugees or students coming from humanitarian crisis settings (minimum 5 students, 40% at least being female students) offering them tuition fee waivers during the 2018-2019 academic year.⊲ Provide these students with a similar scholarship scheme that will allow them to cover living costs and other expenses such as student accommodation. Within the pilot, a few scholarships will be available, in some casesprovided by other partners.

⊲ Raise within each academic community (involving students, professors, staff, services providers) on a voluntary basis the “YES!” (youth education solidarity) levy of at least 1 euro/pound/US$ once a year, maybe on the occasion of the annual registration, which will be deposited in a specific bank account.

⊲ Universities/higher education providers will be responsible for managing their YES! accounts at local level and for allocating each account to its own scholarship program for refugee students. They are also strongly invited to⊲ Universities/higher education providers will be responsible for managing their YES! accounts at local level and for allocating each account to its own scholarship program for refugee students. They are also strongly invited todevelop a matching gift program (for instance one-for-one) in order to boost contributions.

⊲ The amounts raised within the various YES! accounts will be accounted for as if it were a single fund – the “Global Virtual YES! Fund” – in order to be able to show results of collective action at global level and generate additional traction.

⊲ Appoint a Focal Point for all issues related to the project who will participate in follow-up web meetings with the RRM Task Force and in the final assessment and recommendations.

⊲ Through their Focal Points universities/higher education providers will share with the RRM Task Force best practices and lessons learned in the framework of the integration of these students into academic life. Every partner can raise concerns at any time, with the possibility for discussion amongst all members on a regular basis. The RRM Task Force can provide solutions for these concerns or suggest measures to mitigate their impact.

⊲ Universities/higher education providers might decide to organize some joint activities – namely web activities – involving the academic staff and students to hold broader discussions on topics related to the pilot.

⊲ Universities/higher education providers might want to convene joint high-level meetings with governments and other parties concerned. If one party organizes a meeting with external bodies on operations covered by the RRMpilots, the other organization will be invited.

⊲ Universities/higher education providers will take measures to enhance the visibility of their co-operation and joint activities within the RRM Platform to the general public. All parties will mutually support each other intheir relations with the media and with regard to web contents.

For Partners

♦ Running the pilot will require that each partner commits to share its own experience, knowledge and know-how on topics related to higher education in emergencies in order to: 

⊲ foster collaborative responses to crises

⊲ contribute to strengthening academic capacity to respond to crises through the development of new tools, common approaches, guidelines and pathways as well as best practices that can be replicated

⊲ contribute to upholding article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to implementing paragraph 82 of the New York Declaration

⊲ improve accurate and disaggregated data collection definition, modules and processes

⊲ improve understanding of crisis situations, higher education needs and early planning for timely action

⊲ strategize coordinated action in order to align it as much as possible with global priorities, such as the Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (namely SDG 4, 5 and 16), the Agenda for Humanity and the Global Compacts

⊲ explore untapped revenue potentials

⊲ plan, conduct, follow up and monitor advocacy actions in order to inspire political commitment so that higher education is viewed both by governments and donors as a top priority during crises

⊲ leverage the media.

♦Each partner should appoint a Focal Point for all issues related to the project who will participate in follow-up web meetings with the RRM Task Force and in the final assessment and recommendations. Every partner can raise concerns at any time, with the possibility for discussion amongst all members on a regular basis. The RRM Task Force can provide solutions for these concerns or suggest measures to mitigate their impact.

♦ Partners might decide to organize some joint activities – namely web activities –to hold broader discussions on topics related to the pilot.

♦Partners might want to convene joint high-level meetings with governments and other parties concerned. If one party organizes a meeting with external bodies on operations covered by the RRM pilot, the other organization will be invited.

♦Partners will take measures to enhance the visibility of their co-operation and joint activities within the RRM Platform to the general public. All parties will mutually support each other in their relations with the media and with regard to web contents.

WHAT DOES THE RRM PLATFORM OFFER?

♦ The RRM is a unique platform for dialogue and cooperation on higher education in emergencies bringing together a wide range of partners.

♦ It aims at creating the right ecosystem that allows universities, polytechnics, colleges and other highereducation providers to do more, better and faster in times of crisis.

♦ During the pilot, the RRM will foster collaborative responses, strengthen academic capacity to respond to crises, mobilize extra resources, promote a better understanding of humanitarian crises and higher education needs and inspire political commitment at international and regional level so that higher education is viewed both by governments and donors as a top priority during crises.

♦ At the end of the pilot, the RRM will conduct an assessment of the experience and in collaboration with partners will issue recommendations for the full operational phase that will start in September 2019.

♦ The RRM will have no dedicated secretariat at least during the one-year pilot experience. However, an informal group of coordinators – the RRM Task Force – will be set up. It will consist of up to 7 members. Together they will assist the Network of Partners and the Academic Consortium and will be responsible for the advancement of the RRM. 

PRIORITY OBJECTIVES FOR THE PILOT

♦ The one year pilot aims at bringing together a core group of partners working together with a  number of universities and other higher education providers around the world in order to do

♦ Within this broad set of objectives, a more detailed and concrete agenda is to be set by the RRM Taskforce, once it is operational, said agenda to be discussed and agreed with participants in the pilot.