UNESCO CHAIR IN REFUGEE INTEGRATION THROUGH LANGUAGES AND THE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

That this House congratulates the University of Glasgow on its formal recognition by UNESCO's Director General as a member of its prestigious universities network, the UNESCO Chairs, for high-quality research that is working to further UNESCO's peace building mission; notes the establishment of the first UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts which will be led by Professor Alison Phipps, Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies, in the School of Education; recognises that the purpose of the UNESCO Chair is to promote the integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on how the integration of refugees into new communities can be promoted through languages and the arts; further notes it will be delivered in partnership with the University of Glasgow's Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, a collective of international researchers, artists, public and third sector organisations particularly from Gaza and Ghana; welcomes its appointment of two Glasgow based artists-in-residence, Gameli Tordzro, a Ghanaian multiple arts professional, and Tawona Sithole, a poet from Zimbabwe; applauds the commitment to and support for refugees since the 1930s when the University was a haven to academics fleeing the Nazi regime; celebrates the ethical and intellectual solidarity of the University of Glasgow; calls on this Government to adopt similar principles in education and building intercultural understanding; and further calls on the Government to commit to protecting freedom of expression by adopting an international outlook and the welcoming of other cultures and ideas.