University of Malta highlights migration narratives at SEA-EU staff week

From 21 to 23 January 2026, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Filozofski fakultet) at the University of Split hosted the Staff Week “Observatory for Migrations and Human Rights "– Migration and Sustainable Development Goals 2030”, organised within the SEA-EU Observatory for Migration and Human Rights (OMHR).

The three-day programme brought together OMHR representatives and participants from SEA-EU partner universities, including the University of Malta, alongside colleagues from the EUNICoast alliance (notably the University of the Balearic Islands and the University of Patras) and other universities from Italy and Spain. The programme combined invited lectures, workshops, and OMHR working meetings aimed at strengthening inter-university collaboration on migration and human rights research, policy engagement, and outreach.

The Staff Week was coordinated by Professor Marita Brčić Kuljiš, Head of the Centre for Human Rights Research and Education and the University of Split’s representative within the OMHR. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Marcela Iglesias (SEA-EU Alliance main coordinator), Professor Zoran Đogaš (Vice-Rector, University of Split), Professor Ina Reić Ercegovac (Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), and Dr Ángeles Jiménez García-Carriazo (Head of the OMHR).

Invited lectures were delivered by Associate Professor Ivana Restovć (Head, Transdisciplinary Centre for the Promotion of Sustainable Development), and by Professor Margalida Capellà-Roig and Pau De Vílchez Moragues (Vice-Rector for International Relations, Solidarity and Global Justice) from the University of the Balearic Islands.

Discussions framed migration through the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the principle of “Leaving No One Behind”, exploring how research, policy, and institutional practice can support rights-based and inclusive responses. Sessions addressed a wide range of themes including maritime migration, asylum law, access to healthcare, gender and migration, climate-induced mobility, and the growing role of digital tools (including AI) in migration governance, thereby reflecting the Observatory’s interdisciplinary focus.

The UM was represented by Dr Damian Spiteri Ph.D., Lecturer at the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, who presented on how migration narratives shape public opinion and policy choices, using Malta as a small-state case with a history of high visibility of sea arrivals.

He argued that public attitudes are often shaped less by “facts about migration” and more by the frames people repeatedly encounter and/or co-create, such as ‘crisis’, ‘security threat’, ‘humanitarian rescue’, or ‘economic contribution’, and that these frames can either increase or decrease the space for rights-based responses.

The UM delegation also included Ms Tazin Akter, Project Officer at the University of Malta’s SEA-EU Office, who contributed reflections connecting inequality and refugee protection to the SDG framework and the “Leaving No One Behind” commitment.

The week concluded with renewed commitment to knowledge exchange and joint initiatives across the OMHR network and partner alliances. Participants reviewed the Observatory’s progress and agreed on strategic priorities, such as strengthening impact monitoring, broadening dissemination beyond academia, and enhancing engagement with policymakers and societal stakeholders, to sustain long-term collaboration on migration, human rights, and sustainable development.