ASILE Civil Society Group
Mixed Migration Centre
Description of organisation
The Mixed Migration Centre’s Middle East Regional Hub has a objective to provide quality information and analysis to improve decision-making for people on the move through the Middle East and along the Eastern Mediterranean route into Europe, as well as for host governments and humanitarian organisations who are involved in the response.
As part of the MMC global network, MMC Middle East (ME) works towards the objectives of the MMC by engaging in data collection, research, analysis and policy development on mixed migration.
The Middle East hub focuses on Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Turkey. Among the key themes covered in the Middle East region are the profiles, intentions, risks, socio-economic conditions and vulnerabilities of people in mixed migration flows as well as those stranded or stuck in protracted displacement.
Staff Profile
Simon Verduijn
Migration Specialist
Simon Verduijn is the Regional Migration Specialist for MMC Middle East and based in Amman. Simon has over nine years of experience in research, policy analysis, project management and coordination. He has been working in and on the Middle East region since 2015. Before joining the MMC, he worked as Solutions Specialist and Researcher for the Durable Solutions Platform, which is also hosted by DRC. Simon conducted research to generate knowledge and promote dialogue on the long-term future of displaced Syrians. He has also worked as ZOA’s Regional Program Advisor and Coordinator for the Syria Joint Response consortium. Before 2015, Simon conducted interdisciplinary research on the interface of water management, environmental studies, spatial planning, public administration and policy sciences in the Netherlands. Simon has a Bachelor (Utrecht University, School of Governance) and Research Master’s degree in Public Administration and Organisational Science (Utrecht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Tilburg University). He graduated cum laude with a study on public support for development aid. Simon also holds a PhD in the Policy Sciences (Radboud University Nijmegen) with a study on agenda setting and policy change.
Gerasimos Tsourapas
Consultant
Dr Gerasimos Tsourapas is Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the Department of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the politics of migrants, refugees, and diasporas in the broader Middle East. He is currently the Principal Investigator in three research projects: “The International Politics of Middle East Migration: Problems, Policy, Practice,” funded by a British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award (2018-19); “The Politics of Forced Migration in the Mediterranean: Interstate Bargaining and Issue-Linkage in Greece and Jordan,” funded by a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant (2017-19); and “Migration Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean – Inter-State Politics of Population Mobility in the Middle East,” funded by a Council for British Research in the Levant Pilot Grant (2017-19). He has published in leading journals including International Studies Quarterly, International Studies Perspectives, Third World Quarterly, and the Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies.
