Dear Colleagues, 

the Ukrainian crisis and the violation of human rights to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of civilians raises questions about the role that Universities can play in the construction of a European unity based on solidarity. 

With this intention, thanks to the solicitation of the students of the Course of Law and Religion, who have in turn involved all the student associations of the University of Naples, we have set up a point of collection of necessities within the University Federico II of Naples for Ukrainian refugees in Romania. 

The initiative was launched as part of the International Agreement signed between the Department of Law of the University of Naples Federico II, of which I am responsible, and the University of Cluj-Napoca. The activities will be organized in agreement with the Center for Documentation and Research on Migration of Baia Mare, which cooperates with non-profit organizations directly engaged in the first reception and assistance of refugees, especially women and children, and with religious communities operating near the border between Romania and Ukraine, such as the Diocesan Caritas of Maramures, the Benedictine Sisters of Charity of Sighet, the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor of Sighet, the Listening Centers of Strâmtura and Vişeu. 

The synergy that has been activated is a way to make concrete an International Agreement between Universities, which is above all an agreement between people who meet, and can represent in these moments an important tool to deploy on the social level the civil commitment of the scientific and academic communities for the protection of the fundamental rights of each individual. 

Dialogue can stem the madness! Let’s hope so. 

Prof. Maria D’Arienzo – Full Professor in Law and Religion at “Federico II” University, Naples