Association of Iranian Researchers held its sixth annual conference at SOAS - London University during the month of February.

The title of the conference, 'Iranians' living outside Iran, is also the title of a major research study that Association of Iranian Researchers is undertaking in UK, France, Germany, Sweden, and USA. The research concerns the Iranian migrant / refugee community with the aim of identifying its particular needs, which it believes to be different to other migrant communities that have settled in the 'West' with the hope of formulating recommendations to be promoted on an international level.

The conference succeeded in bringing together different experts, charities, and organisations for exchange of ideas and experiences. Twenty six speakers from five European countries presented papers discussing subjects as varied as the problems of Iranian women refugees to the importance of Persian language in keeping the Iranian cultural identity alive outside Iran. The strong presence of successful Iranians at the beginning of the conference highlighted the accomplishments of Iranians and paid tribute to their achievements.

One of the most successful panels addressed the achievements and challenges facing young Iranians growing up and living in the 'West'. For the first time they were given the opportunity to air their views and address the issues concerning their lives outside Iran. In a lively session, they agreed that while being confident and proud of their 'Iranianness' they used western values to their advantage and how this helped them in being the best in their chosen field.

One of the other well attended sessions looked at the consequences of recent parliamentary elections in Iran. Through the analytical views of specialists outside Iran the expert panel discussed Iran's major socio-economic problems and looked at long term plans for the future.