Fourth regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration in Teruel

The regional platform is set up in the framework of the Share SIRA project, our European project co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, which aims at strengthening and expanding the social orientation and overall integration of newcomers in rural territories in Europe. Besides Teruel, regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platforms have also been set up in 9 other rural regions in Europe. Click here to find out more about these regions!

On 30 March 2022, IOM Spain and Fundación CEPAIM, with the support of ICMC Europe (lead of the SHARE Network), organized the fourth roundtable of the regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration in the Province of Teruel, located in the Autonomous Region of Aragon in Spain.

11 stakeholders joined the online event, including regional authorities and agencies, NGOs, international organisations and regional associations.

Taking into account the theme of the 3rd of the Expert Group Meeting on access to European funding, the fact that the pilot projects are already underway and we had the experience of the selection of the proposals, as well as the start of the monitoring and evaluation process, the main points of discussion in the agenda were the following:

• Recommendations in the elaboration of proposals based on the experience in the selection of proposals for pilot initiatives in the territories in the framework of the SHARE SIRA project, 

• Monitoring and evaluation of pilot initiatives in Spain, France, Poland and Greece, 

• Designing together the national meeting: ideas and suggestions, 

• Forthcoming activities: webinars, look & learn visit national roundtable, etc. 

When co-designing the national meeting, the following questions were posed: 

• What issues do you think are currently relevant?  

• Are there any issues that you would like to explore in more depth? 

• Who do you think should be present at the national meeting?  

• How would you organise the national roundtable? 

It was pointed out that there is a need to look more closely at long-term actions in the light of the war in Ukraine and the huge amount of solidarity actions by society. Another proposed topic was to address issues such as the digital divide in rural areas, as well as rumours and fake news regarding migrants.  

Some other topics that were suggested for the national event were the importance of the community intervention, the role of second generations in integration in rural area and strategies to encourage citizen participation, having local key players and learning how to adapt to the local context. As for the structure, the possibility of having a plenary session with speakers and then small workshops, to make it more dynamic and enriching, was discussed.The participants insisted that both professionals in the sector and the general population should be informed of all the work that is implemented in the territory. Therefore, they value the regional platform as an opportunity to stay informed, network and connect with others. Participants also discussed the importance of disproving fake information about migrants and changing the discourse around migration in order to encourage the general population to be more accepting of newcomers.

The 4th regional roundtable was the last in the series of regional roundtables of the Share SIRA. Various stakeholders from Teruel have met over the past months to discuss the integration of newly arrived refugees and migrants. Fruitful discussions and interesting debates on integration needs, access to services and challenges faced by newcomers during the integration process took place, while participants had the opportunity to better coordinate, share their experiences and exchange good practices. Some of them will have the occasion to meet again at the National Roundtable that will take place this autumn 2022. Through the multi-stakeholder platforms, the Share Network has also been able to provide trainings tailored to the needs of local actors and to collect data on the region and integration frameworks in the form of Factfiles.

Through transnational activities and events, the project has also encouraged the exchange of practices and promoted inspiring grassroot practices at European level, thus making the link between practice and policy.

Share Network would like to thank all stakeholders who participated in the roundtables for their commitment and important contribution.

More information about the activities in Teruel can be found on the regional webpage.