Look & Learn Visit Report: Conference and Site Visit in Sigüenza, Guadalajara (Spain)
The Share Network, IOM in Spain and Fundación Cepaim organised a Look & Learn visit in Sigüenza (Guadalajara, Spain) on 7, 8 and 9 June 2022 to exchange lessons learned and good practices on the reception and integration of newcomers in rural areas.
Co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the best practice exchange conference and visit was organised within the context of the Share SIRA project, which expands and strengthens social orientation and integration approaches in 10 rural regions in Europe. The project is implemented in collaboration with the abovementioned partners, as well as Entraide Pierre Valdo (EPV), IOM Regional Office in Brussels, IOM Poland and the Regional Development Agency of Karditsa (ANKA).
Building on the positive synergies of the SIRA multi-stakeholder cooperation platforms and pilot actions, the objective of the Look & Learn visit was to showcase place-based social orientation and inclusion practices for newcomers in a rural area, as well as to foster peer learning and exchange between EU countries. The visit to Guadalajara is one of the two visits organised in the framework of SIRA. A second visit will take place in Grenoble (Isère, France) in September 2022.
During the two-day visit to Sigüenza, a European delegation of 43 participants from Belgium, France, Poland and Spain, participated in a series of interactive activities and conferences. Participants, most of them engaged in the reception and integration of newcomers in rural areas in their respective countries, were drawn from national, regional and local authorities, civil society organizations, local development groups, academia, volunteer groups, and some were migrants and refugees as well.
Some key recommendations identified include:
Moving to rural areas should be an informed and free choice for all.
Integration and rural development require an integrated approach. It is essential to ensure coherence and synergies between different policies. It is essential to ensure coherence and synergies between different policies. Improved provision of services and communications in rural areas (quality and affordable public housing; maintenance and/or creation of transport options, leisure, education, conciliation services, etc; and micro-credits for self-employment projects) would also strengthen the inclusion of newcomers.
National legal and policy frameworks should be developed to ensure easy access to status and effective integration of migration across all sectors and priorities. These frameworks should be accompanied by action plans with clear objectives, measures to be taken and a substantial budget. A mechanism for assessing the impact of policies on rural areas and on the migrant population should also be established.