Regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration launched in Lower Silesia
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 the Province of Lower Silesia, 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!
“There are areas where the local and migrant communities live next to, not with, each other”
Courtesy of IOM Poland
On 8 April 2021, IOM Poland and the SHARE Network organized the first roundtable of the regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration of the Polish province of Lower Silesia.
The two-hour event took place online and gathered 10 stakeholders active in the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in the region. This included representatives of regional authorities and agencies, civil society organisations and mainstream service providers, as well as academics and refugees.
Adopting a multi-stakeholder approach, the regional platform aims at fostering cooperation, coordination and knowledge sharing between stakeholders involved in refugee and migrant integration in the region, as well as pilot innovative inclusive territorial approaches for social orientation and integration to foster social cohesion.
During the first roundtable, participants exchanged on their activities in the field of integration, the current initiatives in place, the materials produced, and the good practices identified. They also discussed the needs of newcomers and the challenges they encounter in rural areas, such as the absence of targeted services and difficulties in accessing mainstream ones, especially those related to legalization of stay, employment and education, limited availability of language classes for newcomers, as well as lack of integration of migrants into local communities . The conclusions from the first roundtable thus contributed to creating a strong evidence-base on social orientation and integration in the region, which will help shape upcoming activities taking into accounts the assessed needs.
The stakeholders involved in the regional platforms will gather on three more occasions over the course of 2021/2022. You can find more information on the activities in Lower Silesia on the regional webpage.