Regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration launched in Soria
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 Soria, 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!
“In the process of integrating migrants, we must involve the local population in the design and development of the activities”
Province of Soria - Courtesy of Fundación Cepaim
On 22 March 2021, IOM Spain, in cooperation with Fundación CEPAIM and ICMC Europe (lead of the SHARE Network) organized the first roundtable of the regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration in the Province of Soria, located in the Spanish Autonomous Region of Castilla y Leon.
The two-hour event took place online and gathered 16 stakeholders active in the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in the region. This included representatives from regional authorities and agencies, local authorities, political representatives, as well as several civil society organizations.
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 had an exchange on the concept of « inclusive territories » and its meaning. The main result of the roundtable was to bring together a diversity of actors with experience in integration in rural areas of Soria. They contributed a great deal of knowledge on the issues we discussed. The participants went on to discuss ways to involve local populations in the integration of migrants and highlighted examples of good practices in the participants’ own municipalities and organizations. The roundtable brought about several crucial insights, including:
the necessity of giving migrants and refugees a voice and empowering them in their own integration;
the importance of rights, housing and language learning in the integration process;
the benefit of migration to rural and often depopulated Spanish regions;
the fundamental role of facilitators and community leaders in communities and the positive value of multicultural societies;
the difference between integration and coexistence.
These conclusions contributed to creating a strong evidence-base on social orientation and integration in the region, which will help shape upcoming activities.
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 Soria on the regional webpage.