Regional multi-stakeholder cooperation platform for migrant and refugee integration launched in Vaucluse
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 Vaucluse, 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 is a need to create more networking in the field to enable training and job opportunities in rural territories”
Courtesy of Entraide Pierre Valdo
On 22 April 2021, Entraide Pierre Valdo 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 rural department of Vaucluse, in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
The two-hour event took place online and gathered 24 stakeholders active in the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in the region. This included representatives of regional authorities and agencies, public employment bodies, mainstream service providers in the field of health and education and civil society organisations.
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 migrant and refugee integration frameworks and practices in the region, recognizing the added value provided by the SHARE SIRA project as well as acknowledging the importance of cooperation among stakeholders working for (and with) newcomers. The discussion also allowed participants to identify challenges in the field of integration in Vaucluse and advance possible solutions to strengthen the autonomy of newcomers, such as offering more coherency in language training offer, investing in access to mobility and liaising with the local population to increase employment opportunities. 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.
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 Vaucluse on the regional webpage.