Objective

The project aims to promote the participation of refugees and migrants in the design and implementation of integration and related policies at local, regional and national level in seven EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Romania.

The specific objectives of the project are:

To support the establishment and/or strengthening of 7 migrant councils at local and regional level.
To promote the exchange of experience between local and regional public authorities on the participation of migrants in the design and implementation of integration policies.
To increase the capacity of local and regional authorities to effectively consult migrants on policies that directly affect them.

Issue

The project addresses the following issues:

The general perception of migrants as helpless victims/recipients of aid, which exhausts the social assistance systems of the countries.
The limited ability of migrant communities to self-organise and the lack of advocacy skills of migrant-led organisations.
The inability of local authorities to develop and actively involve migrant-led advisory committees due to lack of motivation.

Activities

The project addresses the challenges through the following activities:

transnational exchange of best practices;
a capacity building programme for migrant-led organisations (and informal groups) that encourages their participation in policy-making, community-based participatory action planning[1] for the establishment of new migrant councils;
a capacity building programme for local/regional authorities,
dissemination of project results at national and EU level to broaden migrant participation;
preparation of an international conference.

Who is behind the initiative

The project is funded with the support of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) of the European Union and is implemented in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Romania, by the following organizations: WCIF (BG), Suedwind (AU), Mission Wings Foundation (BG), ASSFAM (FR), KMOP – Center for Social Action and Innovation (GR), ActionAid (IT), Szjubektiv (HU) and PATRIR (RO). The initiative will involve local and regional authorities – Municipality of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria, Municipality of Neapolis-Sikeon in Greece and the Regional Government of Campania in Italy.

Results

The main result of the project is the creation of Migrant Councils following the example of the expert project partners from Austria, adapted to the local context.

In Bulgaria, the Migrant Council was established as a new structure of an already existing NGO from Stara Zagora, working for the rights of migrants. As a result, individuals and migrant communities were identified who, through consistent capacity-building and empowerment policies, developed their skills and competences to take greater control over their own lives and contribute to inclusive local development. A series of cultural encounters and culinary events with migrants from Syria, Argentina, India, Turkey, Japan, Vietnam and Moldova contributed to community cohesion.

As a result, the project challenged the common perception of migrants as helpless victims and recipients of aid who exhaust the social welfare systems of countries.

Learn more on the Initiative’s website: https://migrantvoicesproject.eu/