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Securing the rights of urban refugees Key principles, laws, organisms and Support Offices in the EU
Copyright Š United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), 2016 All rights reserved United Nations Human Settlements Programme publications can be obtained from UNHABITAT Regional and Information Offices or directly from: P.O. Box 30030, GPO 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: + (254 20) 762 4266/7 E-mail: unhabitat@unhabitat.org Website: http://www.unhabitat.org This State of Osun Structure Plans Project, Nigeria was supervised by Alioune Badiane and Doudou Mbye and managed by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme Support Office (UN HAPSO), Abuja. HS Number: HS/xxx/xxx Disclaimer The designation employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic system or degree of development. The analysis, conclusions and recommendations of the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT or its Member States. Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced without authorisation, on condition that the source is indicated.
Acknowledgements Author: Celeste Villar Editor: Dominic O'Reilly Design and Layout: Peter Cheseret
Securing the rights of urban refugees Key principles, laws, organisms and Support Offices in the EU
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Contents Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1 Securing the rights of urban refugees........................................................................................... 2 Key principles, laws, organisms and support Offices in the EU................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Ensuring protection....................................................................................................... 4 Reception facilities....................................................................................................................... 5 Personal Interview, Refugee Status Determination (RSD) and Counselling..................................... 6 Family reunification...................................................................................................................... 7 Legal support and others rigths.................................................................................................... 7 Medical check.............................................................................................................................. 7 Language and Education............................................................................................................. 8 Shelter, housing........................................................................................................................... 9 Food, water and other services (transport, waste management, toilettes)................................... 11 Non-Food Distribution (NFIs) - clothes, hygiene items and so on................................................. 11 Communication and Information with host and local communities............................................ 12 Addressing special reception needs of vulnerable persons ......................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Stakeholders: who is on board................................................................................... 14 Municipalities and Government Agencies at National and Local level......................................... 15 Community Capacity Building (CCB).......................................................................................... 15 NGOs and volunteer organizations............................................................................................. 17 Local (Host) and Hosted (refugees) Community?........................................................................ 17 Private Sector and Donors.......................................................................................................... 18 Religious Institutions.................................................................................................................. 20 Coordination & Planning............................................................................................................ 20 Strengthen communication, transparency and visibility .............................................................. 21 Chapter 3: Integration...................................................................................................................... 22 Facilitating contacts with existing refugee communities............................................................. 23 Positive approach, supporting and welcoming communities....................................................... 23 Livelihoods and self-reliance....................................................................................................... 24 Meeting material needs............................................................................................................. 25 Promoting durable solutions...................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion................................................................................................................................ 26
1 | Securing the rights of urban refugees
Introduction This is not just a characteristic of displacement in the Middle East. A recent review of protracted displacement by the Overseas Development Institute showed that 59 per cent of refugees around the world are in urban areas, and this figure grows each year. More than half of all internally displaced people (those displaced in their own country) are also in towns and cities. Thousands of refugees who have been sent to Jordanian camps left as quickly as they could – legally or illegally – preferring to fend for themselves in an urban environment rather than live in isolation and dependence. This happens for a number of reasons. Cities are, for the most part, centres of economic growth and opportunity, where entrepreneurship and innovation are rewarded. They are also already very mixed and often socially tolerant places where, with the right support and enabling legislation, refugees can find work, educate their children and make a productive contribution to the local economy and society, in the years before they are able to return home. The challenges for Europe and european cities are huge xxxxxxxxxx
EU governments (largely acting on proposals from the European Commission, the EU’s executive body) are taking or have pledged to take a number of laudable steps to address various aspects of the refugee crisis. However, after some efforts to increase the focus on migrants and asylum seekers inside the EU, the focus of many EU governments now appears to have shifted decisively back to a default position. This is namely efforts aimed at preventing or discouraging people from attempting to reach EU territory, tackling smuggling networks and rapidly deporting individuals who do not have a right to remain in the EU. The EU governments must ensure that Europe’s response to this crisis matches its legal responsibilities and stated values. In a world characterized by rising displacement, conflict and human rights abuse, EU leadership is more important than ever. Together, EU governments should do much more to ensure access to effective protection and guarantee protection and respect for the rights of asylum seekers and migrants at EU borders and on EU territory. These Guidelines aims to support local authorities, organisations and citizens of european cities hosting refugees. xxxxx
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Securing the rights of urban refugees Protection must be provided to refugees in a complementary and mutually supportive manner, irrespective of where they are located. Thus, in addition to addressing the needs of those refugees who live in cities and towns, UNHCR considers it essential for host states and the international community to continue with their efforts to ensure that other refugees, including those in camps, are able to exercise all the rights to which they are entitled and are able to live in acceptable conditions. UNHCR also recognizes that the policy objectives set out in this paper will not be attained by the Office alone. If those goals are to be achieved then an appropriate resource base will be required, coupled with effective cooperation and support from a wide range of other actors, especially those host governments and city authorities in the developing world that so generously host the growing number of urban refugees. In this respect, UNHCR encourages States to respect and give practical meaning to the principle of international solidarity and responsibility-sharing.
Significant numbers of refugees take up residence in urban areas. Such movements can place considerable pressure on resources and services that are already unable to meet the needs of the urban poor. Refugees who move to a city often expose themselves to protection risks such as detention and deportation, especially in situations where they are officially excluded from urban areas and the labour market. These rights include, but are not limited to, the right to life; the right not to be subjected to cruel or degrading treatment or punishment; the right not to be tortured or arbitrarily detained; the right to family unity; the right to adequate food, shelter, health and education, as well as livelihoods opportunities.
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Key principles, laws, organisms and support Offices in the EU The EU, its institutions, and its Member States have specific legal obligations to individuals on its territory and at its land and sea borders. Governments should embrace the human rights and protection imperatives at the core of this crisis and respond in accordance with the fundamental values at the heart of the Union’s acquis communautaire. Since 1999, the EU has been working to create a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and improve the current legislative framework. New EU rules have now been agreed, setting out common high standards and stronger co-operation to ensure that asylum seekers are treated equally in an open and fair system – wherever they apply. The components of the CEAS are: • The revised Asylum Procedures Directive aims at fairer, quicker and better quality asylum decisions. Asylum seekers with special needs will receive the necessary support to explain their claim and in particular there will be greater protection of unaccompanied minors and victims of torture. • The revised Reception Conditions Directive ensures that there are humane material reception conditions (such as housing) for asylum seekers across the EU and that the fundamental rights of the concerned persons are fully respected. It also ensures that detention is only applied as a measure of last resort. • The revised Qualification Directive clarifies the grounds for granting international protection and therefore will make asylum decisions more robust. It will also improve the access to rights and integration measures for beneficiaries of international protection.
• The revised Dublin Regulation enhances the protection of asylum seekers during the process of establishing the State responsible for examining the application, and clarifies the rules governing the relations between States. It creates a system to detect early problems in national asylum or reception systems, and address their root causes before they develop into fully-fledged crises. • The revised EURODAC Regulation will allow law enforcement access to the EU database of the fingerprints of asylum seekers under strictly limited circumstances in order to prevent, detect or investigate the most serious crimes, such as murder and terrorism. Data collected under the EURODAC system enables authorities to determine whether asylum seekers have already applied for asylum in another EU Member State or have transited through another EU Member State irregularly (Dublin criteria of illegal entry).
Figure 1. the five components of the CEAS. The Reception Conditions Directive
The Qualification Directive Europe Asylum Acquis The Asylum Procedures Directive
The Eurodac Regulation The Dublin III Regulation
For more information on International and European law, refers to: “Compendium of Law for Refugees in the EU” UN-Habitat 2016.
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Chapter 1
Ensuring protection
5 | Securing the rights of urban refugees
Reception facilities Local authorities may establish temporary offices within the area intended to receive asylum seekers or otherwise install a reception area near the existing migration office. In some countries this role could also be shared with the office of the UNHCR. Asylum seekers should have easy and direct access to migration offices in order to register, apply for refugee status, report on protection problems and request help in the form of assistance and solutions. It is therefore essential for local authorities to establish reception arrangements
that are both accessible and convenient for refugees and which facilitate the work of the local staff working there. Local authorities must provide appropriate facilities in the waiting rooms and reception areas that are established in urban areas. Such facilities will include access to clean drinking water and bathrooms, adequate shade or heat and special facilities for people with disabilities and women, especially pregnant and lactating mothers and the establishment of child-friendly spaces in reception areas (as those managed by Unicef).
Germany to issue refugees with identity cards Germany’s Cabinet agreed on Wednesday (9 December 2015) to introduce an identity card for refugees. The document is supposed to be rolled out next summer, and will contain an extensive amount of data. EurActiv Germany reports. Asylum seekers will, in the future, be issued with a so-called proof of arrival. The draft law on improving asylum seeker registration and data exchange for that purpose was agreed upon by the cabinet relatively easily. The cards will include personal information such as refugees’ date and place of birth, as well as nationality and gender, and other
physical characteristics. The document will be issued by either an asylum seeker reception centre, or by Weise’s body itself (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany). “Without this card, there will be no asylum seeker benefits and an asylum application will not be permissible”
stored will be fingerprints, and a German address. Additionally, information regarding health, such as vaccinations will be included. In order to maximise the chances of integration, data on education and vocational training will also be collected. All public bodies will be able to access the database.
Interior Minister, de Maizière
The data will be collected from refugees as soon as possible, not just when an application is submitted, but during initial first contact with the authorities, and will be saved in a central register. Among the details that will be
Reception centres will be equipped with finger print matching systems, so that double registration or other errors do not occur. Source: EurActiv Germany reports.
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To be consider: • Internet access and plug area for mobile phones and others electronic that are useful for asylum seekers’ communication with families. • Good planning of services such as waste management, cleaning, primary health attention, ambulances, counselling staff and interpreters.
Personal Interview, Refugee Status Determination (RSD) and Counselling Applicants for asylum are usually entitled to a personal interview with a competent official. This normally takes place without the members of the family being present and in conditions that ensure appropriate confidentiality. A written report of the interview is drawn up, the contents of which may be submitted for approval by the applicant. However, the applicant’s refusal to approve the report cannot prevent the competent authority from taking its decision. With a view to ensuring substantive equality between female and male applicants, examination procedures should be gender-sensitive. In particular, personal interviews should be organised in a way which makes it possible for both female and male applicants to speak about their past experiences in cases involving gender-based persecution National measures dealing with identification and documentation of symptoms and signs of torture or other serious acts of physical or psychological violence, including acts of sexual violence, in procedures covered by this Directive may, inter alia, be based on the Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol). Member States shall also take into account the relevant training established and developed by
the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). Persons interviewing applicants shall also have acquired general knowledge of problems which could adversely affect the applicants’ ability to be interviewed, such as indications that the applicant may have been tortured in the past. Member States may make the personnel of another authority be temporarily involved in conducting such interviews. In such cases, the personnel of that other authority shall receive in advance the relevant training. A personal interview shall normally take place without the presence of family members unless the determining authority considers it necessary for an appropriate examination to have other family members present. The interview shall take place under conditions which ensure appropriate confidentiality and must ensure that the person who conducts the interview is competent to take account of the personal and general circumstances surrounding the application, including the applicant’s cultural origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or vulnerability; also the person who conducts the interview must not wear a military or law enforcement uniform. In the case of interviewing minors, the sessions must be conducted in a child appropriate manner. Take measures as soon as possible to ensure that a representative assists and represents the unaccompanied minor; ensure that the representative is given the opportunity to inform the unaccompanied minor about the meaning and possible consequences of the personal interview and, where appropriate, how to prepare himself or herself for the personal interview. Member States shall ensure that either a thorough and factual report containing all substantive elements or a transcript is made of every personal interview.
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More details on interview can be found on: ➜ Minimum standards for procedures for granting and withdrawing refugee status; and Directive on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection (recast): http://eur-lex. europa.eu/ ➜ Establishing Identity for International Protection: Challenges and Practices: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/ home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_ migration_network/reports/docs/emn-studies/ establishing-identity/0_emn_id_study_synthesis_ migr280_finalversion_2002013_en.pdf ➜ UNHCR handbook and guidelines on procedures and criteria for determining refugee status http:// www.unhcr.org/3d58e13b4.html
Family reunification Under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights any person has a right to respect for their private and family life. ‘Family reunification’ means the entry into and residence in a Member State by family members of a third-country national residing lawfully in that Member State in order to preserve the family unit, whether the family relationship arose before or after the resident’s entry. The European Commission has encouraged Member States to apply their discretion to increase, rather than limit, access to family reunification. For example, the Commission has called on States to afford the same possibilities to those benefitting from subsidiary protection as to recognized refugees, and to use their discretion ‘in the most humanitarian way’ to allow family reunification for extended family members ‘if they are dependent on the refugee’ (including by taking into account legal, financial, emotional or material support). This approach, if implemented across the EU, could help reunite families and reduce the number of people, including children, risking their lives to reach Europe.
The Directive is fully expressed in the Family Reunification Directive 2003/86/EU. It applies to all Member States with the exception of Denmark, Ireland and United Kingdom.
Legal support and others rigths The 1951 Convention also protects other rights of refugees, such as those to education, access to justice, employment and other fundamental freedoms and privileges similarly enshrined in international and regional human rights treaties. In their enjoyment of some rights, such as access to the courts, refugees are to be afforded the same treatment as nationals while with others, such as wage-earning employment and property rights, refugees are to be afforded the same treatment as foreign nationals. Special measures need to be considered with a view to addressing effectively the practical difficulties encountered by beneficiaries of international protection concerning the authentication of their foreign diplomas, certificates or other evidence of formal qualifications, in particular due to the lack of documentary evidence and their inability to meet the costs related to the recognition procedures.
Medical check Access to healthcare, including both physical and mental healthcare, should be ensured to beneficiaries of international protection. Member States shall provide necessary medical or other assistance to applicants who have special reception needs, including appropriate mental health care where needed. Member States shall ensure that persons who have been subjected to torture, rape or other serious acts of violence receive the necessary treatment for the damage caused by such acts, in particular access to appropriate medical and psychological treatment or care.
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Language and Education From BBC. 8 January 2016. http://www.bbc. com/news/world-europe-35258803 and https:// en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Refugee_Phrasebook Migrants crossing Europe are facing worsening conditions after snow blanketed large parts of the Balkans. Aid centres have been organised along borders to help the migrants as they attempt to make their way to their final destination. Medical charities say most patients are suffering with respiratory problems such as bronchitis and flu. BBC News spent an evening in a Red Cross centre on the Macedonian-Serbian border to watch a team of young medics at work.
It is important to note that the long hard days of travel, a poor diet, mental and emotional stress that refugees certainly impact upon their physical and mental health. Given these facts, local authorities can anticipate the equipment and medical facilities that will be needed to treat people arriving daily in the city. The logistical and technical deployment, as well as qualified staff, should be carefully planned and anticipated. To be considered: • Do I have enough medical staff and prepared spaces to do these medical checks and the continuous monitoring of public health? • Will it be possible to install a temporary clinic near the reception centres or neighbourhoods where refugees will remain? • Which partners are available in my city for this purpose - Red Cross, NGOs for medical or psychological support, the Doctors’ Association or the University?
Education is a basic right that restores hope and dignity in children driven from their homes. It is also an indispensable tool for integration, which empowers people to participate fully in their community and its political, economic, social, and cultural life. Local authorities must ensure that children receive primary school education, as well as identifying and supporting those who are unaccompanied, separated or otherwise at risk. For that purpose it will be important to reinforce existing delivery systems, whether they are public, private or community-based. Education is one of the highest priorities for refugee communities, provides intellectual stimulus that increases resilience, social and physical protection for children and youths living in displacement and ensures greater capacity to participate fully in civil society and family economies as adults. To be considered: • volunteering organisations that could give language courses and help new arrivals with cultural orientation, customs and lifestyle of the city. • creating policy and practices, which will give these children greater access to formal and non-formal education of an adequate quality and will eradicate discriminatory and xenophobic practices in its school system.
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German volunteers launch online phrasebook for refugees A Facebook group called Berlin Refugee Help has begun collating essential phrases that refugees might need as they travel to Germany. Almost 200 sentences have been collected so far in about 30 languages. In Dari or Slovenian, Turkish or Farsi, the lexical aids are divided according to three basic themes: orientation, health and legal vocabulary. “The phrasebook is a good idea; isn’t every phrasebook?” said Laszlo Hubert, a volunteer at a centre in Berlin where refugees register for asylum. “It’s like being at a concert without the music, albeit with the same amount of rubbish at the end of the day,” he said. “These people are living the same life as we are. What they usually need help with languagewise is medical attention, lawyers – and they’re hungry.” http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/germanvolunteers-launch-online-phrasebook-for-refugees
Language in the Netherlands To be able to participate in Dutch society, it is crucial to learn the language. Davor Gasparac: “If you don’t speak Dutch - - I’m sorry - - but you would never become a part of it. Never ever.” Refugees who were unable to learn the language at the time of their arrival felt that they were at a disadvantage in the following years. “I…immediately started to learn Dutch, because I wanted and needed to achieve some kind of security here and this is impossible without learning the language,” said Sinisa, a young Bosnian refugee (Korac 66). Such foresight helped Sinisa to enter into a university programme and obtain her degree. However, Boris, who came to the Netherlands from BosniaHerzegovina with his wife, commented, “I think that our adjustment would have been much easier if we’d been given a chance to learn the language properly immediately after our arrival. But we were not persuaded to learn it because of the way we were received here [in the asylum centre]” (Korac 65). He continued, “We haven’t been able to get any documents [concerning our status or diploma recognition] here without enormous difficulties and that’s also why we formed some sort of negative attitude towards this society” (Korac 65).
Shelter, housing.
2. Collective accommodation centres
In practice we can distinguish at least four types of reception sites/facilities.
Once the obligation to stay in the initial reception centre ends, asylum seekers should be accommodated in collective accommodation centres. These are usually located within the same Federal State as the reception centre to which the asylum seeker was sent for the initial reception period. Asylum seekers are obliged to stay in the municipality to which they have been allocated for the duration of the procedure. Depending on the country, organising the distribution and the accommodation of asylum seekers within its territories is the responsibility of the National Goverment. In some cases, States have referred
1. Initial reception centre For a period of up to six months after their asylum applications have been filed, asylum seekers are generally obliged to stay in an initial reception centre. Furthermore, asylum seekers from ‘safe countries of origin’ are obliged to stay in the initial reception centres for the duration of their procedures (at least in theory). Normally, initial reception centres are located either on the premises of or in proximity to a Migration Office.
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responsibility for accommodation to municipalities. The responsible authorities can decide at their discretion whether the management of the centres is carried out by the local governments themselves or whether this task is transferred to NGOs or to facility management companies.
centres or in other forms of accommodation such as hotels, hostels or privately-owned apartments. Therefore, various types of emergency shelters have been set up. These included gyms, containers, warehouses, office buildings and tents. The tents are not suitable for winter months.
3. Decentralised accommodation
The activities and nature of the assistance and protection may differ depending on the reception site/facility; however, they must always be designed with the best interest of the resident at their core to ensure the right to life with dignity.
For many municipalities the establishment and maintenance of collective accommodation has often been proven inefficient, in particular against the background of decreasing numbers of asylum applications from the mid-1990s onwards. Accordingly, during that period many collective accommodation centres were closed and municipalities increasingly turned to accommodating asylum seekers in apartments. In some situations, temporary accommodation and reception can also be organized through host families and rental subsidy schemes or independently arranged with family and friends.
4. Emergency shelters With the massive increase in numbers of newlyarrived asylum seekers in 2014 and 2015, reception capacities have often reached or exceeded their limits. Accordingly, a large number of asylum seekers was not accommodated in initial reception centres at all, although the law provides that they have to spend the first phase of the asylum procedure in such a centre. In many places the authorities could not arrange for sufficient accommodation in the existing
To be considered: • What is the role of local community, state and non-state stakeholders and how can they contribute to core functions of shelter and protection? • Identify tasks where the involvement of the local community is particularly valuable and outline how this can be supported and coordinated. • Specific facilities dedicated to the hosting of unaccompanied minors are also established. • Reception Centres must be provided with common areas as well as access to Internet, computers and plugs (for charging electronics). • The provision of security personnel, crowd control specialized personnel and fire safety.
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Successful initiatives A German group which matchmakes citizens willing to share their homes with refugees said it had been overwhelmed by offers of support, with plans in the works for similar schemes in other European countries. The Berlin-based Refugees Welcome, which has been described as an “Airbnb for refugees”, has helped people fleeing from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. More than 780 Germans have signed up to the Refugees Welcome website and 26 people have been placed in private homes so far. Accommodating a refugee does not have to mean losing out on the rent of a room, Refugees Welcome said. In a third of the cases, costs are covered either by the job centre or social welfare payments, and a quarter of the rents are paid for via micro-donations to the site. Others have been taking refugees into their homes on their own initiative, even politicians. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/berlin-groupbehind-airbnb-for-refugees-overwhelmed-by-offers-of-help
Icelanders call on government to take in more Syrian refugees Thousands of Icelanders have called on their government to take in more Syrian refugees – with many offering to accommodate them in their own homes and give them language lessons. “I want to help one displaced family have the chance to live the carefree life that I do,” wrote one Icelander. “We as a family are willing to provide the refugees with temporary housing near Egilsstaðir [eastern Iceland], clothing and other assistance. I am a teacher and I can help children with their learning.” “Refugees are our future spouses, best friends, or soulmates, the drummer for the band of our children, our next colleague, Miss Iceland in 2022, the carpenter who finally finished the bathroom, the cook in the cafeteria, the fireman, the computer genius, or the television host.” http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/icelanders-callon-government-to-take-in-more-syrian-refugees
Food, water and other services (transport, waste management, toilettes) When considering how to take care of asylum seekers in Community Centres or transit sites, the local authorities should plan carefully how to provide food and water (for consumption and hygiene purposes) as well as other basic services such as toilets, showers, waste management, drainage systems and cleaning services. It is important to develop a realistic and accurate plan about quantity and quality of the food considering for how long this will need to be supplied and the kind of food needed depending on culture and religion customs. It is important to offer balanced meals that help people overcome fatigue and disease acquired in the long journey and low temperatures that were endured in order to reach Europe. Transport services should be available for people to move, for example, from the Collective Centre or a private home to the Migration Office to continue with the processing of asylum claims. To be considered: • Water systems for hygiene purpose (cold and hot water), laundry area, and drainage system. • The management of garbage collections. If the asylum seekers are asked to separate waste for recycling purposes, then a sensitization campaign and some information flyers must be distributed in their own languages.
Non-Food Distribution (NFIs) clothes, hygiene items and so on In addition to the food distribution, the distribution of other necessary items is essential to ensure the right to live with dignity at the Reception Centres. The distribution of these items should be planned with care and fairness to maintain security and a good atmosphere in the Centre. In terms of protection, priority must be given to more vulnerable persons such as pregnant women,
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elderly, sick or disabled persons (physically or mentally) and unaccompanied minors. There are three types of distribution: in-kind, cash transfer or voucher distribution. Regardless of which model is applied, protection, dignity and the integrity of residents must be respected at all times. To ensure effective distribution, it is important to have a clear distribution process related to times, locations, distribution points, contact persons and to communicate the process to residents of the reception site. They can then participate and help with the organization of the distribution and/or translation. Keep in mind that, if the beneficiaries are many, the distribution can be divided by group and schedules for several times in a day or for up to two days. Also consider the presence of security/ crowd control personnel to ensure a safe, dignified and a non-violent setting. The basic items that should be distributed to people are hygiene products (taking into account the specific needs for women and newborns), clothing and footwear (differentiate well between men, women, children and newborns). Consider as well special items such as wheelchairs, walk and seat canes, baby strollers, baby chairs ad holders. To be consider: • Which distribution system is more convenient for this site and why? Have a detail plan of the personnel needed for the distribution and timetable. • Asses the need of people, before distributing. Make sure that happens regardless of the urgency required. • Monitor and evaluate the distribution and report on items distributed and how useful they proved to be. • Remember the need for a good communication strategy to residents as it is essential for the development of the distribution and to avoid incidents.
Communication and Information with host and local communities National authorities must provide general information on rights and obligations of asylum seekers but this task can be enhanced by local governments. The importance of an accurate and updated communication with refugees is crucial. Most have had little or no access to media and information sources during their long trip and come with many doubts and fears about their destiny in the coming months. The Reception Centre should inform people, if possible in writing and in a language which they can reasonably be assumed to understand, of their rights and duties under the Asylum Seekers Procedure and that, although these right and duties are the same within the European Union, certain customs and procedures may vary from one country or city to another. The Reception Centre shall also inform the asylum seeker about who is able to provide legal counsel and which organizations can advise him on accommodation and medical care. In practice, the initial Reception Centres hand out leaflets which contain information on where and when asylum seekers can receive advice or assistance. This can be done also at any kind of accommodation centres or emergency shelters. To be considered: • Contact the National Office of UNHCR, NGOs working with refugees and protection or any Civil Volunteer Organisation that can help with editing and distributing the information. • At present there are many websites to help refugees with information in their own languages. Also, information can be upload on the City Hall website or NGOs’ web sites. • Create information mapping and corresponding communications guidelines and list the basic information in terms of legal rights and
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procedures, societal/cultural information and other necessary facts for the asylum seekers. • Local government can update the local population and give information about the work the city is doing with refugees; this can help with integration and cohabitation.
Addressing special reception needs of vulnerable persons In the Reception Conditions Directive of the EU there is provision for vulnerable persons (Articles 21-25) such as minors, unaccompanied minors, disabled people, elderly people, pregnant women, single parents with minor children, victims of human trafficking, persons with serious illnesses, persons with mental disorders and persons who
have been subject to torture, rape or other serious form of psychological, physical or sexual violence, which includes victims of female genital mutilation. It is important to note that not all vulnerabilities and/or needs are directly visible to the eye. Special needs should be taken into account as part of the admission procedure to the initial reception centres, and social workers or medical personnel in the reception centres can assist with applications for specific medical treatment. Unaccompanied children should be taken into care of a youth welfare office (or the office in charge of minor in your country) to seek adequate accommodation. For elders who are migrants, there is a good practice guide published at: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/resource-centre/content/migrant-eldersgood-practices
Multicultural counseling with the immigrant and refugee communities By Shabnam Etemadi December 4, 2013
…. Their shyness to share and to speak in group with their minimal English creates a soft, whispered effort to disclose issues and fears. As the facilitator, I use enthusiasm and a ‘thank you’ to create a safe space where they may be empowered to speak. There are a multitude of issues to take into account when engaging in counselling with immigrant and refugee youth and families. Individual counselling with immigrants with limited English proficiency reveals that aspects of cognitive behaviour therapy can be influential, but working in that person’s native language is preferred. Family counselling may require an interpreter because the parents lack the level of English that the child has mastered. Additionally, the technicalities of counselling are altered. For example, when working with adolescent immigrant youths, the child confirms or cancels appointments and makes decisions regarding mental health concerns more often than the parents. This can happen for a mixture of reasons but primarily is due to lingual hindrances for the parents. Another focal area of counselling with this population is bicultural stress. This concept plays a role in every family interaction at diverse degrees and influences both parents’ and children’s understanding of the world and themselves. Although they may be open to receiving counselling, this population is embedded in more than one culture, and these cultures may have conflicting values. Parents often prefer that an authoritative counsellor work with their child because, based on their viewpoint of counseling, that is culturally appropriate. Multicultural learning approaches must be mindful not to diminish the power of an individual’s journey. Academic understanding about collectivism, the ecological perspective and stressors involved in immigration are key elements but they are not skills. Skills are built by interacting with these communities and adapting activities or therapeutic techniques to best serve clients. With this population, culture may or may not play an active role in how individuals make sense of their lives and experiences. Working with refugee children and families - Update for Mental Health Professionals, the guide can be found at: Https://www.apa.org/pubs/ info/reports/refugees-health-professionals.pdf
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Chapter 2
Stakeholders: who is on board
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Municipalities and Government Agencies at National and Local level It is essential and advisable for the Heads of Municipalities to dedicate significant time and effort to responding to the refugee crisis and its effects. This will help build the community’s confidence in the municipal leadership. It is vitally important that municipalities work together with other government departments and agencies at local, regional and national levels. Coordination with the national government will be necessary, though often municipalities will be alone when solving problems and situations that have an impact on the local population. In every country there are laws and policies at the national level that must be respected as well as national assistance programmes to respond to the crisis, but day-to-day problem solving in an intelligent and sustainable way, will fall to municipalities. Thus, municipalities are advised to plan ahead for potential problems and brainstorm possible solutions to prevent increased community tension or worsen humanitarian conditions. This pre-planning will allow the municipality to respond quickly when needed. An important starting point will be to assign municipal a focal person to manage the refugee affairs and support staff to help coordinate and communicate with organisations and the community. For this person to be effective, they must be empowered to make decisions so they can respond quickly. They should have regular access to the municipality’s leadership to consult them on key issues. Moreover, it is strongly advised that municipalities implement control and monitoring measures to ensure transparency. The Heads of Municipalities should discuss with municipal employees how they can incorporate and implement these strategies in their day-to-day activities to respond effectively to the refugee crisis to alleviate suffering of both refugees and the host community.
Community Capacity Building (CCB) Community capacity building often refers to strengthening the skills, competencies and abilities of people and communities in developing societies so they can overcome the causes of their exclusion and suffering but it is also a way to empower people. In the actual situation, with thousand of persons waiting for their asylum process to be defined, this period is a good opportunity to start a process of capacity building and integration into the new society. The options available vary from language courses, introduction to culture and customs, basic school (for those who have not completed it) to more focused courses according to their experience and knowledge and, of course, the needs of companies and the labour market. An effective capacity-building process must encourage participation by all those involved. If stakeholders are involved and share ownership of the process of development then they will feel more responsible for its outcome and sustainability. Engaging stakeholders who are directly affected by the situation allows for more effective decisionmaking and also makes development work more transparent. Strengthening capacity is a core activity in the area of protection and also seeks to help States meet their international legal obligations to protect refugees. Through livelihoods programmes, municipalities also develop capacity, which helps displaced people become self-sufficient in their places of refuge and enhances the chances of finding a durable solution for refugees. But the task cannot be accomplished alone. It requires a partnership framework involving host and donor governments, humanitarian assistance and developmental agencies, civil society (including NGOs) together with refugees themselves.
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How municipalities can benefit from refugees An example from the implementation of the introduction programme in the Norwegian municipality of Molde. Example of an intervention: Molde municipality spares no effort when it comes to raising the qualifications of refugees. Maintaining a high-quality introduction programme is costly but when these efforts bear fruit and the refugees quickly obtain jobs and school places, the municipality reaps the advantages. If refugees are provided with proper qualifications, they will have an easier time finding a job. Moreover, the calculation is almost annoyingly simple: the municipality receives an integration grant for each refugee for a period of five years. If the refugee in question can already find a job after two years, the grant for the final three years is pure revenue for the municipality. We need to look for sustainable solutions. It makes no sense to have binding agreements with enterprises that have no need for the manpower once the work placement period through the introduction programme is over. says Aud Lisbeth Lillebostad, head of department of the refugee services, Molde municipality. Matching the refugee to the right enterprise is crucial. This leaves the enterprises with positive experiences and thus with motivation to accept more interns. The Nyhamna gas processing plant in Molde’s neighbouring municipality of Aukra is one of the large employers that are glad to accept refugees who need work placement. https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/content/how-municipalities-can-benefit-refugees
Towards a sustainable regional and local structure for adult education and training for low skilled adults in the Netherlands. Adult education as a basis for social inclusion and a modern knowledge-based economy. A modern knowledge-based economy such as that of the Netherlands can only reach social inclusion for all citizens and sustainable economic growth when education and training provides adults with sufficient basic and transferable skills to participate fully in society and keep them employable for the (future) labour market. The Netherlands expects to have a shortage in different sectors of the labour market because of a rapidly ageing population, a change from low-skilled jobs to those requiring higher qualifications and the gap between sectors most in need of skilled employees - such as technology and science - and the choices individuals make for their education. Whilst the data model primarily provides support for policy choices for target groups in the region or the municipality, the description of good practices and success factors offers tools for an efficient and effective approach. https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/resource-centre/content/towards-sustainable-regional-and-local-structure-adult-education-and
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NGOs and volunteer organizations Consider collaboration between Heads of Municipalities and municipal staff in your region and the organisations that are currently implementing services in their municipality. Also, learn about the type of services currently being implemented. Moreover, attend regional and/or national meetings with humanitarian organisations to develop bilateral relationships with NGOs. Municipalities are able to contact organisations (NGOs or volunteers) to request specific services based on community needs. Municipalities have taken the initiative and contacted organisations to specifically request services they lack. A key way to establish strong relationships is for municipalities to be responsive and organised when collaborating with humanitarian organisations, which makes working relationships stronger and consequently, have a greater impact on the community. Request that organisations consult with municipalities about the planning and implementation of services and projects in order to prevent duplication and mitigate tensions between the host and refugee community. Direct and support organisations can best implement their services through having a municipality focal person(s) and volunteers working alongside them. Organisations should be able to communicate with the municipality and contact them without difficulty in order to implement services and assess the needs of the community. Municipalities should be willing and able to provide support when organisations need assistance. Municipalities could allow for organisations to temporarily use public/private space(s) in their municipal buildings, or in the municipality, to work or implement services.
www.bildung-fuer-fluechtlinge.de. Considering the increasing inflow of refugees in Munich, the website will support the work of refugee organisations there considerably. The website was launched on 02 December 2014 and this event was attended by representatives of well-known charities from Munich. After only one week, the number of page views has largely exceeded all expectations.Â
Local (Host) and Hosted (refugees) Community? Engage the host and local community in municipal response, recruit municipal volunteers to help with the municipality’s response and services. For example, young people, both men and women, are prime candidates for these positions. They may want to gain additional leadership experience and exposure, or simply want to serve their community to improve the conditions, so working closely with the municipality on a volunteer basis would provide them with that opportunity. Engaging the host community in refugee response by creating opportunities for them to help the municipality, will reduce community tensions and help create communication channels between the host and refugee community. Host community members can participate in distributions or organise small recreational events. It can help bring people together to cooperate, while building people-to-people connections and ultimately generating stronger trust between groups. Municipalities are advised to establish community councils of both host and refugee representatives to resolve community disputes. Through the focal person(s), municipalities can identify representatives from the refugee and host community to informally resolve community disputes. These individuals are already regarded as important community figures and community
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members listen to their advice and respect their leadership. Municipalities are advised to maintain communication with them on a regular basis to resolve disputes and plan ahead to prevent increasing tensions and possible disputes. Another point to consider is to take measures to prevent tensions such as ensuring organisations provide fair distribution of services. Recommend specific projects, including identifying the exact location and type of service, to NGOs to avoid tensions from the perception that refugees have more access to services. Ensure municipalities and NGOs thoroughly discuss project implementation and its intended benefits to the host community and refugee population.
Private Sector and Donors “The time has never been better to pursue innovative solutions to this crisis�. Private sector, companies and donors will be important allies to implement the municipality strategic and programmes.
Invite donors to municipalities to learn about the needs. Inform them about the needs of your respective municipality and request their assistance and services; advantageous agreements can be established between both parties, which won the business and society. After the municipality has learned about the number of services and projects being implemented in its area and beyond, what is need is determining what type of support the municipality needs. Then create a list of donors that can possibly be reached and make contact with them to invite them to the municipality. Networking is important to obtain their contact information and this could come from other mayors, municipal staff or NGOs that have preestablished relationships with them. Companies can be involved by donating money, in-kind support or staff time. They can also provide jobs and training to the refugee community and, in this regard, it should draw up a joint plan to define the needs of labour and the possibilities of collaboration in the medium and long term. Another important aspect of this collaboration will be the need for training.
CANADA Sponsorship Refugee Sponsorship – Reach out to some of the more experienced sponsorship agreement holders for advice and/ or offer your support to them. There are many organizations who have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. Sponsorship agreement holders can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees. For example, through fundraising for one of their initiatives, offering to help if you have a special skill to volunteer such as trauma counselling or fluency in a refugee language such as Arabic or Kurdish.
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Fast Retailing to donate almost 50,000 items of clothing to refugees in Germany January 7, 2016, Berlin, Germany – Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., the leading Japanese retailer which operates several international brands, including UNIQLO, today announces the donation of almost 50,000 items of clothing to support people seeking asylum in Germany through the Winter. The distribution takes place through UNIQLO’s local partner, Berliner Stadtmission. The donation includes more than 39,000 pieces of new men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing, and around 10,000 items of gently-used clothing donated by customers at UNIQLO stores in Europe. More than 50 employees from UNIQLO Germany and abroad will volunteer to sort and distribute the items in refugee camps across Berlin and the surrounding area. “This initiative is the result of thousands of our customers in several countries donating gently-used clothing and shows how the sum of many individual actions can have a truly large impact. We are grateful for this support and the warm welcome we have received from Berliner Stadtmission and the many volunteers to implement this initiative as part of our 10 Million Ways to HELP Project” said Jean Shein, UNIQLO Global Director of Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.uniqlo.com/uk/corp/pressrelease/2016/01/fast_retailing_to_donate_almos.html
Five ideas for increasing private-sector refugee sponsorship from United Stated and Canada:
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Let Syrian-Americans and other immigrant communities sponsor their displaced countrymen without the high cost of state sponsorship. From 1987 to 1995, the Private Sector Initiative relied on the private sector to fund the processing, travel, medical care and resettlement costs for refugees. The programme processed more than 8,000 refugees, mostly Cubans, through the Cuban American National Foundation. In 1990, the Coordinator for Refugee Affairs approved a pilot programme for two non-profit organizations to privately finance the admission and resettlement of 8,000 Soviet Jews. Similar programmes could work today. Establish official programmes that allow private groups to sponsor refugees and help them to become self-reliant without using government funds. Since 1978, the Canadian Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program has resettled more than 200,000 refugees. Charitable organizations and groups of citizens pool funds to supply assistance to refugees. Research suggests these refugees become self-supporting far more quickly than those sponsored by the government. Americans should follow Canada’s example. Establish public-private partnerships that reduce taxpayer costs. The Blended Visa Office-Referred Sponsorship Program is another worthwhile Canadian initiative. The government and private groups each provide six months of initial refugee support. This blended programme does dip into public coffers but halves the cost for the first and most important year of refugee assistance. The Canadian programme has accepted 1,000 refugees each year since launching in 2013, at much lower cost than fully-funded government refugee programmes. Incentivize private fundraising for refugee resettlement through a government-matching program. If the government provides $1 for every $3 raised privately, for example, more refugees could escape persecution in their home countries. Leverage the power of federalism and let states implement their own refugee programs. Earlier this year, the Michigan State Legislature passed Resolution 09, which urged Congress to place 25,000 displaced Iraqis in the state.
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Private refugee sponsorship is an effective and fiscally responsible way to support displaced people. Icelanders have already showcased the compassion necessary for robust private refugee sponsorship.
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Religious Institutions Churches and religious institutions could be on board and collaborate in many ways. Some examples are: • They can promote volunteerism. • They can collect in-kind and money support • They can pass important messages to host and refugee’s communities • They can act as mediators in case of troubles between refugees communities, or refugees and government or the local community.
UK church leaders visit GreekMacedonian border to meet refugees Churches, Church leaders and aid organisations across Britain and Ireland are responding to the refugee crisis by calling on their governments to take action, encouraging donations from church members and providing support where possible, often through partner organisations. Senior UK Church leaders and representatives visited Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonia (FYROM) border, where they met some of the thousands of refugees fleeing conflict. Full report at: https://ctbi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ CTBI_refugee_report_final.pdf
Faith and Action - Spanish evangelicals issue guide on hosting refugees The Spanish Evangelical Alliance calls upon ‘the evangelical people in our country to consider, before God, what is their responsibility towards those who arrive to our doors.’ In Spain, several local administrations have created a network of shelter cities. Some think that ‘this is an opportunity for evangelical Christians to show God’s compassion towards the stranger, the poor and the widow.’ The Evangelical Alliance ‘calls the evangelical people in our country to consider, before God, what is their responsibility towards those who arrive to our doors.’ But the help offered needs to be effective and they take this as meaning that help should be ‘canalised through the local public administrations’ and in coordination with the churches. This material was produced by the authorization committee of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, formed by several professionals including a lawyer, a medical doctor, a social worker and a pscychiatrist.
Coordination & Planning Many actors are participating in this refugee crisis, aa mentioned above, not only NGOs and different governmental organizations but also Civil Society (including churches), the private sector and companies and so on. Therefore, coordination will be a key factor and it is important to determine who will carry it out. For that purpose, municipalities must identify the person and the team with well-defined tasks. Mayors, vice-mayors and municipal focal persons are encouraged to make the time to meet with other municipalities in similar geographical areas and exchange ideas and discuss problems/solutions with their peers. Meeting with other municipal staff from regional municipalities will also open up the possibility to collaborate on projects and/ or refer organisations/services to one another for mutual support. Planning is a key issue to give a better response an have an impact on the society. Municipalities are advised to plan ahead for potential problems and brainstorm possible solutions to prevent increasing
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community tension or making humanitarian conditions worse. This preplanning will allow the municipality to respond quickly, as needed. By including other actors at some point of the contingency plans, the municipality will respond in a more coordinated manner and ensure more efficiency in the response. More and more municipalities understand the importance of developing a contingency plan that will design a course of action, considering different scenarios, stakeholders and resources needed. The contingency plan should contain detailed guidance and procedures and it must be tested, changed and adapted to the context. It is an alive document that need to be updated regularly and, above all, be inclusive.
Strengthen communication, transparency and visibility Municipalities can consistently and immediately plan for newcomers by being prepared to register refugees, collect their personal information, know where they settle in their municipality and maintain consistent communication with them. The municipality is advised to have a system in place for refugee response and focal persons responsible for each task. When newcomers arrive, they should register in the municipality, record their basic information and provide registrants with a registration verification form with the contact information of the municipality and the focal person(s) responsible for refugee affairs. This will help keep the municipality records updated and establish stronger lines of communication with the refugee community. Municipalities are also advised to make themselves accessible to the community and organisations. Mayors and municipal staff can make themselves available to both the host and refugee communities. Both groups should indicate they are able to access the municipality’s decision makers and express grievances and needs. This could be done through regular open-office hours where
citizens can visit the municipality staff. It could also be done through frequent community events. Moreover, the municipality is advised to conduct home visits occasionally and make a strong effort to contact the elderly, women, the ill and those with disabilities who may be unable to come to the municipality in order to learn about specific grievances unique to them. Strong communication will be useful for managing tensions, enabling community events, and strengthening relations between the municipality and both the refugee and host populations. For example, if municipalities allow NGOs to work in municipal buildings along with city staff, this will improve the daily communication and interaction. In addition, this allows organizations to learn more about the challenges of the municipality and daily activities, builds confidence and can open the way for new opportunities. Allowing organizations to work in the municipality will also help to improve and increase the municipality’s visibility because the refugee communities and host will see the municipality playing an active role in responding to the refugee crisis, as well as organizations and municipalities working hand-in-hand to improve services and conditions. Another strategy to improve communication and visibility is to communicate regularly the results and the feedback given by society. Frequent speeches, public statements, radio interviews and/or newspaper articles can support this effort to inform positively on how the municipality is responding.
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Chapter 3
Integration
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Facilitating contacts with existing refugee communities
Positive approach, supporting and welcoming communities
By facilitating contact existing communities to new refugees, we can positively influence the process of reception and integration.
It is so important to welcome persons in a positive and humane manner, and to understand that these people have lost everything and are running away to save their lives and get a future. There are many ways to help and the involvement of the host community is the key.
These networks could facilitate the provision of information on the support that will be provided to asylum seekers and their families upon arrival, thereby contributing towards the management of expectations of applicants and reducing the potential for post-relocation secondary movements. Existing refugee communities can be beneficial and contribute in different ways, municipalities need to consider them and establish dialogue to discover the possibilities of collaboration.
For that, municipalities must promote social engagement and interaction between the host and refugee community and encourage local community organisations, Scouts/Guides, or sports teams to recruit youths from the refugee community to participate in recreational and sporting events. In Europe: http://www.refugees-welcome.net/
Good examples of Canadian Welcome How can I help refugees in Vancouver? http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/syrian-refugee-crisis-what-can-i-do-fact-sheet.pdf
Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) Welcome Fund for Syrian Refugees (Welcome Fund). www. communityfoundations.ca The Welcome Fund has been established to address the refugees’ immediate needs for transitional housing, job training and skills development as identified by the Government. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/welcome/index.asp?wbdisable=false
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Livelihoods and self-reliance Providing access to livelihoods and the labour market is giving protection if there is care taken to protect refugees from exploitative treatment by employers, landlords and traders. Urban refugees are often confronted with a wide range of legal, financial, cultural and linguistic barriers in their efforts to establish sustainable livelihoods. In many cases, they have little alternative but to join the informal economy, where they find themselves competing with large numbers of poor local people for jobs that are hazardous and poorly paid. In some cases, employers may actually choose to engage refugees rather than nationals, but only because they are less likely to complain or seek redress if they are treated unfairly. Municipalities need to support the efforts of urban refugees to become self-reliant, both by means of employment or self-employment. In pursuit of that objective, municipalities will work in close partnership with development agencies, microfinance organizations, banks, the private sector and civil society institutions, especially those that have experience in the area of livelihoods and have a good knowledge of local market constraints and opportunities. Livelihoods programmes will also be developed on the basis of comprehensive assessments of local challenges and opportunities. Organisations such as UNHCR are strongly advocating to encourage the authorities to be more flexible in their legislation and practice so as to facilitate the economic activities of urban refugees.
A story of self-reliance Halleh Ghorashi was raised in a secular family in Iran and became politically active at the age of 17 when the Revolution broke out in 1979. In 1988, she came to the Netherlands as an asylum seeker and was placed in an ROA centre (Regional Reception of Asylum Seekers). “I wanted to learn Dutch right away,” she wrote (Ghorashi 188). “I had heard from others that the special language courses for refugees were not fast and intensive enough, so I decided to follow an intensive course at one of the universities.” These courses were too expensive and, when she called a refugee aid organization to request financial assistance, she was surprised to hear that “the level of language courses at the universities [is] too high for refugees” (188). With the help of friends, she paid for the university-level course and, after learning quickly, was able to enrol in university with the help of the University Assistance Fund (UAF). During her third year as an anthropology student, she was denied asylum but appealed against the decision through her lawyer. “When I finally got my refugee status shortly after that, I was able to find a job immediately. I did not lose a second in the Netherlands, and this was only possible because I could move between the official lines [taking language courses and getting assistance from friends and the UAF to attend university]. And this was my salvation” (188). Ghorashi is now a Professor in the Department of Culture, Organization and Management at the Free University, Amsterdam. “I’m transnationally-oriented. I feel Dutch and often take part in the oranjegevoel (orange-feeling - a nationalistic or patriotic feeling towards the Netherlands),” she says. http://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledgebase/221-one-wayforward-former-refugees-and-successful-participation-in-thenetherlands
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Meeting material needs
Promoting durable solutions
Municipalities and NGOs could work together informing donors about the needs for refugees communities and the host community involved on the support. Coordination with stakeholders and planning is a priority for it underlines the needs and looks for necessary the finance or in kind support.
A durable solution for refugees is one that ends the cycle of displacement by resolving their situation so that they can lead normal lives.
With an overall budget (2014-2020) of Euro 3.137 million (USD 3.53m), the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) represents the main programme for the management of migration flows and the implementation of a common asylum policy, integration and migration policy. However, several other EU funds can be used by towns and cities to support the integration of refugees and migrants: The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), particularly focused on housing and urban development, supports the integration process of refugees through the investment on educational infrastructure and urban regeneration in areas in which are concentrated migrants and refugees. More than 20 billion euro is allocated to these inclusive growth measures for 2014-2020. Local governments may also receive limited support from the European Social Fund (ESF), to improve the employment opportunities of the refugees and migrants living in the Union.
The are three durable solutions: • Voluntary repatriation, in which refugees return in safety and with dignity to their country of origin and re-avail themselves of national protection • Local integration, in which refugees legally, economically and socially integrate in the host country, availing themselves of the national protection of the host government • Resettlement, in which refugees are selected and transferred from the country of refuge to a third State which has agreed to admit them as refugees with permanent residence status. Self-reliance is not a durable solution in and of itself but rather an important precursor to all three durable solutions. As a programmed approach, self-reliance refers to developing and strengthening livelihoods of persons of concern in an effort to reduce their vulnerability and long-term reliance on humanitarian and external assistance. Self-reliance among refugees thus: • reduces the burden on the country of asylum by decreasing refugees’ dependence on its assistance • boosts refugees’ dignity and confidence by giving them more control over their daily lives and hope for the future • helps make any long-term solution more sustainable as refugees who actively support themselves are better equipped to take on the challenges of voluntary repatriation, resettlement, or local integration
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Some examples of practice Using a ‘Conversation Club’ to assist integration through language: The Conversation Club(link is external) in Sheffield, England, combines support to learn and practise language skills with ‘extended activities’ such as weekend walks, museum visits, football and cinema visits. The aim is to reduce social isolation and promote integration using language learning as the basis for a range of activities, which are planned by the learners. Holistic approach to supporting the social, educational and economic integration: The Bridges Programmes(link is external) agency in Glasgow, Scotland, provides specialist support to help people into work, education and training. The support programme(link is external) available includes ‘life-skills’ support for refugees, work-focused employability support building on individuals’ previous skills and experience and work placements to offer develop skills in the UK context. Resources available include a toolkit(link is external) used for work with clients, which was developed in collaboration with The Open University and a toolkit(link is external) on empowering asylum seekers. New technologies to support learning and integration: The UK’s MoLeNET(link is external) programme uses handheld digital technologies to support learning. Several of its projects were targeted at migrants, asylum seekers and refugees (particularly in connection with learning English and using peer learning). Examples of such projects and their benefits are discussed in a British Council publication, ‘Innovations in English language teaching for migrants and refugees’(link is external) and a study(link is external) that accompanied the MoLeNET programme. Language development through empowerment: Reflect ESOL(link is external) (English for Speakers of Other Languages) was developed in the UK and takes a different approach to language support as part of the process of integration. Based on the work of the Brazilian educationalist, Paulo Freire(link is external), it uses a structured technique to empower learners to be more open and have more input into their own learning. A resource pack(link is external) is available for practitioners and an evaluation(link is external) validated the effectiveness of the approach. https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/blog/how-support-integration-migrants-refugees-and-asylum-seekers
Conclusion It is important for Heads of Municipalities to become even more creative in their response by focusing on the resources and capacities that are currently accessible to them. While a lack of financial resources is overwhelming, there are effective strategies that Heads of Municipalities can still adopt to improve their response to rising issues in their communities. Collaboration among all parties will allow for improved communication and coordination, as well as for possible points of partnership among municipalities and unions from the same regions.
Cities, local communities and regions have some of the toughest jobs in Europe right now, most obviously the effort to receive and integrate people in need of international protection. Local leaders are also facing the task of avoiding the creation of ghettos and assisting in the fight against radicalisation in their neighbourhoods. To ensure a coordinated and effective response at the EU level to host refugees, EU institutions and national governments must support the municipalities.
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