BRUSSELS, 8 May 2013 (ICMC) -- The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) today in Brussels held an awareness-raising, information-sharing and networking conference for civil society, local and regional authorities to promote more resettlement places for refugees and to help improve their integration across Europe.

The European Union’s Committee of the Regions with ICMC’s European office, co-hosted the event entitled ‘A City Says Yes! Welcoming resettled refugees in Europe.’ The event launched a new publication, jointly produced by ICMC Europe and German human-rights organization PRO ASYL.

The publication, A City Says Yes<, contains practical advice for cities throughout Europe to run grassroots campaigns promoting refugee resettlement and is derived from German civil society’s experience in launching the campaign.

“Politically you have to be very canny,” said Hilde Scheidt, Deputy Mayor of the German city that participates in the Save Me campaign, Aachen. “If a party is funding an insolvent football club it should also support refugee resettlement. Europe has very well guarded borders. These refugees have the right to be taken in by us. All of us politicians have tolerance among our principles and should act upon them when it comes to the crunch.”

The event took place in the framework of the SHARE Project, a European funded programme to build a network of European resettlement practitioners from municipalities, cities and regions to promote learning and sharing of experiences, thus improving the quality of resettlement in Europe and the number of places involved.

UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and ICMC, partners in the European resettlement network, of which the SHARE project that ICMC leads is a part, advocate for Europe to resettle 20,000 refugees as a target by 2020.

They argue that European countries should resettle more refugees, especially in cases of protracted crises and in emergency situations, as resettlement not only saves lives but is also a symbolic gesture of responsibility sharing with third countries that host the majority of the world’s refugees. Resettlement is one of three durable solutions for refugees alongside voluntary repatriation to the country of origin and local integration in the country of asylum.

Since reception and integration of refugees take place particularly at the local level, the SHARE project invites cities to share their experiences in that area and to express their commitment to resettlement and human rights, despite challenging financial and political conditions. Cities and regions can act as advocates for the establishment of national resettlement programmes as illustrated in the A City Says Yes publication.

Showing solidarity: Every single refugee life counts

Solidarity, however, is more often displayed by neighbouring countries than by countries further away, as is most obvious in the current crisis of Syria (with countries close by hosting some 4.1 million people).

Germany’s recent announcement to admit some 5,000 Syrians into the country demonstrates the value of such protection in crisis situations as a way to offer refuge to people who do not have any viable options left.

“Every single refugee life counts,” said Johan Ketelers, the Secretary General of ICMC. “Resettlement can be a very important protection tool in emergency situations.”

The building of better networks and other support systems such as SHARE, contribute to the success of resettlement, said Mr. Ketelers. He added that one of the lessons ICMC learned in the 62 years of its existence is that collaboration and shared moral responsibility are what make a difference.

“SHARE is a verb not a noun,” said Mr. Ketelers. “It is about dynamics, not about an institution. It’s about human dignity and every individual. It’s about social cohesion.”

ICMC has supported the resettlement of over 1 million refugees to the United States, Canada, and Australia over the past decades, in particular through its deployment scheme, a partnership with UNHCR to ensure the prioritized selection of the refugees most in need of resettlement.

“Integrating into a European job market requires a lot – especially given the current economic situation – even for nationals, let alone resettled refugees,” said Sabe Soe director of the Burma Center of Prague.

Reminding citizens of the most vulnerable

Refugee children, especially those victims of violence, remain the most vulnerable refugee population, especially during an economic crisis.

“Cities play an important role in sensitizing citizens to the needs and rights of refugees,” said Antonio Costa, Mayor of Lisbon and chair of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX).

The city of Lisbon, for instance, has funded the creation of a Maison du Monde that opened in May 2012 to welcome unaccompanied children. The project was conducted by the city in conjunction with civil society. It was an awareness-raising campaign among Portuguese children on the difficulties of being a refugee. The city also developed a partnership with watchmaker Swatch on this issue.

Xenophobia and reluctance to accept refugees in local communities, difficulties in learning languages, finding housing, and matching the competences of refugees with local market needs are among the many issues that SHARE is trying to address by raising awareness and building local capacity for resettlement to be successful for all.

Reminding the inhabitants of cities and regions of the importance and benefits of effective refugee integration is all the more necessary in dire economic times.

Giving them the financial means to do it would be the next step to make it a reality, according to the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)’s secretary general, Michael Diedring.

Download< the SHARE & PRO ASYL publication, 'A City Says Yes! Reflections on the experiences of the Save Me campaign to promote refugee resettlement in Germany'.

Download< the programme of the event 'A City Says Yes! Welcoming resettled refugees in Europe'.

--by Lori Brumat in Brussels and Vanessa Matyas in Geneva

Photo credit © IOM Brussels / May 2013
© ICMC / Bruce Byers / August 2012