WORLD MIGRATION REPORT 2015 Migrants and Cities: New Partnerships to Manage Mobility
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readily with the city where they live than with the country of which it is part. As a consequence, towns and cities have a unique role to play in creating a sense of shared community and common purpose (Ash, Mortimer and Öktem, 2013). A bottom-up approach to strengthening migrant identification with their host cities is through migrant volunteering. The Grassroots Integration through Volunteering Experiences (GIVE) project (2012–2014) was an EU-funded IOM initiative piloted in four locations – Dublin, The Hague, Vienna and Ipswich. The overall objective of the GIVE Project was to enhance migrant participation in various aspects of life, in their new communities and to support the creation of inclusive neighbourhoods. The project also contributed to enhancing public perception of migration and diversity through a public awareness campaign.12 Finally, many cities have recognized that city-specific identities should be highlighted and celebrated. On various occasions, cities celebrate the cultural diversity of their inhabitants and their inclusion in the local community through events, fora and workshops. Among the main examples are the “Social Inclusion Week” and “One City One People” in Dublin, Berlin’s “Carnival of Cultures” (Karneval der Kulturen) and the forum “Starting a Business by Foreigners in Italy” (Fare Impresa per gli Stranieri in Italia) in Turin (Ernst & Young Global Limited, 2014). Most good practices have only been possible through political commitment at federal and local levels and through urban policies that embrace diversity, such as Vienna’s Integration Oriented Diversity Policy, coupled with institutional frameworks which facilitate implementation. Key examples from around the world include: • New York City’s former Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, established an Office of Immigrant Affairs which serves as a model and a resource on immigrant affairs and integration for other cities around the world.13 • Berlin’s Commissioner and the Senate Representative for Integration and Migration advise the Berlin Senate on integration policy and help break down barriers to migrant inclusion in the city-state.14 • Athens set up an Integration Council where 23 migrant associations are active participants and which addresses racism issues based on anti-discrimination principles.15 • Bilbao has set up a Local Council of Immigration as part of its internationalization of the city and has proactively improved foreigner-participation in city life.16 • Dublin City Council has established its own Office for Integration and a tenpoint Charter of Commitment to its multilateral strategy known as, ‘Towards Integration: A City Framework’ strategy’.17 12 13 14 15
For further information, see http://www.give-project.eu/en Details are available from www.nyc.gov/html/imm/html/home/home.shtml See the website of the Berlin Government at www.berlin.de/lb/intmig/aufgaben/index.en.html Presentation by Mayor Gjorgos Kaminis, at the Mayoral Forum on Migration, Mobility and Development, 19–20 June 2014, Barcelona. 16 Presentation by O. A. Martinez, Councillor for Equality, Cooperation and Citizenship, at the Mayoral Forum on Migration, Mobility and Development, 19–20 June 2014, Barcelona. 17 www.dublin.ie/uploadedFiles/Culture/Towards Integration Final.pdf