PRO M OTING R E FU G E E I NT E G RAT I O N A ND I NC LU SI ON : E M P OW E R I N G M U N I C I PA L I T I E S AC R OSS E U R OP E Country Lithuania Municipalities Akmene Jakobstad, Finland Slovakia Romania 30 Larsmo, Kronoby, Nykarleby, Pedersöre Bratislava, Zilina Brasov Area In short P R O MOT IN G R E FUGE E IN T EG R ATIO N AN D IN C LUSIO N : EMP OWE R IN G MUN IC IPAL ITIES ACROS S EUROPE Further detail By drawing on first-hand lessons learned, engaging in knowledge exchanges with regional peers, and dedicating well-resourced multi-disciplinary teams, the Akmene District Municipality has developed highly advanced community outreach and integration support and monitoring capacities. Starting with ad hoc activities from 2014 based on reception of Ukrainians arriving from Crimea, the municipality has developed a systematic approach by appointing a dedicated team and integration coordinator. This has been solidified under the leadership of mayors and vice-mayors engaged in Nordic-Baltic cooperation of integration actors who undertook study visits to Finland and Sweden to further strengthen competencies and learn about available tools and methodologies in the Nordic countries. The dedicated team encompasses various fields and departments including social services, health care, education, welfare, IT and communication, employment agency, business association and local NGOs. A specific outreach roadmap has been prepared by engaging six elders (seniūnijos) across the municipality. It has helped to engage Ukrainian families as well as establish contacts for individual monitoring of integration outcomes and further response. Press coverage of Ukrainians making Akmene their home. Inclusive Integration in the Jakobstad Region The collaboration between the 5 municipalities began in 2010 with the aim to concentrate comprehensively and regionally on refugee reception and integration.90 The Integration Services and reception of refugees are based on (i) a common cooperation agreement, which sets out the framework for how the region operates on integration matters; and (ii) on the Integration program for the period of 2022-2025, which has been approved by the councils in the municipalities in the region. Integration efforts in the region are complemented with projects focusing on various matters, including labour market inclusion. Holistic integration support Through proactive leadership responsive to refugees’ intentions to remain in the country, municipalities of Slovakia have set up dedicated integration departments / integration service hubs within their municipal structures. In Slovakia, municipalities have been instrumental in the response to refugees arriving from Ukraine, as well as those in mixed and onward movements. The capital Bratislava has notably assumed a proactive role in the coordination of the Assistance Centre Bottova (Blue Dot Hub), bringing under one roof a wide spectrum of actors such as the governmental authorities, including the Border and Alien Police responsible for issuing the TP documentation, the Migration Office (Ministry of Interior), international actors, including UNHCR providing registration and protection counseling, and numerous national non-governmental organizations providing support and assistance to refugees in areas such as accommodation, health care, child care, psychosocial support, legal counselling, community activities, educational courses, etc. As a response to the increased demand for coordination and support activities concentrated on needs of refugees, the city of Bratislava established a new integration department within its municipal structures. Several other municipalities across Slovakia have dedicated personnel, including Ukrainians, to coordinate the refugee response at the municipal level. In this regard, UNHCR’s engagement with municipalities across Slovakia became key in ensuring refugees have access to social and other services at the local level. Through its proactive local leadership, the city of Zilina (northern Slovakia) is operating an integration and community centre (“Lighthouse”), which will act as a hub for community-based protection and inclusion activities and services. Holistic integration support, This metropolitan-level community-led centre has transformed a structure set up as part of the Ukraine emergency response into a hub for facilitating refugees’ economic inclusion, community engagement and social cohesion. AMDDB CATTIA/KATYA (Metropolitan Agency for Durable Development Brasov) is an NGO organized as an intercommunity development agency, founded by cities, towns and villages located in the Brasov metropolitan area. During the emergency response (April ‘22 - August ‘23) it functioned as a Blue Dot offering different types of services ranging from basic needs to information and counseling (with obtaining temporary permit, access to healthcare), child-friendly space etc. It now functions as a community-type centre with focus on counseling, livelihoods and economic inclusion services, educational and child protection activities, and social cohesion activities. Holistic integration support, Effective monitoring of integration outcomes. Long-term intermunicipal collaboration on integration UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 31