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 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 62 A solution for this purpose is UNHCR’s Refugee Employment Platform (REP) initiative. Brought together under the umbrella regional REP initiative, national REPs link companies, refugees, and support services, promoting refugee socioeconomic inclusion. They streamline the job placement process and offer guidance, skills training, and data-driven insights. They maximize job prospects for refugees, better match company needs with refugee talent, effectively connect stakeholders across all sectors who can offer essential socioeconomic inclusion services and build relationships with the private sector to commit to refugee hiring and an overall refugee-welcoming business environment. Links to currently operational national REPs with available vacancies and refugees support services, general information on the Refugee Employment Platform along with information on how to become involved is available on UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Employment Platform website. 75 Paris Preserves Its Mixed Society by Pouring Billions Into Public Housing - The New York Times (March 2024) 63 Working together for local integration of migrants and refugees (oecd-ilibrary.org) (pages 151-161 for more detailed guidance). For businesses seeking private sector-led experiences on refugee inclusion that have enjoyed the trifecta of success from a business, social impact and community engagement perspective, see the INGKA Group’s Skills for Employment Initiative, dating back to 2019. INGKA’s toolkit for businesses with its 7-step process for refugee job integration is also available on the site. 79 A roadmap for taking this forward is provided on pages 118-135 of Rethinking Regional Attractiveness in the New Global Environment | READ online (oecd-ilibrary.org) 64 Examples of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence good practices at the local level are available in: Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) - good practices and innovative approaches of cities and Effective Inclusion of Refugees: participatory approaches for practitioners at the local level and Working together for local integration of migrants and refugees (oecd-ilibrary.org) (pages 122 – 131). 76 Particularly for vulnerable households, pairing this with comprehensive support tailored to specific needs and a holistic approach to offering services is essential to achieving a sustainable transition. See the example of the Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation (ESTIA) programme implemented by UNHCR in collaboration with the Greek Government and NGOs, with the financial support of the European Union. 77 Eurocities Pulse Mayors Survey 2023: A state of cities report through the voices of mayors (p. 20) 78 Example from the Municipality of Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Invest in Plovdiv 80 Shrinking Smartly in Estonia: Preparing Regions for Demographic Change, OECD 2022 81 An example is that of Amsterdam’s, comprised of 35 municipalities (Amsterdam included) which are members of the Labour Market Regions. They co-operate and have regular meetings involving representatives of the private sector to involve the biggest employers of the region. This region can also apply for grants, making additional finances available to municipal authorities. 65 Refer to UNHCR’s Age, Gender and Diversity approach for more details. 82 Many are partner associations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and/or member associations of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. 66 Examples of research evidencing refugees’ contribution to the host country economy: Analysis of the impact of refugees from Ukraine on the economy of Poland, Deloitte (2024) and on the business case for hiring refugees: How Helping Refugees Helps Brands: Europe - The Tent Partnership for Refugees. See also: There’s a Very Practical Reason Why Germany Is Taking in so Many Refugees (Business Insider, 2015) 83 See Cities 4 Cities | United 4 Ukraine as an example. The 2023 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities evidences the rise in bilateral partnerships and peer reconstruction efforts between EU and Ukrainian regions and cities since the escalation of the war, while pointing to significant gaps leaving room for greater subnational collaboration. 67 The August 2023 report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing discusses various policy responses to housing affordability. Findings and recommendations are based in part on first-hand analysis undertaken in Europe and inputs received from states and civil society in Europe. It includes a series of clear recommendations for measures to enable housing affordability, including on social and public housing provision, cooperative housing, rental interventions, social and housing subsidies, and tax incentive programs (pages 15 - 21) Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, Balakrishnan Rajagopal A place to live in dignity for all: make housing affordable 84 Phrases originally attributed to Ioannis Mouzalas, former Greek Minister for Migration Policy. 68 Long-term housing solutions for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Romania & Slovakia: A Policy Brief 69 The time period and methodology for this form of support varies greatly between countries. In UNHCR’s experience, national and municipal governments seek out experiences similar to their own country contexts, which tends to mirror their own cultural, budgetary and institutional context. To offer a sample of the diverse approaches available, see Switzerland’s Integration Agenda and its Cantonal Integration Programs (Example from Canton of Geneva), Germany’s program for promoting the integration of foreigners, and the Czech Republic’s State Integration Program. These documents may not offer a detailed breakdown of entitlements as part of the integration process, rather they outline each country approach to integration. 70 See the results of Poland’s 2024 Housing Forum, Decent and affordable housing without borders as an example of progress in this regard. 71 Detailed information available on the Housing Netherlands site, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). Policymakers can consult Integrating refugees through ‘flexible housing’ policy in The Netherlands for recent critical insights into the complexities of planning and designing flexible housing solutions while underscoring how they might more effectively accommodate refugee integration needs and incorporate refugee and host community perspectives. 72 Cities and towns, Forced Migration Review, Issue 63 (p 11-13) 73 For a comprehensive and detailed overview of how SRAs are structured and operate, see Habitat For Humanity Poland’s Guide on Social Rental Agencies and Paper on the development and scaling potential of SRAs. 74 See also Habitat for Humanity’s “Empty Spaces to Homes” initiative, piloted in the UK and Poland, with plans to expand to more countries throughout Europe. 36 UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 85 Working together for local integration of migrants and refugees (oecd-ilibrary.org) (p. 35) 86 Even greater potential can be unlocked by long-term enabling efforts at the national/federal level, via solutionoriented political leadership, and facilitating a high degree of autonomy and access to resources for subnational entities. While Germany’s state structure and historical trajectory on migration policy have unique properties, other countries can nonetheless glean important aspects and apply overarching principles from its experiences: ‘The capacities built up in response to integrating the arrivals from 2015 and 2016, as well as the lessons learned in this context, arguably left German […] municipal authorities, and civil society better equipped to respond to the arrival of Ukrainians than would have been the case without this prior experience […] a society’s absorption capacities cannot only—as is often feared—be exhausted but can be expanded over time’. Integrating refugees: Lessons from Germany since 2015–16 (p. 36) 87 Medium-term planning can help countries better prepare for possible refugee movements by putting in place institutional and financial arrangements to better absorb the shocks. See: ‘Preparedness is critical when refugee situations are predictable or chronic’ in World Bank. 2023. World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees & Societies Washington, DC: World Bank. (p. 217) 88 In 2016 UNHCR Italy launched the ‘Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration’ project to promote the broader involvement of the private sector, in conjunction with institutions and civil society organizations, in the labor inclusion of refugees. Employers can offer internships, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and different types of contracts and apply to be ‘certified’ with a ‘Welcome: Working for Refugee Integration’ logo and receive materials and tools to support hiring of refugees along with training in international protection and diversity in the workplace. Capitalizing on the success of the ‘Welcome’ initiative and its network of partners, “Welcome In-oneclick” online platform was launched in 2023 to expand access to labour inclusion pathways throughout Italy. 89 Implemented by the Intercultural Cities Programme and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support, in partnership with the Civil Registry and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus 90 The approach was developed over several years by establishing a local level action plan, cooperation across all relevant stakeholders and operationalizing integration policies and practices through the Ager & Strang (2008) model: Domains of Integration – A Conceptual Framework Defining Core Domains of Integration. UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 37