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 4. Coordination, and developing holistic integration policies On the one hand, cities have consistently proved to be pioneering hubs of innovation, and capable of taking the lead to develop their own longer-term integration responses, mobilizing non-government organizations and the private sector. Mayors too are increasingly engaged in cross-border challenges, on international affairs and across transnational networks, and have spearheaded progressive urban policies.46 On the other, a municipality’s success in its integration of refugees in the long-term can be highly dependent on the enabling environment afforded by upper levels of government, and shaped by how competencies related to an area of integration in terms of policy and regulation (e.g. education, work, housing) are spread across levels of government. The division of responsibility and competences for integration work can lead to fragmented governance arrangements. Municipal governments across Europe have varying levels of political, administrative, and financial independence. In some countries, powers and resources are significantly devolved to subnational governments, while in others they are highly limited or centralized.47 The characteristics and circumstances of refugee residents requiring integration support in specific countries also varies greatly, and many municipalities are dealing with the challenges of offering tailored support based on diverse countries of origin, ages, gender, educational backgrounds, literacy levels, work experience, household composition and personal needs. Some countries with longer histories of migration and asylum may have more effectively mainstreamed integration across a wide range of policy sectors and municipal departments. Main issues & challenges for municipalities ● Insufficient consultation between local authorities and national governments, particularly in the designing of national integration policies and funding plans. ● Difficulty coordinating across stakeholders limits opportunities for municipalities to both access and invest resources in a cost-effective manner. ● Multi-level governance gaps48 make it difficult for cities to achieve deeper, structural changes when it comes to major urban and social challenges, many of which are directly linked to 12 refugee inclusion and integration. Earlier experiences show that bridging these gaps to sustain methodical cooperation across levels of governments on past refugee situations has paid off, with more transformative results achieved on urban and national-level policy challenges and service delivery, that have benefited an ensemble of local governments and the central government all at once.49 ● Refugee talent is not being effectively matched with employers and market opportunities: In towns and cities throughout Europe, refugees UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 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 have the potential to fill labour shortages, offer services that investors and local communities are in the market for, and potentially link local businesses with supply chains in distant countries that the host country merchants had not previously envisioned. Countries often lack fora bringing together consultation mechanisms with refugee led organizations, effective skills profiling and targeted engagement with relevant labour market actors to make traction.50 Background, Definitions & Guidance The potential of a municipality to deliver on its refugee integration potential is shaped by its insertion within a whole-of-government and whole-of-society/community approach. ● Whole-of-government coordination51refers to coordination up and down tiers of government (e.g. national, regional, municipal) but also across sectors at the same level of government (i.e. inter-ministerial). It is essential to implementing a comprehensive strategy for the inclusion of refugees and developing sustainable integration services. ● Whole-of-society, or multistakeholder coordination: Individual cities and local civic groups have been dedicating resources, energy, and innovation into the efforts of refugee integration for well over a decade now. More recently, the agile large-scale cooperation and coordination between local authorities, civil society, businesses, the refugee diaspora, and host communities that occurred as part of the Ukraine response, is a testament to what the impact a whole-of-society response can yield when mobilized effectively. Multilevel governance encompasses concepts similar to the above. It ‘embraces central, regional, and local governments, as well as civil society organizations’, ideally ‘includes a bottom-up element’, and ‘implies the setting up of participatory processes for policy co-creation, co-operation, and co-ordination’.52 UNHCR REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EUROPE, AUGUST 2024 Actors in need of guidance could look to the OECD’s Working together for local integration of migrants and refugees (83-114), which draws on diverse government institutional and financial settings to propose frameworks for improved multi-level governance on integration, and Effective Multi-level Public Investment in Action. Hands-on practical guidance and training for local practitioners and municipal authorities, including on participatory and inclusive approaches, with good practice summaries from cities: ● Effective Inclusion of Refugees: Participatory Approaches for Practitioners at the Local Level (UNHCR & Migration Policy Group) (Examples of Multistakeholder & Multi-level strategy p62-63) ● Model Framework for an Intercultural Integration Strategy at the National Level (Council of Europe) The European Commission’s Governance of Migrant Integration across Europe website maintains dedicated country pages summarizing integration legislation, strategies, policies and programmes, along with general funding available, for each Member State. While these national integration governance frameworks usually encompass asylum seekers and refugees, it’s important to highlight the information deals with migrant integration in broader terms. 13