OUR COMMITMENT TO INTEGRATING MIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN EUROPEAN CITIES

The city promotes migrants as desirable potential and actual

citizens, neighbours and colleagues and publicly welcomes the

opportunities diversity offers

NEEDS?RIGA’s CHALLENGES

GENOA’s STRENGTHS

STRENGTHS

AMBITION

PROMOTING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS MIGRATION

BEST PRACTICES

DIVERSITY EMBEDDED IN CULTURAL PROJECTS

● TRAINING IN COMMUNITY MEDIATION AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS GIVEN TO THE POLICE:

DROP OF VIOLENT EVENTS

VISIT! PLANNING... IMPLEMENTING!

2012-2014

ImpleMenting City

56°56’56”N / 24°6’23”E

16 000 with temporary residence permit

54 521Ecuadorians, Albanians, Moroccans, Peruvians

EthnicLatvians

Foreingresidents

National minorities

LATVIAGENOAMENTORING RIGA

RIGA697 374 inhabitants

60%9% 40%

WHO?Genoa + MIGRATION WORK + EUROCITIES to Riga

Both Riga and Genoa are HARBOUR CITIES with a history of migration and diversity

City updating its DEVELOPMENT PLAN room for embedding integration in city work

Already promotion of “SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY MIGRANTS”

who settled in Riga

TALKED ABOUTLack of visibility + Lack of resources+ Importance of city branding andcommunication

4th INHABITANTS FORUM in November 2013 - 200 people participated.Working group on education of newcomer children: inhabitants + teachers + NGOS involved.

FOCUS ON DIVERSITY is at the core of the

activities of Riga 2014: involvement of people of

different ethnic social religious backgrounds

INSPIRATION FOR OTHER EU CITIES

MET WITHCity departments + Ministries + Univ. & research centres + NGOs + Migrant associations + neighbourhood associations

Including diversity and integration into Riga City Development strategy...

Branding & Communication: Riga as an open and welcoming place “LIVE RIGA = OPEN RIGA”

Establishment of NGO house to allow different NGOs to implement their activities and to collaborate

Project competition for NGOs and schools to promote integration and benefits of diversity

Use Riga 2014 (EU culture capital) to highlight cultural activities focused on migration and diversity

OBSTACLES?Uncertainty of EU funding & own resources

Integrating Cities ToolkitEnhancing public perception on migration and diversity

44°24’40”N / 8°55’58”E605 000 inhabitants

Mentor

ITALY

GENOA

LACK OF AWARENESS

or hostility towards

newcomers

STRONG COORDINATING

role for the Integration department

HISTORICALCOMMITMENT

to the topic

SHORT TERM ACTIVITIES

only targetting migrants

LACK OF MIGRANT communities associations

PROJECT COMPETITION for the promotion

of Integration: 169 Projects

supported from 2010 to 2013

STRONG POLITICALcommitment

LACK OF NATIONAL

legal framework

NO ENGAGEMENT

or interest of media

NEED TO IMPROVE

COOPERATION between city departments

COMMITMENTto the

Integrating Cities Charter of EUROCITIES

HIGH VISIBILITYof diversity

DIS

COVER

ED T

HAT

Genova was EUROPEAN

CAPITAL OF CULTURE

in 2004, Riga in 2014

12

RESEARCH ON INTEGRATIONto be conducted in July 2014 relating to public perception of migration

on 25/09/2013 + 7000 persons from

350 organisations involved

+ 50 organisations involved in 380 events

+ 20 seminars for NGOs

NGO HOUSE OPENED

INTEGRATING CITIES CHARTER

EUROCITIES MIGRATION & INTEGRATION

WORKING GROUPcity experts supporting

the process

EUROCITIES coordinates the

project

MIGRATION WORK produces the

benchmark and facilitates the

mentoring relationship

Enhancing public perception of migration and diversity

2012 2013 2014

05 09 030211Project start 15 November

AssessmentNovember 2012 to February 2013

Preparation of visitFebruary to May 2013

Refining of action planMay 2013 to March 2014

ImpleMentation + contribution to toolkits September 2013 to May 2014 and beyond

Launch meeting first meeting & training in Brussels17-18 February

Visit19-23 May

Integrating Cities Conference in Tampere9-10 September

Cluster meeting in Genoa with Lublin and Tampere19-21 March 2014