Objective 16: Empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion

At the beginning of 2020, at the proposal of Canada, the GFMD Steering Group endorsed the creation of a Hoc working Group on Public Narratives on Migration.

Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this programme implemented by GIZ supports government institutions, local governments and civil society in the border regions of Colombia with Venezuela and Ecuador with Colombia to better respond to the flow of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and, in the case of Ecuador, also Colombian refugees. The project supports host communities in the integration of refugees and migrants.

Together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNDP is supporting eleven countries—Bangladesh, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines, Serbia, Senegal and Tunisia, to continue to address the plight of migrants and their host communities by supporting national and local governments to mainstream migration into development plans.

The goal of this policy is to increase labour market participation by investing in formal education, skills and qualifications, and to foster participation in society in general. Formal skills and qualifications are key to acquiring and keeping a job.



At the core of Norway’s Integration Policy are two programmes regulated by the Introduction Act:

The reinforced integration effort is one of the Government’s six main areas of commitment. The main challenges are low employment rates among immigrants, a skills gap, and exclusion along economic, social and cultural dividing lines. The goal of the strategy is, through a coordinated and comprehensive effort, to increase labour participation and participation in society in general,.

Ambulante Film Festival uses documentary film as a tool for social and cultural change. Ambulante brings documentary films and training programs to places where they are rarely available in order to foster a cultural exchange, encourage a participative, informed and critical attitude in audiences, and open new channels of expression in Mexico and abroad. For the past 15 years they have been producing and showcasing stories about migrants, their families and communities.

Initially a citizen movement, SINGA creates opportunities for refugees and their host communities to meet and cooperate. Their aim is to build bridges between people, encouraging dialogue, fostering cultural enrichment and creating job opportunities. 

SINGA seeks to create opportunities for in-person interaction and dialogue between refugees and host community members to change perceptions about refugees and asylum seekers. 

On the occasion of International Migrants’ Day, as part of a global call to Stand Up for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Office launched in 2017 a series of animated videos to amplify the voices of migrants, the communities that welcome them and the conversations they have along the way. 

This campaign shared stories in video format of British public figures talking about their refugee heritage (or, “refugenes”) with pride. The purpose of the campaign was to show how past refugees have become part of the fabric of British society in the present day. In addition to circulating videos of public figures, the campaign included a call to action inviting members of the general public to share stories from their own family trees about finding safety in the UK as a refugee. 

The UN Migration Agency’s Global Migration Film Festival  (GMFF) showcases films that capture the promise and challenge of migration for two weeks every December.  Migration is at the heart of storytelling and the festival. As a partnership between IOM, governments and universities, the GMFF can stimulate healthy debate about integration through the lens of independent filmmakers.