The Greater Amman Municipality, the French Agency for Development, the French Red Cross and the Jordanian Red Crescent launched a joint strategy to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations, improving living conditions, expanding social communication between refugees and the local community, and establishing community-based activities and opportunities for capacity building in the Badr Nazzal district.
In Lyon, the Agence Lyon Tranquilité et Médiation (ALTM), an agency of mediation promoted by the municipality, helped to decrease social tension in Gabriel Péri square, which plays a central role for migrant populations in the city. This initiative deploys uniformed mediators to promote long-term social cohesion in a specific and ‘problematic’ area of the city. This state-led intervention exemplifies how social cohesion can be strengthened through a collective, holistic approach that aims at building bridges rather than promoting exclusionary security measures.
In Castelfiorentino (Italy) under the Castello Alto Project, local residents and civic organizations participate in the reception of new arrivals, which has led to improved social cohesion in the multicultural neighbourhood around the old city centre. Activities include sporting and art activities, a cross-cultural study space, a recreational meeting place, neighbourhood dinners, and the creation of a neighbourhood committee.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is provides a series of media training programmes, and has developed a toolkit and glossary for journalists to ensure that journalists are able to (a) share accurate and unbiased information with potential migrants, and (b) contribute to a balanced public narrative on migration.
In addition, each year the ILO hosts a Global Media Competition on Labour Migration to promote and reward quality reporting on relevant themes such as fair recruitment and the future of labour migration.
The Crisis Communication Plan in the field of irregular migration was devised with the participation of a wide range of governmental actors and institutions at local and central levels.
Good communication can be a powerful tool in support of migrant integration. The “Communicating on Migrant Integration” website of the OECD Network of Communication Officers on Migration (NETCOM) makes available articles and good practice examples on the topic.
Governments at the local level, while often lacking a voice in setting immigration policy, are responsible for many concrete aspects of migration, from the organization and use of public spaces to the development of affordable housing, and plans to meet the social, cultural, religious, and other needs of diverse communities. An example of this is the “DiverseCity” campaign in New York, which presents immigration as part of the city’s identity and richness.
Norway has recently launched its new integration strategy 2019-2022 "Integration through knowledge", which places great emphasis on investment in education, qualification and skills.
The aim of the strategy is to increase immigrants’ participation in working life and in society in general, focusing primarily on helping immigrants to access work. The strategy also involves strengthening the effort to prevent segregation and exclusion, instead promoting participation and togetherness.
The Bella Milano initiative in the city of Milan, Italy, has supported migrant volunteers to clean the city and give back to the community, helping to establish a positive rapport in their neighbourhoods. Milan has also organized the ‘Milano Mondo’ media campaign including annual neighborhood festivals.
The Anti Rumor Strategy (ARS) is a long-term process of social change that proposes to explore and influence the causes of xenophobia, taking into account specific socio-cultural contexts. Its purpose is to prevent discrimination, improve coexistence, and harness the potential of diversity by triggering a change in perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors among the general population and specific target groups. The ARS was first promoted in 2010 in Barcelona with a current presence in six Spanish cities and 12 in Europe.