UNHCR & MPG release new ‘Effective inclusion of refugees’ Toolkit for practitioners
The UNHCR, in partnership with the Migration Policy Group (MPG), has released a new Toolkit, entitled ‘Effective inclusion of refugees: Participatory approaches for practitioners at the local level’. The Toolkit provides step-by-step practical tools and communication materials to be used by local stakeholders for the purpose of designing, monitoring, eliciting feedback from beneficiaries, and evaluating their integration and inclusion practices.
In the words of Gillian Triggs, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection:
“The toolkit builds on decades of experience of UNHCR and our partners—and experimentation—with participatory approaches. But this toolkit is different. It speaks directly to the specific challenges of mayors, city administrators and local service providers in welcoming and including refugees and migrants. We have used accessible language and highlighted good practices to inspire innovation and creativity. We have also developed indicators to measure progress, assess impact, and to course correct when required.”
Why this Toolkit?
The inclusion of newly-arrived asylum-seekers, refugees, migrants and stateless people has emerged as a key priority for mayors, municipal authorities, local civil societies and service providers. While national policies establish a broad policy framework, it is local authorities who are faced with the often daunting task of translating them into action and finding practical solutions.
While the number of integration and inclusion initiatives have proliferated since the 2015/6 peak in arrivals, local actors and municipal authorities have little practical guidance about how their services and practices can be adapted to the specific situation and protection needs of asylum-seekers and refugees, migrants and stateless people.
As such, this Toolkit helps to fill this gap by helping local actors build participatory approaches in their respective towns, building upon decades of experience among humanitarian and development actors in creating programs that foster inclusion and integration in host communities.
Who is the Toolkit for?
The Toolkit was designed for:
- Public authorities and services at a national and local level;
- Civil society organisations, including refugee-led organisations;
- Faith-based organisations;
- Educational institutions;
- Business actors.
What is included in the Toolkit?
The Toolkit is composed of:
- a printable Handbook;
- an interactive online version of the Handbook;
- a scorecard;
- an animated explainer video;
- a 1-minute promotional video.
About the Migration Policy Group (MPG)
MPG is an independent think-and-do-tank based in Brussels. MPG’s purpose is rooted in its ability to inspire networks to provide evidence-based projects, research and campaigns in the areas of integration, migration and anti-discrimination.