Conference in Belgrade to Strengthen Regional and European Solidarity

Asylum Protection Center hosted other BRN members – Center for Peace Studies, ICS Trieste and Legis in international conference on inclusion and integration of refugees, “Going local – ground-up support for diversity, integration, social care of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants”, along the APC Integration Days in Belgrade, from 04th to 06th of December 2019.

BRN members shared their experience and discussed strategies and approaches used by their field workers and local initiatives in responding to needs of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees within their integration and on course of their inclusion into local host communities.

Together with 54 international, local, governmental and non-governmental experts and practitioners from 12 different European EU and non-EU countries, they explored impact of small scale, bottom up, efforts in supporting integration, in accessing labour market, in communicating success stories, in addressing and changing negative perceptions and fears from integration of foreigners in local communities.

Conference offered insightful discussion, interesting and informative panels and workshops, including indispensable presence of local citizens, volunteers and refugees themselves.

BRN members paid special attention to integration of youth and to local support in that regard. The impact of small-scale efforts in supporting integration of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the local communities was explored together with possible and most efficient ways in breaking prejudice in host societies.

Participants discussed possibilities for integration support to children, as particularly vulnerable categories of migrants, often perceived as “lost generation” of migration, and tried to identify what our societies fail to encompass when dealing with these groups.