-
.
- Ελληνικά
The Civil Registry and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, held on Thursday, 22 June 2023, at the Leventis Gallery, an event on the integration of immigrants in Cypriot society. The event was held in the framework of the project "Creating structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus", implemented by the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities Programme and the European Commission's Directorate General for Structural Reforms Support, in cooperation with the Civil Registry and Migration Department. The event was attended by representatives from relevant Ministries and Agencies, Local Authorities, International Organisations, members of the academic community, NGOs and members of civil society. The event was welcomed by the Director of the Civil Registry and Migration Department, Ms. Maria Adamidou, the Head of the European Commission Delegation in Cyprus, Ms. Myrto Zambarta, the Head of Unit 01 - Horizontal Policies, Directorate General for Structural Reform Support, of the European Commission, Mr. Ioannis Hatzigiannis and the Head of the Intercultural Cities Unit of the Council of Europe, Ms. Ivana d'Alessandro.
The theme of the event was the evaluation of the project "Creating structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus" on the occasion of its completion, the presentation of the actions carried out in the framework of this project and the future of intercultural integration at local level. The strategies and activities of the local intercultural networks for integration created in the framework of this project were presented, such as the assessment of the current situation, the definition of objectives and sectoral fields of action, as well as the creation of action plans per province. The working visit to the intercultural cities of Barcelona and Santa Coloma De Gramenet, Spain, which took place on 15 and 16 March 2023, by mayors and deputy mayors of cities in Cyprus, was then discussed, followed by a moderated discussion among local stakeholders who travelled to Spain on the intercultural practices of these cities. The panelists expressed the belief that several good practices followed by these cities, such as access to education, health and employment for people with a migrant biography under the guidance of local authorities, could be adopted by cities in Cyprus with the support of the state.
The event concluded with two presentations. The first presentation was on the model social cohesion monitoring tool, which was created to serve as a tool for measuring the integration actions designed and implemented by intercultural networks. In the second and last presentation, three manuals developed in the framework of the project were presented. In these manuals, the legal framework of the employment of asylum seekers and refugees, as well as their rights as workers in Cyprus are analysed.
In the closing comment of the event, the chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Integration of Migrants, Mr Michael Beis, said that the project will continue, co-financed again by the EU and the Directorate General for Reforms, while the implementing body and partner in this project will be the Council of Europe and the Intercultural Cities Unit. He also referred to the presentations of the intercultural networks, saying that the aim is to continue to support the regional networks in implementing the strategies they have designed, while he said that the work done by these networks will form the basis for the preparation of a National Action Plan, which is expected to be put to public consultation in September. He said that with the cooperation of the Council of Europe, a comprehensive integration strategy will be developed in Cyprus, based on the principles of intercultural integration: equality, recognition of diversity, positive interaction and the active participation of citizens and set the ultimate goal "to complete our planning for a multi-stakeholder multi-level, bottom-up, intercultural integration in Cyprus".
(NΓ/ΣΧ)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
