Cities4Refugees

Cities4Refugees is a project consortium from the solidarity-oriented European cities of Berlin, Villeurbanne and Zagreb, as well as the NGOs Berlin Governance Platform, BBAG and Studio Rizoma. A two-year project, supported by the Berlin Governance Platform, aimed to enable strategic networking, best-practice exchange and collaboration between European municipalities and civil society in the field of EU migration and integration policy.

Cities4Refugees It included a series of analog and digital events over a period between 2023 and 2024. The focus was on Networking between progressive European municipalities and civil society actors Against the backdrop of the negotiations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and the EU elections. This dialogue continued in 2024 following the Pact negotiations and during the European elections to address the role of welcoming, progressive municipalities in the reformed EU migration policy and to include their needs and innovative proposals for reform implementation.

The project also aimed to build on the European network of cities founded in June 2021. International Alliance of Safe Harbours (IASH), a European city network founded in June 2021in its strategic advocacy work and knowledge sharing.

As part of the project consortium, the Berlin Governance Platform is responsible for both organising the event and providing strategic advice to the municipal partners.

A photo of the participants of a Cities4Refugees conference in Zagreb 2023. In order to promote networking & cooperation in the field of EU migration policy, cities & NGOs with CERV funding have joined forces as Cities4Refugees.

The consortium at the Cities4Refugees final conference in Berlin (October 2024, Michael Kuchinke)

ACTIVITIES

1. Conference in Zagreb/Croatia from 19.4-21.4.2023

2. Online meeting "Cooperation for a welcoming Europe" , 27.6.2023 (Studio Rizoma)

3. Conference "Solidarity Cities Reshaping Migration in Europe" in Brussels/Belgium9.10.-11.10.2023 (Berlin Governance Platform in cooperation with Moving Cities). You can download the detailed event description here .

4. Conference in Villeurbanne/France, November 2023

5. Best Practice Exchange (Online) "Local Innovation in Migration Governance: Exchanging Best Practices in Cities", 21 March 2024 (Berlin Governance Platform in cooperation with Moving Cities). You can download the detailed event description here .

6. Webinar (Online) "Amplifying Local Voices, Shaping CEAS Implementation Plans"27 June 2024 (Berlin Governance Platform in cooperation with Eurocities). You can download the detailed event description here .

7. Conference "Cities as Change Makers in European Asylum and Migration Policy" in Berlin/Germany, October 2024

DURATION

12/2022 – 12/2024

PROMOTING

CONTACT

Lea Rau
Giulia Fellin

PARTNER

City of Berlin - Senate Department for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination, Germany
City Villeurbanne, France
City of Zagreb, Croatia
Studio Rizoma, Italy
BBAG Berlin-Brandenburgische Auslandsgesellschaft e.V., Germany

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