On the eve of the International Migrants Day celebrated on 18 December, the Chair of the Current Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Congress, Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG), today made the following statement:
“As we mark International Migrants Day this year, thoughts inevitably turn to the images of millions of people fleeing war and destruction in Ukraine, who have largely been met with heart-warming displays of generosity.
It is a reminder of just how much we can achieve when we work together to mobilise resources and political will. With migration picking up again after the pandemic, we now cannot lower the bar for other refugees or migrants.
We must prevent the politicisation and instrumentalisation of migrants' journeys and lives by elected officials at all levels of governance, which only serves to exacerbate divisions and spread hatred. We must take a constructive approach and commit to advocating for comprehensive and inclusive strategies to welcome migrants into our communities.
Local and regional authorities have a specific responsibility here, and the Congress has been working hard to support them in these efforts. Most recently, it adopted a report outlining the unique risks faced by women and children refugees and the ways in which our towns and regions can help overcome them.
But we, local and regional authorities, cannot do this alone, we need action and cooperation at all levels. We must be involved in the drafting and implementation of national migration strategies, from reception to integration. We know the realities on the ground and are the first receivers, the first point of contact for arriving refugees and migrants.
Involving us in the development of reception policies sets our communities, but also society at a larger scale, up for successful long-term integration and for the construction of inclusive societies. After all, the alternative is national policies that do not take into account the reality on the ground and are doomed to failure from the start.
Let us, as elected officials at all levels, refrain from spreading hate and politicising vulnerable people, but instead renew our commitment to human rights and to building coherent, safe and inclusive societies from the bottom up.”
