Purpose:

In order to further enhance the work on Welcoming, and to encourage a positive perception of diversity and a participatory approach to citizenship, the municipality of Amadora has prepared and launched a “Welcoming Guide for the Migrant Population” in 2020. The guide gathers information on the resources available in the city of Amadora to support migrants and provides basic information about social coexistence, which are fundamental for the proper integration into the host community.

The objectives of the Welcoming Guide for the Migrant Population are to:

- Inform about existing support resources in the municipality of Amadora;

- Maximise the collaboration between existing resources and actors whose area of intervention may be complementary for the integration of migrants;

- Promote the active participation of the community in the integration of migrants;

- Communicate the intercultural reality of the municipality of Amadora to the citizenry

Stimulus/Rationale:

The 2017 OECD annual report on international migration states that 5 million people migrated permanently to OECD countries during 2016, well above the peak recorded in 2007. According to the same report, human mobility was the main growth factor for the period 2015-2016.

The city of Amadora has a strong multicultural fabric thanks to the high presence of foreign communities in its territory. According to the Foreign and Border Service data the foreign population accounted for about 9% of the total population in 2016 and 12,6% in 2020, representing 99 different nationalities. However, if we consider the nationality and place of birth of the residents, this percentage rises to around 18%, which reinforces Amadora’s position as one of the Portuguese cities with the highest cultural diversity. In 2020, there were 23.458 foreign people living in Amadora, 3,5% of all the foreigners living in Portugal (making Amadora the 4th city with the highest number of foreign population).

Process:

Considering this reality, Amadora adopted a Municipal Plan for the Integration of Migrants - MPIM (first edition 2015-2017 and second edition 2018- 2020) with the general objectives to promote partnership among all stakeholders, foster synergies between existing resources, implement a coordinated approach to migrant integration, and seek to set shared goals and responsibilities to enhance the opportunities that migration and diversity represent. The MPIM is duly framed in local planning, namely in the 2018-2025 Health and Social Development Plan and - nationally - in the strategies defined by the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for Migration.

Key reference documents:  The Guide is available in Portuguese and English