On 9-10 October, Portugal organises its first Policy Lab on inclusive integration

The “Inclusive Integration Policy Lab” is an initiative launched by the ICC programme to promote co-operation and co-ordination among local, regional and national authorities in the field of diversity management and inclusive integration. It aims to ensure policy consistency and complementarity and enable transfer of innovation and good practice from local to regional and national levels. It can also encourage national, and/or (whenever appropriate) regional authorities to adopt an intercultural approach to migrant and refugee integration policies as a means of building more inclusive societies.

Apart from the International Policy Lab, National Policy labs are encouraged to take place in those countries where the Intercultural Cities Network counts with ICC national networks. The RPCI (Portuguese Network of Intercultural Cities) is the first of the six ICC national networks to convene such a meeting.

The Portuguese Policy Lab will take place on 9-10 October, at Lisbon City Hall, and will bring together around sixty representatives of cities, governmental authorities, civil society, politicians and policy makers in order to develop practical proposals to foster inclusion and improve public service delivery.

On the agenda, one of the main issues to debate is how to ensure a coherent and homogeneous application of the existing migration legislation between policy makers, government and cities, so to ensure that migrants and refugees have real access to documentation, jobs, schools, health, housing, and any other public service.

The Policy lab will design at least three proposals of concrete actions to foster inclusion in Portuguese public service.

Draft agenda (only available in English)