The Share Network, along with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), co-organised the Share SIRA transnational conference “Strengthening and Expanding Social Orientation and Integration for Newcomers in Rural Areas” at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels in November 2022. The conference represented the closing of AMIF co-funded project Share SIRA: Strengthening and Expanding Social Orientation and Integration for Newcomers in Rural Areas.

The SIRA programme used multi-stakeholder and participatory approaches and implemented pilot projects supported by AMIF seed-funding, involving local communities and newcomers, to improve and strengthen the social orientation and integration of migrants and refugees in 10 rural regions in France, Greece, Poland and Spain. The conference linked practice, research and policy, explored the conditions for successful inclusion and integration in small and rural communities in the EU and presented inspiring frameworks and bottom-up practices. Participants examined the link between migration and rural revitalization, the participation of migrants and local communities, the challenges and the opportunities arising from the reception of refugees from Ukraine and future opportunities for engagement and funding.

Recommendations made by the programme for building inclusive rural territories include:

• Settlement in rural areas must be an informed choice.
• The participation of newcomers and rural communities must be systematised and institutionalised at all stages (design, implementation, evaluation) of policies and programmes.
• Synergies between rural development and integration policies should be further promoted.
• We must involve, support and resource rural communities at the forefront of integration efforts.
• In order to foster social innovation and scalability, it is crucial to pilot, evaluate and disseminate place-based approaches for integration.

Find the conference report attached below, and access other conference material online here.

Text provided by the Share Network.