2 June 2016: Representatives of UN agencies, civil society and UN Member States held a discussion on migrants and xenophobia, focusing in particular on: how to combat negative discourse and rhetoric towards migrants; how to encourage public acceptation of the positive nature of migration; and best practices and benefits of successful integration for both migrants and host countries.

The briefing was organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Permanent Missions of Canada and South Africa, on 2 June 2016, in New York, US.

Eoin Young, International Centre for Policy Advocacy (ICPA), said one source of anger towards migrants is a public narrative focused on long-term wins without acknowledging host countries’ short-term concerns. He said people are “more frame-driven than fact-driven,” making it essential to reframe the narrative. Young presented the ICPA Toolkit for reframing the narratives around migrants, which contains: a Narrative Map of the Migration & Inclusive Debate in the UK and Germany; cases of reframing campaigns from UK and Germany; short videos on why frames matter in the debate; and guidelines on reframing. He noted that ICPA plans to scale up its efforts in 2017 through: workshops for spokespeople and campaigners; convening practitioners to add more depth and cases; and expanding the toolkit to other countries.

Sarnata Reynolds, Strategy for Humanity, said food vouchers and cash transfers are effective in alleviating resentment, because they support local food producers and vendors, and thus both refugees and their host communities, and also empower refugees and migrants to contribute to the social, economic and cultural lives of host communities. Reynolds stressed the need to provide migrants and refugees with access to education, noting that its lack has a “devastating” impact by impairing them in contributing to the social and cultural lives of host countries.

Pindie Stephen, IOM, said integration must be viewed as a continuum, which requires two-way preparation. First, migrants need to be supported with information to help manage expectations, and provide details about resources. Second, receiving communities need support with capacity building in health, education, and law enforcement, and with creating supportive cultural profiles for migrants. He added that volunteerism helps to build migrants’ social and professional networks and increases intercultural understanding. Local businesses are valuable partners in the integration process, he added, citing the example of the Chobani yogurt company, which committed to hiring refugees and called on corporate America to do the same.

Thibault Chareton, UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), spoke about #SpreadNoHate, a campaign launched by UNAOC in December 2015 to fight hate speech in the media, including by working with journalists to develop stronger codes of conduct that foster tolerance and respect. He said the campaign has reached millions of people globally. Among the campaign’s next steps, UNAOC plans to organize more symposia in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and other regions, and publish a report with recommendations.

In the interactive discussion, participants highlighted that 50% of migrants and refugees are widows, and stressed the need for economic integration and for governments to change their policies to enable widows integrate effectively in the host countries. Reynolds regretted that indeed policies in most countries make very difficult for migrant and refugee widows to find work that it is not dangerous or illegal, while Stephen called for creating programmes that build skills for widows.

Agnes Hurwitz, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said 20 June will be World Refugee Day, marked by events and a Twitter conversation driven by the hashtag #withrefugees. [IISD RS Sources]