LOCAL RESPONSES TO
REFUGEE CRISIS: FROM
INITIAL RECEPTION TO
LONGER TERM INTEGRATION
CALL FOR INITIATIVES
Initiative form for projects and programmes implemented by local / regional
government / agency
Deadline for submission: 29th April 2016, please fill out the following form and return it to
Celia.Hanssen@oecd.org
About your initiative
To which category are you submitting your application?
Multiple answers possible. Note that only one initiative per application will be accepted, please submit
distinct initiatives for different categories separately.
Immediate response / reception of refugees / asylum seekers
Preparing for longer term
Which policy area is your application covering?
Multiple answers possible. Note that only one initiative per application will be accepted, please submit
distinct initiatives for different categories separately.
Integrated services:
Navigating the complex webs of policies and programmes in a new country can be a significant challenge
for refugees. We are looking for information on actions designed to provide or facilitate the provision of
services to refugees through better coordination and simplification of procedures.
Housing and access to health services:
Local governments, citizens and other local actors have been doing much to provide shelter and access to
basic health services, however longer-term solutions need to be put in place to address the challenge. We are
looking for information on actions designed to provide access to housing and health services to refugees.
Labour market integration:
Targeted initiatives may be useful in ensuring that refugees can make smooth transitions into the labour
market once their asylum claims have been accepted. Public employment services can play a key role in
helping refugees face the medium and long-term challenges of successfully integrating into the labour
market. Also apprenticeships can facilitate labour market entry. Work integration social enterprises can also
offer training and jobs to help integration in the local labour market. We are looking for information
on actions designed in facilitating the fair employment of refugees in local job markets, taking into
consideration their effective competencies and qualifications.
Education and training:
Newcomers often require support in validating diplomas and skills gained abroad, and support in adapting
skills to new labour markets (including occupationally specific language training). We are looking for
information on actions designed to facilitate refugees’ access to education and training, support skills
validation and adaptation, as well as information on initiatives to integrate children of refugees into the
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public education system.
Business start-up support:
Starting up their own business could be for many refugees a viable option. Tailoring business services to
specific needs of the newcomers (work permit, business registration, access to finance, business premises),
is very important to ensure that services reach their target. Mentors and coaches, who understand both the
local context and the cultural background of the would-be-entrepreneurs, play an important role for business
start-up, survival and growth. We are looking for information on actions designed to support the creation of
new ventures by refugees and embed them in the local economic fabric.
Raising awareness and public participation:
Migration and its impact on local economies in host countries is often misunderstood by the general public,
leading to political tensions and hindering the capacity to respond to the challenges. Local initiatives have an
important role to play in debunking some of these misconceptions.We are looking for information
on activities designed to inform populations on refugees, their needs and the potential for local development
they represent.
Application details:
Please carefully fill out the fields below with information about your application.
Context: please briefly describe the context in
your city or region in terms of refugee influx,
issues and challenges that need to be addressed
immediately and in a longer-term to facilitate
refugee reception and integration. (max 1000
words or 7000 characters)
Title of the initiative
Starting date of the initiative
What you do: Description of needs addressed,
objectives and main elements of the initiative
(max 1000 words or 7000 characters)
How you do it: e.g. partners involved in the
initiative and their respective roles, how do you
coordinate across different public services and
non-public actors nationally and locally? (max
1000 words or 7000 char.)
Resources dedicated to the initiative:
Budget dedicated to the initiative (in local
currency)
Financial sources
Human resources dedicated to the initiative
Other resources dedicated to the initiative
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Results:
Achievements and how they are measured
(bullet points format max 500 words or 4000
characters)
Number of refugees reached by the initiative
compared to the number of refugees present in
the region
Success factors and obstacles:
Critical success factors: what worked and why
(bullet points format max 500 words or 4000
characters)
Biggest internal and external obstacles
encountered, what needs to be changed for the
initiative to work better (bullet points format
max 500 words or 4000 characters)
Target of the initiative
Please select all appropriate options
Migrants
Refugees
Asylum seekers
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About you
Contact details:
Please carefully fill out the fields below in order to be contacted later on.
Name of the organisation
Name
Surname (Family name)
Job title
E-mail
Website
Country
Region/State
City
We are pleased to inform you that OECD/LEED is organising a workshop in Venice on 19th
April, 2016 on  Local answers to welcoming refugees and preparing for longer term.
The workshop will pay special attention, on the one side, to the role that social enterprises have in
welcoming refugees and preparing for longer term, and on the other side, to how local authorities,
public institutions, social enterprises and civil society organizations, private business, and citizens can
work together to provide the most impactful, tailored, and effective responses at local level.
This workshop is organised in the framework of the OECD Forum on Partnerships and Local
Development, for more information and to register please visit the website of the event. Note that
places are limited.
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