Puglia – Regional updates

Puglia’s first Stakeholders’ Capacity Building session was held on 18^th December 2020 and gathered 52 participants from different sectors and areas. The session was an opportunity to exchange and share knowledge on the theme of integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees among key regional stakeholders. The session followed a similar structure to those of other regions, starting with speakers introducing key topics, followed by group discussions. Two significant reflections preceded the plenary discussion: first, that the process of integration and inclusion cannot be fostered in a unidirectional sense, as it implies the mutual commitment of the local community and ethnic minorities, thus recognising cultural diversity as a collective resource; second, that despite being relevant stakeholders, migrants are often not directly involved in defining the integration process (especially at the institutional level).

Moreover, the participant’s discussion reflected upon the innovative solutions introduced within the integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees in Puglia during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Region is currently working on developing an integration and inclusion action in line with the proposals that emerged in the meeting, which included the establishment of a round table fostering the multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance, the establishment of a regional register of linguistic-cultural mediators, as well as an action in the field of «Communication and Alphabetisation».