Forum participants (photo by Christyan Martos/KAICIID)
The 4th European Policy Dialogue Forum on Refugees and Migrants was held from 9-10 November in Castelldefels, Spain. The Forum welcomed 120 participants (policymakers, religious leaders, journalists, and civil society representatives) from 7 different religions and 30 different countries.
Forum participants (photo by Christyan Martos/KAICIID)
The event was jointly hosted by the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID); the KAICIID-supported Network for Dialogue (N4D); the Blanquerna Observatory of Communication, Religion, and Culture; the European Council of Religious Leaders/Religions for Peace Europe; and the Institut Superior de Ciències Religioses de Barcelona (ISCREB). The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) supported the event.
Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo, URI Europe CC Liaison Officer & URI Individual Membership Coordinator, was invited to facilitate working group discussions at the Forum.
Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo facilitating session during the Forum (photo by Christyan Martos/KAICIID)
Over the two-day Forum, participants explored two topics: Multistakeholder partnerships to support the inclusion of refugees and migrants in European cities and cultural and media initiatives to counter hate speech.
According to Kishan Minocha, Head of Tolerance and Non-Discrimination at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), multistakeholder partnerships are crucial to building inclusive cities and defusing hate through engagement, policymaking, and dialogue.
During the closing plenary, Johannes Langer, Senior Programme Manager for KAICIID’s Europe Region Programme, shared actionable steps & policy recommendations which include fostering a rights-based approach, providing accessible directories of stakeholders to allow for inclusive partnerships, and the implementation of capacity-building training for government officials and law enforcement units on how to address and confront instances of hate speech effectively.
Forum participants (photo by Christyan Martos/KAICIID)
The forum was an excellent opportunity to see old and meet new colleagues, as well as to promote incredible work done by URI with the hope that next year URI will be one of the co-organizers of this important Forum.
Kiran Bali, Former URI Global Council Chair; Heidi Rautionmaa, Faiths Without Borders CC; Elisabeth Attar Lheure, AUDIR CC; Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo, URI Europe CC Liaison Officer & URI Individual Membership Coordinator
To learn more, please visit the Forum website.