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Description
Latvia has been actively involved in accepting war refugees from Ukraine since the beginning of the war. This is a new challenge, the solution of which lacks practical work experience in Latvia, both at the level of state institutions and municipalities. In Iceland, on the other hand, there are already approved solutions that work successfully in the long term. Effective integration of refugees is important for building an inclusive society, and socio-economic inclusion provides a lasting solution to the refugee situation.
The purpose of the experience exchange visit is to get
Summary of the results
The Latvian Association of Local Governments (LALG) executed the Bilateral Cooperation Fund (BCF) initiative, following the details provided in the BCF application.
Within the BCF initiative, representatives from LALG, Latvia''s Ministry of the Interior''s Citizenship and Migration Affairs Department, as well as Riga and Ropaži municipalities, undertook an experience-sharing trip to Iceland. Meetings were held with municipalities such as Reykjavík, Habnarfjörður, and Reykjanesbær, alongside the Icelandic Association of Municipalities and the NGO PlanetYouth. The visit fostered discussions about potential long-term collaboration and experience exchange between Latvian and Icelandic municipalities. Furthermore, it explored potential partnership between Latvian and Icelandic municipal associations, focusing on enhancing the capacity of municipalities to effectively integrate refugees into society, bolstered by promoting socio-economic integration.
This initiative advanced the establishment of bilateral relations with the donor country. It also facilitated the exchange of expertise on asylum seeker and refugee reception, along with the implementation of social cohesion policies at the local level.