Working Together for Local Integration of Migrants and Refugees in Paris
Of the requests for asylum in France made in 2016, more than 10 000 applications were made by people in Paris and were made in the context of a rising number of refugees and asylum seekers since 2015. This increase has stirred a debate in France around its “universal” migrant integration model, which aspires to equal treatment for all and for which the main tool has been “Integration Contract” for migrants. At all levels of government, measures are now being designed for “reinforced” support for migrants, helping them to better integrate socially and to better access the job market; these measures are tailored for all persons with a residency permit, in particular for refugees. This case study examines the City of Paris and its ambitions to successfully integrate its new inhabitants. The municipality sets aside dedicated resources for this and actively involves French citizens in implementing activities to foster social cohesion. The city is still attracting new migrants while socio-economic disparities and segregation remain marked in Paris and its region, in a context of limited emergency accommodation facilities for migrants and a tight housing market. More can be done to improve coherence across levels of government and among partners, in order to prevent fragmented service delivery and to improve how the impact of integration programmes is measured.
The Checklist for public action to migrant integration at the local level applied to the city of Paris
This section is structured following the Checklist for public action to migrant integration at the local level, (OECD, 2018a) which comprises a list of 12 key evidence-based objectives, articulated into four mini blocks that can be used by policy makers and practitioners in the development and implementation of migrant integration programmes, at local, regional, national and international levels. This Checklist highlights for the first time common messages and cross‑cutting lessons learnt around policy frameworks, institutions, and mechanisms that feature in policies for migrant and refugee integration. This innovative tool has been elaborated by the OECD as part of the larger study on “Working Together for Local Integration of Migrants and Refugees” supported by the European Commission, Directorate General for Regional and urban policies. This part gives a description of the actions implemented in Paris following this framework.