On June 8 and 9, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants in partnership with Multi Kulti, UNHCR Representation in Bulgaria, and the Sofia Development Association held an Information Session for Municipal Experts: Integration of Refugees at the Local Level. The meeting was organized in Plovdiv and was attended by experts from municipalities across the country, as well as non-governmental organizations that expressed an  intention for  exchange experience and partnership with municipalities. The event was opened by Kina Sabeva – Chair of the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants and NL Narasimha Rao – the new UNHCR Representative , who presented the global aspects of refugee issues, the Bulgarian context and the integration as an opportunity for social and economic development at a local level. The meeting provided a forum to present the development and trends in the European Union refugee integration and implementation policy at local level, the role of national and local authorities as an opportunity for cooperation and development.

 

The program of the meeting included a presentation of the policies of the Sofia Municipality in the field of migration and integration of refugees in partnership with the Sofia Development Association. The program provided an opportunity to present the experience and good practice of the Bulgarian Red Cross for joint implementation of a project for integration of refugees,  with Vitosha and Oborishte Districts of Sofia Municipality. The opportunities for European funding of integration programs, projects and activities for integration were also presented.

 

The event was organized within the framework of the implementation of the project “Advocacy for refugee integration in Bulgaria” and project “NIEM – National Integration Evaluation Mechanism”, funded by AMIF of the EU.