At the National Forum for Refugee Integration (30 November 2021), two Bulgarian organisations – the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants and the Multi Kulti Collective, in partnership with the UNHCR Representation – started jointly developing a Manifesto for Refugee Integration in Bulgaria.
A 6-month inclusive and collaborative process was launched during which an innovative programme document will be developed. This document will be used as a key advocacy tool at national level and will consist of two parts – a general part and a part containing a number of concrete proposals in the different areas of integration. All stakeholders, including refugees themselves, will be invited to participate through a series of expert meetings as well as online consultations.
The document will highlight the leading role of the state and local authorities, including municipalities, in the refugee integration system. The Manifesto will present a model where both refugees and local communities can benefit from a two-way integration process.
The Refugee Integration Manifesto will cover all key aspects of refugee integration, grouped into four areas (as in the NIEM project methodology):
- General conditions
- Legal integration
- Socio-economic integration
- Socio-cultural integration
The Refugee Integration Manifesto is expected to be presented in May 2022. It will be developed in the framework of the project “NIEM – National Refugee Integration Evaluation Mechanism”, funded by the EU AMIF and the project “Advocacy for Refugee Integration in Bulgaria”, funded by UNHCR.