Driven by their common vision for socially inclusive local communities, Municipalities across Greece join forces to promote the effective integration of refugees and migrants living in Greek cities.
The Cities Network for Integration (CNI) is an inter – municipal network of Greek municipalities exchanging and developing good practices for refugee and migrant integration. The CNI launched its operation in 2018, based on a memorandum of understanding between the municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki, the two largest cities of Greece, and is supported by the IOM Greece and UNHCR Greece on the basis of a trilateral cooperation with the City of Athens.
At the initiative of Athens and guided by the priorities set by the cities – members of the Network, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration provide joint support for the development of mechanisms and initiatives with long-term benefits for local communities.
The Municipality of Athens is one of the founders of the Cities Network for Integration (CNI) and an active supporter of its operation and initiatives. We share the know-how, our good practices and the valuable tools we have developed to support migrants and refugees with more than 15 Municipalities in the country, and we work in a creative way to make our cities inclusive and our communities more resilient and humane.
We do hope that the CNI initiative of the Municipality of Athens and the Municipalities participating in the Network, with the support of UNHCR and IOM, and the assistance from the State and the European Commission, will allow further investment in the ‘next day’ of the refugee issue, in the interest of social progress in Greece and the European Union.
With regards to the Cities Network for Integration, IOM has been supporting CNI’s coordinated approach to social integration since December 2018, recognizing the value of cooperation at the local level, on the basis of safeguarding social cohesion and exchanging common experiences and information. Finally, IOM welcomes UNHCR in this joint venture, so that both organisations can efficiently support and strengthen the goals set by the members of the Cities Network.
See below some significant numbers that represent the achievements of our network.
The CNI operates as a living hub that enables the collection, processing and promotion of the needs of the Greek municipalities that seek to integrate refugees and migrants in their cities.
Collects expertise, know-how and ideas, from its members and its partner network.
Connects municipalities with each other and with other key actors to enable know-how exchange and collaboration.
Plans and implements initiatives aimed at strengthening municipal structures and local communities.
Promotes institutional change at local, national, and international level through consultation & Empowers the voice of the municipalities by disseminating good integration practices.
