Sir, – Pat Leahy's analysis "Afghan refugee crisis stokes fears among EU member states" (August 19th) prompted me to take another look at the Irish Government's Migrant Integration Strategy – A Blueprint for the Future.
The strategy envisaged a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach to promoting the integration and inclusion of all migrant communities, and it specifies policy and practice objectives in the following areas: economic and employment; language; communication and information; community/social; cultural differences; racism; housing; and organisational matters.
The strategy also envisaged local authorities devising local-level integration strategies; mainstreaming integration across the totality of their work; increasing migrant community representation on, and participation in, consultative and participative forums (including joint policing committees and public participation networks), and supporting entrepreneurship.
Action 53 of the strategy states, “a Migrant Integration Forum will be established in every local authority area, ideally through existing Public Participation Network (PPN) structures, and will meet regularly”.
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Many councils have done considerable work to advance the Migrant Integration Strategy in their communities, providing opportunities for new communities to network and to have their voices heard.
As the Government prepares with EU countries to welcome families from Afghanistan, it is timely that we review our national Migrant Integration Strategy to ensure all its objective are being meet as we prepare to make arrangements for new homes and safe places for Afghans fleeing their country. – Yours, etc,
Senator VICTOR BOYHAN,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.