On the picture Tanja Pacifico, Martin Wyss and Dr. Ramez Ali Abu Safia, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Palestine, Palestinian Mission in The Hague.
With its 166 member states and more than 400 field locations, The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing a much-needed voice to migrants in the international community. In the Netherlands, IOM plays an important role, particularly in supporting the voluntary return of migrants and their resettlement to the Netherlands.
However, integration constitutes an increasingly important aspect of IOM’s work in the Netherlands. We talked about this subject with Martin Wyss, Chief of Mission of IOM in the Netherlands, and Tanja Pacifico, Head of Unit of Migrant Training, Resettlement and Integration.
By Carlotta Duken.
Why was the topic of this year’s reception labor market integration? Does it reflect a shift of priorities for IOM Netherlands?
Martin: The choice of topic was very conscious. Labor market integration is indeed a priority, but it is not a priority which eclipses other priorities – au contraire – we just wanted to give it more visibility given its specific relevance at the moment.
Tanja: Indeed, labor market integration is one of the lesser known activities of IOM in the Netherlands. Since 2015 IOM started with post-arrival integration activities in the Netherlands. Before that, we were working with pre-departure activities in the country of departure. Why labor market integration? Because it is very important. Not doing anything for a long time, not having any sort of perspective can be very hard for people. We really try to encourage approaches where on the one hand you can learn the language and culture, but you can also be start working or volunteering, being busy and planning your future. This way people start working, contributing and they are able to learn the language more quickly, get to know the working culture of the country and build a social network. All this has a positive impact on their well-being.
Compared to other European countries, where do the Netherlands stand in terms of integration of refugees?
Tanja: Where the Netherlands really stands out is that there are a lot of good will and initiatives. Both the private and public sector showed a lot of interest and willingness to participate in the integration efforts of newcomers. Refugees and migrant support groups, for example, received many requests by people wanting to help, volunteer and donate. It is definitely good that there is so much interest, even though with so many initiatives it is difficult to have a good overview of who is doing what and how well the different approaches are working.
Adding to this, something which makes it easier to integrate in the Netherlands, to a certain extent, is that many people are very friendly and welcoming to refugees. This makes a really big difference. It is very difficult to integrate in a country where you are discriminated against and rejected by those you meet.
Can you elaborate on IOM’s initiative “Skills2Work” and “VOORWerk” and their effectiveness so far in the Netherlands?
Tanja: The project Skills2Work is a European cooperation with nine participating EU countries funded by the European Commission. The focus is on skills validation and recognition of beneficiaries of international protection. What we see is that the situation in the different countries is very different and approaches vary greatly. There are countries that are historically less experienced with migration and integration and countries that see very different migration trends than here in Netherlands, like Italy and Spain. Therefore, we need a customized approach taking into account the specific situation.
With Skills2Work we review tools, instruments and policies. We are also working on a digital platform called the Pathfinder which will help guide beneficiaries, intermediaries and employers in navigating the information which is available in the nine participating EU member states. The Pathfinder will be launched in the next months.
The project VOORWerk is a cooperation of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the Foundation for Refugee Students UAF. This initiative is focused on residence permit holders in reception centers to support integration in the Netherlands by providing training, personal guidance and volunteering opportunities.
