Draft Refugee Integration StrategyThe Executive’s Racial Equality Strategy 2015-2025 provides a framework for Government departments to tackle racial inequalities and to promote and encourage good race relations and social cohesion for Irish Travellers, minority ethnic people whose families have been here a number of generations or who have recently arrived, migrant workers and asylum seekers. The Racial Equality Strategy states there is a strong case for a separate Refugee Integration Strategy, to ensure a smooth transition between being an asylum seeker and a refugee and to ensure that refugees can build a new life here and realise their full potential.
The Executive Office have been working and engaging across key stakeholders in various sectors and have developed a Refugee Integration Strategy that reflects the thoughts and ideas of those stakeholders whilst building on learning from programmes such as the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
The draft Refugee Integration Strategy has now been officially opened for wider public consultation by First and deputy First Ministers with the consultation to run from Monday 29 November 2021 to Sunday 20 February 2022, a 12 week consultation period. Ministers encourage everyone to both consider and comment on the draft strategy to ensure that we have a strategy that is fully fit for purpose.
Copies of the draft Refugee Integration Strategy, including Easy Read and Child Friendly versions, along with other associated consultation documents including a comprehensive questionnaire, can be found at https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/.
Alternatively, please feel free to contact the Racial Equality Team in the Executive Office at race.equality@executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk should you require hard copy versions of the documents or wish to find out more about the strategy and consultation process.
A series of online workshops are being held. For details please e-mail: race.equality@executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk