The Mirovni inštitut, Kulturno društvo Gmajna and Skupnost občin Slovenije, in cooperation with Mestna občina Ljubljana, organised a seminar on empowering migrants’ voices in integration and inclusion policies. At the Ljubljana City Hall, members of the Graz Migrants’ Advisory Council (Migrant:innenbeirat Graz), Irina and Godwill, presented their work and the history of their council.
The aim of the seminar was to look at the possibilities of political participation of migrants at institutional and local levels. The experience of the Graz council has strengthened us to continue working on a similar representation of migrants in Ljubljana.
We would like to thank the MOL, Deputy Mayor Dejan Crnek and the representatives of the MOL departments for their hospitality and presence during the event. We are also grateful to the migrant leaders and migrants who presented the challenges they face in their attempts to integrate into the local community (Medkulturni Dialog, Zavod Afriška Vas / African village Slovenia, Infokolpa, Kulturni center “Danilo Kiš”, Slovenska filantropija).
Our city deserves a migrant representative in the city council. The voices of migrants should be taken into account by the City of Ljubljana and its structures when formulating policies on coexistence and cohesion.
