Brasília – In recognition for their progress integrating newcomers from abroad, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) delivered on Wednesday (16/12) the MigraCidades 2020 seal of approval to 21 municipalities and 6 Brazilian states in an online event broadcasted on the YouTube channel of IOM Brazil.

The seal recognizes the engagement of these jurisdictions in improving migrants’ integration and building social cohesion, as part of the “MigraCidades: Enhancing Local Migration Governance in Brazil” certification process, and was handed over to local governments that successfully participated in all the planned steps along 2020, including a training course and a local diagnosis validated by UFRGS and IOM. Now, certified governments are entering the monitoring phase of the prioritized actions. 

Along with the certification process, a report is released for each local government, examining actions implemented in that state or municipality concerning 10 dimensions of migration governance that guide the process. 

Included among the certified states and municipalities are São Paulo, Dourados, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre—all cities that have welcomed the most Venezuelans participating in the Federal Government’s Interiorization Strategy, which voluntarily relocates Venezuelans who enter the country along the border state of Roraima to other cities in Brazil.  

Another certified municipality that has already received 400 beneficiaries of this strategy is Esteio, in the south. There, the local government improved the reception of refugees and migrants by creating a task force to focus on refugees and migrants well-being while offering an online channel to serve this audience. These actions are consolidated in a Municipal Policy for the Reception of Refugees and Immigrants.  

The goal is to contribute to the construction and management of migration policies in a systematic way, meeting target 10.7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which aims at facilitating safe, orderly, and dignified migration.   

“The MigraCidades seal recognizes and brings visibility to the engagement of local managers and employees, promoting their good practices not only in the country, but also globally,” explained Socorro Tabosa, Special Advisor to IOM Brazil. 

For instance, the municipality of Joinville, situated in the south of the country, prepared an informative document on access to the Reference Centers for Social Assistance by migrants, translated into Haitian Creole, language of around half of the migrants in the municipality.  

IOM’s Project Coordinator for the Migration Indicators (MGI), David Martineau, stressed that cities worldwide pay attention to innovative approaches taken by local authorities elsewhere. Brazil’s MigraCidades certification process, Martineau said, “is not only going to help to strengthen the management of migration at the local level. It is also likely to have an international impact.” 

The Dean of the UFRGS’ School of Economic Sciences, Carlos Henrique Vasconcellos Horn, also praised the participation of local governments and the partnership with IOM. “The success of MigraCidades' joint initiative is made evident by the participation of more than 27 municipalities and states.” 

“MigraCidades: enhancing local migration governance in Brazil” is a platform that provides capacity-building and certification of local migration policies, as a result of a partnership between IOM and UFRGS with support from the National School of Public Administration and the IOM Development Fund.  

For more information, please contact Juliana Hack, IOM Brazil, Tel:  +55 61 3771 3772. E-mail: jhack@iom.int