Cities and refugees: The European response
Past Event
On Thursday, September 22, during the 2016 United Nations General Assembly, Brookings convened a forum to look at the ways in which European cities are responsible for refugee integration in the short and long term. The forum opened with keynote remarks from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, as well as the Honorable David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee. Speakers were followed by two panels with an emphasis on housing, education, labor, neighborhood services, and broader social integration issues. The first panel examined strategies and lessons learned by local actors to ensure that newly arrived refugees are safe, sheltered, fed, and treated for medical and psychosocial needs, while the second panel addressed workforce participation, skills training, education, housing solutions, and different approaches to social integration that benefit both refugees and host communities. The event closed with remarks from António Guterres, former UN High Commissioner on Refugees and a former prime minister of Portugal.
This event is part of a wider Brookings project titled “Cities and Refugees: The European Response.” Led by Bruce Katz, the inaugural centennial scholar at Brookings, the project seeks to show the extent to which cities are at the vanguard of this crisis and to deepen our understanding of the role and capacity of city governments and local networks in resettlement and long-term economic and social integration.
Agenda
Introduction and remarks
From this Session
Keynote remarks
The Honorable Antony Blinken
Deputy Secretary of State - U.S. Department of State
From this Session
Keynote remarks
Right Honorable David Miliband
President and CEO - International Rescue Committee
From this Session
Panel One: The emergency and short-term response: Providing safety and sanctuary
Philipp Appel
Manager, Corporate Partnerships & Foundations - Save the Children, Germany
The Honorable Annise Parker
Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer - Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
Former Mayor - Houston, Texas
From this Session
Welcome to Hunter College
Jennifer Raab
President - Hunter College
Panel Two: Strategies for mid- to long-term integration
Mazen Darwish
President - Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
Volker Türk
Assistant High Commissioner for Protection - UNHCR
From this Session
Closing Remarks
His Excellency António Guterres
Former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Former Prime Minister of Portugal
From this Session
Closing Remarks
From this Session
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