ADEPT organised a dinner on the 14th on the eve of EDD, attended by ADEPT members and representatives of other networks and development stakeholders from Belgium and other European countries. The dinner included a keynote address by Dr Abdoul Aziz M’BAYE, Senior Policy Advisor at the European Union External Action Service and formerly Minister of Culture in Senegal.
In addition to the stand we held during EDD, ADEPT, AFFORD (in conjunction with MADE) and our partners ICMC Europe and Terre des Hommes organised a brainstorming session that took place on Thursday 16 June entitled ‘Awareness-raising on positive contributions of migrants – Launching evidence-based perspectives on sustainable development: investing in social cohesion for inclusive and peaceful societies’. The session focused on how more investment on social cohesion and full integration of migrants can have higher societal and economic benefits for development. Moderated by Eliza Anyangwe, founder of The Nzinga Effect, 70 enthusiastic participants shared and debated recommendations that included:
- Need for a permanent digital strategy through social media highlighting the actual actions that migrants, migrant organizations and diaspora are implementing in their communities.
- Systematic dialog meetings between the host communities and migrants themselves to discuss common issues and develop better understanding and integration.
