Convened by: Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity

The Autumn Academy 2018 was a symposium for senior policy makers, NGO leaders, academic experts and foundations involved in the development, implementation and study of immigration and asylum policies in Europe and North America. Held annually in Oxford (UK), the Autumn Academy provided a precious opportunity, in a private round table setting, to share knowledge, expertise and ideas; consider the implications of research evidence and analysis; critique policy and practice options; learn from differing approaches in Europe and North-America and consider their potential applicability in differing contexts across the Atlantic.

In 2018, the Academy explored the issues raised by cooperation between government and civil society in the management of migration. Participants explored the differing ways in which government at national/federal and local level is increasingly working with civil society organisations in the implementation of migration policies: from refugee resettlement and sponsorship programmes, search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and support for unaccompanied minors, to innovative initiatives at city level. There are also formal and informal structures in which governments engage civil society in policy development.

Yet collaboration can bring significant challenges to government and to civil society: working relationships that, while essential, can be fragile and carry economic and political costs for both parties. Our hope was that, through discussion and reflection, the symposium identified general principles on which successful future relationships can be built.

Participants contributed to the agenda as speakers, respondents, and session chairs.

The symposium was organised by the Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity, the knowledge-exchange arm of the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. Funding was provided by The Social Change Initiative, supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, as a programme within its own Migration Learning Exchange initiative.

Final Report

Final Report
What did we learn?

Background papers

• Cooperation between government and civil society in the management of migration: Trends, opportunities and challenges in Europe and North America by Sarah Spencer and Nicola Delvino

Participants

Autumn Academy Speakers and Participants

Agenda

Autumn Academy agenda

Selected Presentations and Interviews

• Opportunities/challenges in cooperation between Government & civil society in the management of migration – Pietro Mona
  Interview

• Cooperation between governmental authorities and NGOs in the field of migration – Nicola Delvino & Sarah Spencer
  PowerPoint PDF

• Trends and drivers in collaboration between government and civil society in Europe and North America – Thomas Huddleston
  Interview

• Cooperation between government & civil society in the management of migration: the Canadian approach – Corinne Prince St. Amand
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Ireland’s Approach to Managing Collaboration with NGOs on Migration Issues – Carol Baxter
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Exploring the opportunities and challenges that arise, for governments and for NGOs – Robert Carey
  Interview

• Overview of US refugee admission program – Mary Giovagnoli
  Interview & Notes (1) & Notes (2)

• Opportunities and challenges of refugee resettlement – Fariborz Birjandian
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Working with civil society: what we have learned – Nicola Thomas & Hannah Gregory
  PowerPoint PDF

• Cooperation in the context of emergency: search and rescue in the Mediterranean – Aurelie Ponthieu
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Cooperation between government and civil society in the management of migration: The Italian Case – Gabriele De Giorgi
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Unaccompanied Children in the US: Government and Non-Governmental Roles – Mark Greenberg
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Challenges & opportunities in working on child rights and migration – Karen Mets
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Cooperation at the Municipal Level – Christina Pope
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Managing Immigrant Integration Together: Government-NGO Relations in Large U.S. Cities – Els de Graauw
  PowerPoint PDF

• The Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (SPRAR) – Lucia Iuzzolini
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Citizenship and Integration Initiative – Bharat Mehta
  Interview & Notes

• Local government and civil society cooperation in Athens – Antigone Kotanidis
  PowerPoint PDF

• Cooperation in the policy-making process – Pedro Calado
  Interview & PowerPoint PDF

• Civil Society Engagement with States in the Global Compact for Migration – Colin Rajah
  PowerPoint PDF

• Cooperation between governmental authorities & NGOs: Key themes & ways forward – Sarah Spencer & Nicola Delvino
  PowerPoint PDF

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