Over the past 18 months, a groundbreaking initiative, the Academy on the Integration of Migrants and Refugees in Polish Cities, has brought together key international organisations and the Union of Polish Metropolises (UPM) to empower city officials with vital skills and tools.

The Academy, a pilot project running from March 2023 to November 2024, was organised as an inter-agency initiative between the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in cooperation with the UPM. Together, they delivered 10 comprehensive training courses to 146 participants from 13 Polish cities, including three members of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme: Lublin, Kraków, and Wrocław.

The courses covered diverse aspects of inclusion, such as:

• Building effective multi-stakeholder partnerships
• Addressing gender-based violence
• Promoting intercultural competencies
• Developing anti-rumour strategies

Highlights included the Intercultural Cities training on the anti-rumours methodology and creating positive narratives. Feedback from participants revealed overwhelmingly positive impacts, with many citing newfound knowledge that they could apply directly to their local communities.

One participant in the anti-rumours training stated: “The training broadened my perspective and gave me concrete tools for integrating our growing migrant population. Kraków, an Intercultural City, has adopted an expanded version of our Open Kraków Programme based on insights from the sessions.”

The ICC Programme also translated some key tools into Polish to further support effective intercultural inclusion in Polish cities:

• Anti-rumours handbook 
• Manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence: Part 1 – The core principles of the Council of Europe intercultural integration model 
• Manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence: Part 2 – Concepts related to the Council of Europe intercultural integration model

The organisers see the Academy as a model for similar programmes, with plans to replicate it in the Baltic countries from 2025 to 2026. This effort underscores the potential of international cooperation to enhance local responses to global migration challenges.

 More information on the Academy closing event can be found in the joint press release