Challenging anti-migration narratives focus of event in Brussels

Challenging intolerance and discrimination by raising awareness about the complexity of migrant integration and promoting a human rights-centred approach to migration were the topics of a workshop in Brussels on 7 and 8 November 2019.

“Governments and politicians, through their policies and discourse, set the tone for public debate,” said Pablo Rojas Coppari, Migration and Freedom of Movement Adviser at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “Unfortunately, across the OSCE region we have witnessed negative and hateful messages targeted at migrant communities for the purpose of electoral advantage. This event is an opportunity to bring together various perspectives and experiences to examine how we can counter such narratives and make our societies more inclusive.”

The discussion highlighted the fact that politicians are not alone in shaping narratives, nor do they operate in a vacuum. Understanding how political and media narratives and public opinion are constructed and how they interact with each other is therefore crucial to challenging negative and hostile messages, the participants stressed.

The workshop also addressed dominant narratives on migration and the question of who is currently benefiting from them, as well as their longer term impact. In addition, means of creating positive change and the best ways of supporting responsible leadership on migration in the future were discussed.

The event brought together 25 experts (19 women and 6 men), including academics, representatives of international organizations and civil society, journalists, migrant activists and communicators with experience of promoting diversity and a rights-based approach to migration. ODIHR organized the event in partnership with the Quaker Council for European Affairs.