Forum: UnitedNationsEconomicand Social Council

Issue: TheQuestionofintegrationoffirstgenerationimmigrants

Studentofficer: Marko Čeh

Position: President

INTRODUCTION

Immigrantintegration is theprocessofeconomicmobilityand social inclusionfornewcomersandtheirchildren. As such, integrationtouchesupontheinstitutionsandmechanismsthatpromotedevelopmentandgrowthwithinsociety, includingearlychildhoodcare; elementary, postsecondary, andadulteducationsystems,workforcedevelopment, healthcare,provisionofgovernmentservices to communitieswithlinguisticdiversity,and more. Successfulintegrationbuildscommunitiesthat are strongereconomicallyand more inclusivesociallyandculturally.

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

first-generation:pertains to a person's nationality or residency in a country, hastwoincompatiblemeanings:

  • Anative-borncitizen or residentof a countrywhoseparents are foreignborn,ora foreign-borncitizenwhoseparentsimmigratedwhenthatpersonwasveryyoung, that is, thefirstnative-borngeneration.
  • Aforeignborncitizen or residentwhohasimmigrated to a newcountryofresidence, that is, thefirstgeneration to immigrate.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The moment immigrantssettle in a country, theyhave to acquire a place in thatnewsociety. This is true not onlyforphysicalneedssuch as housing, butalso in the social andculturalsense.

Integration is theprocessbywhichimmigrantsbecomeacceptedintosociety, both as individualsand as groups. Thisdefinitionofintegration is deliberatelyleft open, becausetheparticularrequirementsforacceptanceby a receivingsocietyvarygreatlyfromcountry to country. Theopennessofthisdefinitionalsoreflectsthefactthattheresponsibilityforintegrationrests not with one particulargroup, butratherwithmanyactors—immigrantsthemselves, thehostgovernment, institutions, andcommunities, to name a few.

There are twopartiesinvolved in integrationprocesses: theimmigrants, withtheircharacteristics, effortsandadaptation, andthereceivingsociety, withitsinteractionswiththesenewcomersandtheirinstitutions. It is theinteractionbetweenthetwothatdeterminesthedirectionandthe ultimate outcomeoftheintegrationprocess. Thesetwo, however, are unequalpartners. Thereceivingsociety, in termsofitsinstitutionalstructureandtheway it reacts to newcomers, hasmuch more say in theoutcomeoftheprocess.

Thatprocessofintegrationofimmigrants is thus notonlytakingplace at theleveloftheindividualimmigrant, whoseintegration is thenmeasured in termsofhousing, employment, education, and social andculturaladaptation to thenewsociety. It alsotakesplace at thecollectiveleveloftheimmigrantgroup. Organizationsofimmigrants are theexpressionofmobilizedresourcesandambitions, andalso at thislevelmechanismsoftheintegrationprocessapply.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

It is widelybelievedthatmanyEuropeancountrieshave a serious problem withthe

integrationofimmigrantsandtheirchildren. ManyNorthernEuropean

countrieshaveaccumulatedsizeablepopulationsofimmigrantsbutthelackoflong-

term strategiesandpolicies to integratetheseintosocietalstructuresandthelabour

market is oftencited as one reasonfor social andeconomicexclusionofthechildrenof

theseimmigrants.

In the past decade, SouthernEuropeancountriessuch as Spainand

Italyhaveexperiencedsimilar, if not larger, immigrationsthanthelargeNorthern

Europeaneconomies France, Germanyandthe UK in the late 1950s to early 1970s.

Again, it seemsthatthere is littlethoughtdevoted to long-term strategiesfor

immigrantsandtheirdescendants.

Theexperienceofthosecountriesthathadlarge-scaleimmigration in the last

halfofthetwentiethcenturyshouldbeofimportancefordevisingfutureimmigration

andintegrationpolicies. However, there is ratherlittlehard evidence in the literature

abouttherelativepositionofimmigrantsandtheirdescendants in thesecountries,

in a mannerthatallowscomparisons to bemade.

Beginning in 2015, theEuropeanrefugeecrisisstartedwhenrisingnumbersofpeoplearrived in theEuropean Union, travellingacrosstheMediterraneanSeaor overlandthroughSoutheastEurope. Thesepeopleincludedasylumseekers, butalsoothers, such aseconomicmigrantsand some hostileagents, includingIslamicStatemilitantsdisguised as refugees or migrants

Most ofthemigrantscamefromMuslim-majoritycountriesofregionssouthandeastofEurope, includingWesternAsia,SouthAsiaandAfrica.Byreligiousaffiliation, themajorityofentrantswereMuslim, with a smallcomponentofnon-Muslimminorities.

MAJOR PLAYERS

Italy:Sincethebeginningof 2017, more than 100 thousendmigrantshavemadetheperilousjourneyacrosstheMediterranineanSea to seekrefuge in Europe, withItalyinitiallyreceivingabout 85% ofmigrants.

France: In 2016, France received 78 thousandapplicationsforasylum. 29% oftheapplications it considered.

Canada: Canadaresettled more than 40 thousandSyrianrefugeesbetween November 2015 andJanuary 2017. Theinfluxhasput a strain on authorities, though Prime Minister Justin Trudeauinsistsrefugeeswillremainwelcome in Canada.

The United Kingdom: In 2016, 30 thousend people applied for asylum in the U.K. The U.K. has been somewhat insulted from the migrant crisis enveloping Europe because it is seperated from the rest of European land mass.

Germany: Many migrants currently traveling to and through Europe hope to reach Germany because of its wealth and job opportunities. Germany has tried to make it easier for asylum-seekers to enter the workforce as its native population ages.

The United States: The U.S. is the top refugee resettlement country. President Donald Trump has issued a number of executive orders affecting immigration policy in recent months.

RELEVANT UN TREATIES

TheDepartmentofEconomicand Social Affairshasapprovedmanyresolutions on thetopicof

migrationandmigrants:

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

  • Provideintegrationservices as soon as possibleforthoseasylumseekers most likely to beallowed to stay
  • Whendispersinghumanitarianmigrantsacrossthecountry, take intoaccountwhetherthejobsavailable in theparticularregionsmatchtheirskills
  • Treatrefugeesdifferently, depending on theirbackgrounds
  • Payparticularattention to unaccompaniedminorswhoarrive past the age ofcompulsoryschooling
  • Let thoseasylumseekerslikely to stayfindemployment
  • Build on civilsociety to integratehumanitarianmigrants

NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Dear delegate. Youmade it, youreadthewholechairreport. I hope it willbe a usefulstartingpointforyourfurtherresearch. Now it is up to you to do more research, getpreparedandfindsolutions. Keep in mind, thattheresolutionneeds to workfor a greaternumberofcountries, not justyourown. Seeyousoon.