Catalogue of Local Inclusive Public Policies

Public policies
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Municipal Conferences on Policies for Migrants

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San Pablo - Brazil

Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Range of Demographic Size
1,000,000 inhabitants or more (metropolis)

10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

F - International migration and protection of the human rights of all migrants

American Convention on Human Rights

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CRMW).

Summary

The Municipality of São Paulo promotes conferences on different problems to foster debate between public sector and civil society representatives with the purpose of formulating a proposal for a specific public policy.

In this regard, two conferences were held to record the priorities of the public policy for migrants. These are events of advisory nature; public and thematic; discussion, understanding and plurality spaces which involve government bodies and civil society.

Implementation Date:

Start: 03 / 1 / 2013

End: End: Currently in force

Human mobility
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The city has been receiving migrants of different nationalities for decades, although this trend has increased in the last years. 32% of migrants of the country are in São Paulo and they represent 3.4% of the population in this city. Despite being a large population, there was a poor attention to migrants in the Municipality regarding public services as a result of a legal vacuum and the lack of preparation of the personnel to deal with distinctive features of migrants in connection with culture, social situation, regularization of the residency, among other issues. In 2013, in order to provide a solution for this situation, the Coordination Office for Migrant Policies (CPMig) was created; its first challenge was to formulate and implement public policies using participatory instruments.
Initially, the objective was to establish a horizontal dialogue between civil society and public authorities to get to know priorities, principles and orientations, that would help in the making of public policies for migrants, promoting democratization of the municipal, state and federal public administration with an approach on human rights. In its second edition, the objectives are the following: to deepen the debate; to monitor, validate and strengthen the municipal policy; to elaborate new proposals and guidelines; to propose the bases to create a municipal plan, among others.
Coordination of Policies for Migrants and Promotion of Decent Work, reporting to the Municipal Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship (SMDHC).
Personnel of the majority of the municipal Government secretariats take part in the Municipal Organizing Committee.
Law No. 16.478 of 2016 sets forth that the municipal policy for migrant population must be implemented in a permanent dialogue between the Government and the civil society through hearings, public consultations and conferences. While Decree 57.533 of 2016 enables the Municipal Council for Migrants to carry out municipal conferences and public consultations every two years. Municipal Decree No. 54.476/2013 calls for the first conference. Resolution 1/Municipal Council for Migrants/2019 calls for the second conference.
International migrants, asylum applicants and refugees
Seminars/events
Social/citizen participation
Building of partnerships, networks, associations and coalitions
Conferences have an advisory nature. These have the Municipal Organizing Committee that is appointed through resolution of Municipal Council for Immigrants. It is composed of up to 35 members (15 from the Municipal Public Sector and 15 from the Work Group of the Conference and Civil Society of the Municipal Council for Immigrants). Topics are set, upon which debates and proposals are structured. From these, the base-text is drafted with local players and members of the Municipal Organizing Committee. There are other preparatory steps: free conferences, which can be virtual or on-site; “online” presentation of proposals of on-site conferences. The discussion, preparation and approval of proposals was carried out in three consecutive steps: mobilizing and free stages distributed territorially by working groups for each topic and final plenary session. The first conference, “We are all Migrants”, was held in the context of the organization of the First National Conference on Migration and Refuge (COMIGRAR). This was the first stage in the process throughout Brazil. 50 delegates were chosen from the participants for the national stage, who were in charge of the final document with the approved proposals and principles.
The first conference marked the paradigm change of the municipal management in relation to the treatment of migrants as full subjects of rights and, principally, to strengthen one of the most sensitive historical demands: the right to vote and to be elected. This claim was carried out after the First National Conference on Migration and Refuge; a stage where delegates were chosen. The municipal policy for migrant population of São Paulo is innovative in Brazil, as well as the participatory process for its preparation.
In the first conference, the Group of University Extension “Educar para el Mundo” (Educate for the World) and the Institute of International Relations of Sao Paulo University drafted the base-text of the seminar in order to have the conceptual tools in the stages prior to the conference. Entities suggested by the Social Forum for Human Rights and Integration of Migrants in Brazil (FSDHIIBr) and the Inter-institutional Network for Migrants participated in the Municipal Organizing Committee. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also joined in the second conference.
In order to organize, plan, mobilize and implement the conferences an organizing committee was called, which was composed of representatives of the municipal Government and civil society organizations. Civil society organizations were suggested by the two most recognized entity networks regarding the defense of migrants in the city: the Social Forum for Human Rights and Integration of Migrants in Brazil (FSDHIIBr) and the Inter-institutional Network for Migrants.
The Coordination Office for Migrant Policies (CPMig) has the objective of implementing a policy for migrants in a cross-cutting, cross-sectional and participatory way. This is an innovating proposal in the city and in the country. Its actions are structured around two participatory instruments: Goal No. 65 from the Municipal Goal Program 2013-2016: to create and implement the municipal policy for migrants, and the First Municipal Conference on Policies for Migrants. Other policies for migrants are as follows: election of migrant advisers in the Participatory Municipal Council, autonomous advisory body of the civil society recognized by the local government; creation of the Reference and Assistance Centre for Immigrants (CRAI); creation of four reception centers specialized in the service to the immigrants; enactment of Municipal Law No. 16.478/2016 to establish a municipal policy for migrant population prepared in a participatory way.
Local goverment
695 people from 28 different nationalities participated in the whole process in the first conference. 463 proposals were prepared and 57 were selected as priorities in a meeting. Social movements, migrant communities and groups, refugees and Brazilians were present, in addition to public sector representatives. Proposals were embodied in a Draft Bill and were validated by means of a public consultation, before being discussed at the Municipal Legislature and before the Municipal Law No. 16.478 was passed; this law states the policies for migrant populations, implemented in 2016. The participation of the most traditional migrant groups of the city together with the newest groups that are organized regarding the defense and protection of their rights contributed to consolidate migrants as the recognized and necessary social actors who constantly propose, claim and supervise the Government. Discussions in the first conference generated, among other actions, the opening of the first Reference and Assistance Centre for Migrants of São Paulo (CRAI) in 2014, as well as contributing to raise awareness among different Government sectors in order to work with migrant population. The second conference brought together 383 people of 42 nationalities and over 400 proposals were discussed on social participation, care, housing, culture, women’s and LGBT population’s rights, decent work, education, health, among others.
There is a special section in the web portal of the Municipality for the second conference where people can learn how to participate and orientation and dissemination materials are also available. https://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/secretarias/direitos_humanos/imigrantes_e_trabalho_decente/conferencia_imigrantes/ Likewise, the report on the first conference is available in the publications section of the Secretariat.
Coordination Office for Migrant Policies (CPMig) of the Municipality of São Paulo
Coordination Office for Migrant Policies (CPMig) of the Municipality of São Paulo: Management Report: 2013-2016
Final Document of the First Municipal Conference on Policies for Migrants
Municipal Policy for Immigrant Population

Instrumentos

10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

F - International migration and protection of the human rights of all migrants
American Convention on Human Rights
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CRMW).

Location

Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Range of Demographic Size
1,000,000 inhabitants or more (metropolis)

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/* Educacion = 2 Empleo = 14 Género y diversidad sexual = 8 Interculturalidad y no discriminación = 21 Medio ambiente = 18 Movilidad Humana = 7 patrimonio e identidad cultural = 88 Salud = 25 Seguridad = 31 Vivienda = 30 */