WELDI baseline report

Liège (BE)
195,000 inhabitants
Local coordinator: Project manager for social cohesion and participation
Strengthening cooperation to become a welcoming city
Liège is a city of migration, whose
political leadership recognised the
long tradition of welcoming people
from other countries. The city can
count on a densely knit and experienced
network of civil society
organisations that lead on this work
with public support.
But the multitude of actors that
work on newcomer reception and
integration is also a challenge: in terms
of coordinating the support offer
from the side of the city council and
in terms of understanding it from
the side of newcomers. Adding to
this complexity, regional and national
level actors have key competences
and do not always align with the
city’s objectives.
The adoption of a “welcoming city”
council motion provides a new
framework for public-civil society
cooperation and also raises the expectations
for making Liège a more
inclusive city. There are several
projects, such as a city ID card, a
one-stop-shop and a development
of social economy initiatives for
migrant inclusion that have a high
potential for achieving this.
Preliminary focus of the integrated action plan
▷ Develop a One-Stop-Shop
for migrants between the city
council and several other key
institutions.
▷ Develop a local ID card as a tool
for safeguarding human rights
and for strengthening local
identity.
▷ Generate a printed and online
guide for migrants, municipal
services and CSOs with
essential information and a
complete listing of services and
associations that newcomers can
benefit from.
▷ Make better use of the social
economy to support labour
market integration of migrants.
Partner profiles 38