Migrant’s inclusion enables to harness their enormous potential in any host country. The crisis should be dealt with in a comprehensive manner, addressing both humanitarian and development aspects of the root causes of migration. “If migrant women and men are treated with dignity and are given the opportunity to fully develop, then this can have a positive impact on every aspect of life – cultural, economic, political and social”, said Nada Al-Nashif, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.

The first responsibility is to acknowledge the amplitude of the problem: “We cannot but have a political response,” according to Metin Arditi, UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue.  Speaking from his own experience, Assefaw Bariagaber, Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University (USA) added that we should acknowledge the positive contribution of migrants in societies and maximize their potential”.

Studies of the Research Programme Consortium of the University of Sussex (UK) in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana and India prove the necessity to address the problem of migration from a long-term perspective: the issue is not to control migration, but to find enhanced ways of reversing the severe conditions from which migrants, especially women and girls, try to escape. To change the narrative, the key is to “better understand how their aspirations are formed”, and where they come from.

Concrete local initiatives in Nancy (France), ranging from cultural festivals to counselling services to sports activities, show that these are essential components of migrants’ integration in cities.  At the city level, stigmatization is countered by giving these migrant populations a sense of accomplishment and being at home. Lucienne Redercher, deputy Mayor of Nancy (France) and Vice-President of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR), stated that “our primary duty is not to wait for others to do it. We all have a place in this struggle.”

Plantu, the award-winning French cartoonist of Le Monde, famous for his satirical depiction of migrants and refugees, treated the audience with impromptu illustrations of how an artist sees his ideas come to life. “When I draw, I take a position on the issue. As an artist, I have a responsibility to show what I want to be represented. Artists are only intermediaries. And then the debate begins...”