Azores to integrate European project on migrant integration, announces the Regional Director for the Communities
The Regional Director for the Communities announced in Angra do Heroísmo that the Azores will be part of REGIN - Regions for Migrants and Refugees Integration project, due to the work that has been done in the archipelago in the area of immigration.
Paulo Teves spoke at the celebration session of the International Migrants Day. On the occasion, he stressed that this project, approved under the AMIF - Asylum, Migration and Integration fund and promoted by the CPMR - Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, aims to "improve institutions' skills in the integration of migrants."
The Regional Director stressed that the results of these practices will later be shared with all other partners at European level, thus creating "a series of tools to support the integration of migrants."
Hence, this project will define the indicators at regional level and, simultaneously, develop the strategies to reconcile goals, measuring instruments and information among the different levels of government and civil society towards the implementation of integration measures, explained Paulo Teves.
The regions of Catalonia and Murcia (Spain), Campania and Puglia (Italy) and Skane (Sweden) are the Azores' partners in this European project.
In his speech, the Regional Director for the Communities stressed the "importance of integrating immigrants in the Autonomous Region of the Azores as a factor for the enrichment of Azorean society in various areas."
"As a region and as a people, we are aware of the migratory reality throughout several centuries of our history, which was marked by the departure of Azoreans to various parts of the world, representing today a prominent and dynamic diaspora," said Paulo Teves at the session marking the International Migrants Day.
With the arrival of immigrants to our islands in recent years, it is essential, on the one hand, to create mechanisms that facilitate their full integration into society and, on the other hand, to promote cultural diversity based on the importance of the identity that they from their country," added the government official.
According to the Regional Director for the Communities, "the principle applied in the Region is the one we defend with our Azorean communities: the relevance of achieving a full integration of migrants, while preserving the legacy they brought with them."
"We want anyone who arrives here and wants to settle here to feel that this is their home, and that they contribute to the development of our islands. However, they should not neglect the matrix that shapes their identity and converges to the enrichment of our society and of each one of us," said the government official.
The celebration session of the International Migrants Day, organised in collaboration with Alpendre - Theatre Group, also involved the participation of the heads of AIPA - Azores Immigrant Association and the Migrant Support Office of Cresaçor, partner organisations of the Regional Government. The show was performed by Claudine Lourenço, a Brazilian citizen residing on Terceira Island for several years, who is also responsible for the "Female Planet" programme. It included the musical moment of convergence between the Azores and Cape Verde, through "cantigas ao desafio" (traditional singing challenge) featuring Vasco Daniel and Helder Pereira, accompanied on the "viola da terra" (traditional Azorean guitar" by Emanuel Coelho and on the guitar by José Santos, and the Cape Verdean singer Alexandre Delgado.
Also on Wednesday, the Regional Director attended the celebration activities that took place at the Terceira Academy of Youth, bringing together more than 100 children attending the Free Time Activity Centres in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
In addition to the performances of immigrants Alexandre Delgado (Cape Verde) and Valdeci Purim (Brazil), who created a space for musical and oral traditions from their countries, the children had the opportunity to participate in various workshops on dance, traditional tales and artistic creation from various countries. These activities were supported by the Praia da Vitória City Council with the collaboration of the São Bartolomeu Dance Academy and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia institution of Praia da Vitória.
Every year, the Government marks the International Migrants Day, proclaimed in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly, thus recognising the importance of the Azorean diaspora spread throughout the world and the contribution of immigrants living in the archipelago, currently coming from more than 90 countries.