Drawing on good practice at the Academy for the Integration of Migrants and Refugees in the Baltic Countries

On 12-14 of March, first edition of the "Academy of the integration of migrants and refugees in the Baltic countries 2025-2026" initiative took place in Riga, Latvia, with participants from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Academy for the Integration of Migrants and Refugees in the Baltic States is an inter-institutional initiative providing training to prepare staff to work with people of foreign origin and to address challenges in this area.

Based on the success of the Academy in Poland, the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities Programme (ICC), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have designed a training programme to strengthen the skills of local municipalities in working with foreign-born inhabitants who have chosen to reside within the municipality, and in addressing the issues that arise in relation to the integration process.

Gabriela Mickevič-Jara, Integration Coordinator of Vilnius District Municipality for residents of foreign origin in Lithuania, participated in the Academy together with 16 municipalities from Lithuania, within the framework of the project No.PMIF-2.01-V-02-01 "Development of Coordination of Integration Processes for Residents of Foreign Origin", which aims to improve the integration processes of non-EU citizens or stateless persons residing in the Republic of Lithuania at the municipal level and to strengthen the long-term monitoring of integration processes of these persons.

Many refugees from Ukraine have now found temporary or permanent homes in the Baltic countries. The three countries are also becoming increasingly attractive locations for students or those seeking better economic conditions to live. While migration policy is being developed at national level, the integration of refugees and newcomers into the local community is taking place at the level of local municipalities, which requires greater involvement and competence development of professionals working in this field.

The training programme was developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities Programme, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and is implemented in partnership with the Providus think tank.