On 9 April 2019 PROVIDUS organized a training on the inclusion of principles of tolerance and mutual respect inintegration support activities. This training was an opportunity to find out more about theopretical and practical aspects of non-discrimination, presented by Santa Tivaņenkova from the Ombudsman’s Office and Ēriks Treļs from State Police College. Guidelines on Incorporating Tolerance and Mutual Respect in Language Tuition and Social Orientation of Refugees and Migrants were also presented at this event.

Increased migration flows have been profoundly impacting European States and their policies in the last few years. Fears and hostility towards ‘the other’ have been triggered by populist narratives, while notions of ‘migrants’ floods’ have been widely used in political rhetoric. At this background, not much is done to prepare refugees and migrants for understanding and communicating with authorities and grasping countries’ laws to prevent and counter acts of intolerance. In this respect, it is crucial that migrants have knowledge about their fundamental rights and freedoms.

To this end the initiative ‘Preventing and Combatting Racism and Xenophobia through Social Orientation of Non-Nationals – RACCOMBAT’ explored throughout Member States good practices in combatting racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance by promoting the laws, customs and values of society throughout the entire process of integration of migrants.

Those practices formed the overall conceptual framework for the present guidelines to institutions and service providers on how to empower and educate newly arriving or relatively settled non-nationals not to allow allow acts of hate and intolerance on either side, recognise, prevent and counter them and have recourse to main legal remedies offered by the State.

Guidelines in English available herepdf.

Complation of best practices across the EU available herepdf.