UNITES was a Eurocities-led project that ran from 2022 to 2024, bringing eight European cities together to develop local migrant-integration strategies with the people affected by them.23 Its partners were Athens, Bologna, Düsseldorf, Grenoble, Oulu, Prague, Zagreb and Zaragoza, alongside Eurocities, MigrationWork, UNITEE and New Women Connectors.29
The project’s approach combined training, local consultation and peer exchange. It began by developing training on co-design, drawing on research and examples of practice from cities in Europe and elsewhere; staff from the partner cities tested the training, which was later made into an open-access online course for integration practitioners.49 In the next phase, each city worked with stakeholders and migrant communities to establish or use consultation mechanisms and shape its local strategy. City teams also exchanged experience through peer workshops and visits, with support from migrant organisations.19
The work produced practical tools as well as local initiatives. By the project’s close, the eight cities had co-designed local integration strategies, and UNITES had published an online course and a guide for cities seeking to develop inclusive policies.3 Examples included Grenoble’s AGORA platform, where refugees could give feedback on policies affecting them, and Oulu’s work to connect the city council with the Ukrainian community while providing psychological support.11 The project also planned a support package for two cities outside the partnership, delivered by trained “integration champions” from partner cities.19
UNITES was coordinated by Eurocities and co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.9 Its central finding was practical: involving migrants and other local stakeholders in designing integration policy can help cities make strategies and services more responsive to local needs.39