Istanbul city partnership – focus on flight and participation

Bilateral city networks form an important pillar of the international work of the Integration and Migration Department. Cooperation either takes place on special occasions, such as when delegations visit, or is an ongoing exchange, as in the case of the partnership with the Istanbul Metropolitan Administration.

The exchange with the Istanbul Metropolitan Administration has the following objectives:

• Discuss and analyze common challenges on how cities can improve the reception and participation of refugees and migrants
• Share best practice solutions and experiences in order to learn from each other
• Mutual visits to get to know local structures and projects and to deepen the exchange
• Exchange of expertise on topics such as “participatory administrative work”, “labor market participation” or “social cohesion”

Following several online meetings between German and Turkish municipalities, the exchange between the Integration and Migration Department and the Istanbul Directorate for Migration and Integration has been intensified since 2021. The focus is on migration, displacement and participation. As part of the official city network work, there have been reciprocal delegation visits as well as digital and topic-specific exchange formats in which other Senate administrations, district representatives and civil society actors have also been involved.

The bilateral exchange is planned for an indefinite period. Funding was provided at the beginning by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the commitment of the administrative staff involved.