International Alliance of Safe Harbors

Die Internationale Allianz Sicherer Häfen (IASH) ist ein Netzwerk europäischer Städte, das sich für eine humanitäre Asyl- und The International Alliance of Safe Harbors (IASH) is a network of European cities that campaigns for a humanitarian asylum and integration policy in Europe. The IASH sees cities and municipalities as key players in solidarity and successful integration. The alliance works closely with the civil society initiative “From the Sea to the City” in Palermo.

The IASH pursues several key objectives:

• Promoting a humanitarian European asylum policy
• Facilitating the municipal reception of refugees
• Direct EU funding for host municipalities
• Establishment of a fair solidarity mechanism for reception and distribution in the EU
• Creation of legal migration routes

The IASH was founded in 2021 and Berlin joined in 2022 by signing the basic declaration.

Berlin’s involvement in the IASH lies with the Department of Integration and Migration, which is actively involved in the coordination group. The group, consisting of numerous European cities and representatives of the civil society consortium, is planning activities such as webinars on EU funding or the “Villeurbanne Declaration”.

By August 2024, 36 European cities will be part of the IASH, including Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bergamo, Berlin, Flensburg, Marseille, Munich, Palermo, Utrecht and Villeurbanne.

In addition, the civil society alliance “From the Sea to the City” supports the work of the IASH. The member organizations include Alarm-Phone, Berlin Governance Platform, Europe Must Act, Sea Watch, Seebrücke and numerous others.