Positive communication about migrants
Migrants may face discrimination, hostility, and xenophobia in host States and States of transit. Positive communication about migrants promotes tolerance, non-discrimination, inclusiveness, and respect toward migrants. Ways to communicate positively about migrants include:
- Profiling migrant role models, giving migrants a voice, and putting a human face on migration;
- Establishing campaigns against xenophobia;
- Conveying migrant stories and positive images, including through online platforms;
- Partnering with social media companies to counter hate speech;
- Targeting educators in schools with information about migrants and migration;
- Highlighting migrant engagement in communities, crisis-response, and recovery;
- Avoiding referring to migrants as ‘illegal’ even if they are in an irregular immigration status;
- Celebrating International Migrants’ Day with activities that highlight the positive contributions of migrants to host societies.
Pre-departure and post-departure orientation
Orientation programs for migrants can be held prior to their departure from the State of origin or following arrival in the host State. Orientation programs can be mandatory or voluntary.
They can be targeted at migrants or migrants and their families and delivered in partnership with other stakeholders.
These programs could cover:
- Host State-specific information, including culture and local customs;
- Host State-specific conflict or natural disaster hotspots;
- The human rights landscape in the host State and constrains on the ability to enjoy rights;
- Risks of human trafficking and exploitation in the host State and where to seek help;
- Immigration, employment, and other relevant host-State laws;
- Relevant emergency procedures (e.g., where to go and what to do) and emergency contacts;
- Key roles played by consular posts and applicable consular contingency and evacuation plans.
Migrant-to-migrant learning
Through migrant-to-migrant programs, implemented prior to departure or upon arrival in a host State, migrants can obtain knowledge and skills to prepare them for and mitigate risks associated with a crisis. These programs can cover diverse areas of crisis preparedness and management and persuade participating migrants to also become educators. Migrant-tomigrant programs may be helpful:
- To reach adolescents, women, groups for whom cultural norms may create barriers, and groups who share unique or similar experiences, or trauma
- Where there is very limited or no funding available;
- In a closed or isolated community;
- When migrants are unable to receive information from other non-migrant actors for various reasons, including language barriers;
- Where migrants face constraints to travel to more formal programs, such as visa restrictions, fiscal constraints, or restrictive or demanding employment conditions.
Language training
Local language training can make migrants more resilient in the event of a crisis by improving their capacity to access information and services. Such programs could teach:
- Vocabulary needed to understand early warnings on natural disasters or conflicts, including any colloquial terms used in the host State;
- Vocabulary needed to understand advice provided in emergency preparedness alerts;
- Information about credible sources of early warning and emergency preparedness information.
Financial literacy training
Good management of financial resources and affairs enhance the resources available to migrants in the event of a crisis. When designing and implementing training programs for migrants, stakeholders could:
- Partner with banks and other relevant financial institutions and providers;
- Target training to suit the profile and characteristics of migrant populations with differing needs;
- Cover insurance and savings options;
- Enlist the assistance of civil society, including migrant networks and associations to encourage participation in the training;
- Leverage existing national government and consular campaigns to promote financial security and consumer protection;
- Partner with civil society in States of origin to conduct complementary trainings with migrants’ families who remain in States of origin.
Financial products and services
Financial products and services that target migrants’ needs, including low-income migrants, can build resilience and reduce dependence on social services and humanitarian aid. Financial
products can be offered in the host State or the State of origin. Relevant financial products include:
- Insurance and micro-insurance, which are discussed in more detail below;
- Savings and investment mechanisms;
- Pension schemes;
- Fast-cash loans;
- Microcredit.
In designing and distributing products, stakeholder could consider:
- Creating products that are relevant in normal times and times of crisis;
- The affordability, flexibility, simplicity, and ease of use of products;
- Which needs to target for migrants;
- Working with migrants and other relevant organizations to understand migrants’ needs;
- Adapting documentation requirements to suit migrants;
- Promoting cross-border accessibility and fast product access in crisis situations;
- Using non-traditional distribution channels to reach migrants, including partnering with employers, recruiters, and placement agencies, communities of origin, or diaspora;
- Educating and training migrants on available financial services, their use, and benefits.
Insurance and micro-insurance
Insurance can play a valuable role in mitigating migrants’ risks before, during, or afer a crisis. Insurance can offer coverage for specific crisis-related needs, such as property damage or thec ost of evacuation, and can support migrants’ broader risk management needs, such as health care, death, disability, or unemployment. In designing and distributing products, stakeholders could consider:
- Conducting exploratory research to determine salient risks, effective channels or approaches for distributing products, and the information and other support migrants need in order to avail themselves of benefits;
- Which insurance product models to use: insurance products based in migrants’ host States, in States of origin, or hybrid models spanning both host States and States of origin;
- Which delivery models to use: sales directly to migrants, to States of origin or hostStates, or to employers, recruiters, or placement agencies;
- The tradeoffs that the variety of available options for product design and delivery entail, and how coverage and delivery options influence one another;
- Benefits of small, simple, affordable products when selling directly to migrants;
- Ways to monitor effectiveness of insurance products