Practices by Stakeholder 4

Migrant and other civil society networks

Specialized local civil society actors may have strong relationships with migrant communities and networks, which can, among other things, facilitate two-way communication and foster understanding of migrants’ needs. Migrant and civil society networks have the capacity to reach migrants in an irregular immigration situation and others who may be hard to contact. Important activities to leverage these links and capacities include:

• Mapping communication systems and tools used by migrants in specific contexts;
• Developing guidance and procedures for communicating emergency messages to migrants;
• Developing policies on enlisting migrants to facilitate communication;
• Organizing formal and informal events (meetings, conferences, or gatherings) to maintain contacts with migrant networks and discuss crisis-related communication issues;
• Advocating with other stakeholders and coordinating with them on crisis-related communication with migrants;
• Working with migrant representatives to develop guidelines on ways to communicate.