A representative of New Neighbours will share views on a new narrative on migration at the 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Communicators’ Workshop EUROMED.
3rd Euro-Mediterranean Communicators’ Workshop EUROMED
The 3 rd Euro-Mediterranean Communicators’ Workshop organized by the EUROMED Migration IV project in collaboration with the Club of Venice will focus on the most current challenges to the implementation of balanced migration narratives, the elements that determine effective communication on migration and the future consequences related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this workshop is to provide practical recommendations from prominent experts in the field that will help practitioners be better aware and prepared for such upcoming strenuous tests.
The context
When asking citizens what migration in the Mediterranean looks like to them today, there is a strong likelihood that the images coming to mind are of refugee camps, border fences, boatloads of asylum seekers or episodes of unsuccessful integration initiatives. Most of the migration-related coverage in the region depicts a situation often described as “out of control1 ” and the prospect for serious, balanced and factual debate among governments, policy makers and citizens on this matter has never been harder. The reality is that the governmental authorities of the countries concerned and directly involved in this complex Mediterranean scenario are doing their utmost to ensure that all migration flows in the Euro-Mediterranean region be regular, legal, safe and documented. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this visual narrative with further sanitary, health and security concerns that significantly affect public perceptions and opinions to migration in the region.
If public perceptions and consequently citizens’ behaviours are the result of “narratives” rather than “reality”, why should governments, public officials and migration policy makers beware of this? Can such a distorted narrative impair actual policy-making? The answer is clearly “yes” and thisis why over the past few years ICMPD and the Club of Venice have tackled the issue of polarized migration narratives by proposing recommendations, organizing high-level events and ultimately running workshops for communicators in the field.
New Neighbours’ Contribution
Nicola Frank, Head of Institutional Relations at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will participate in a roundtable on November the 10th at 2:30pm.
For more information on the conference and to participate please click here.
