The 2010 International Cities of

Migration Conference
Migration to Integration: An Opportunity Agenda For Cities
The Hague (Netherlands), October 3-4, 2010

A Call to Action for Shared Societies

Wim Kok
Former Prime Minister of The Netherlands
President, Club de Madrid

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to contribute to your gathering here in The Hague and, although I

fully recognize it is far too late at the end of this conference, I would nevertheless
like to welcome you to my country, the Netherlands.

I also want to congratulate you on choosing the Netherlands for your meeting, not
only because you are in the lovely city of The Hague, but because my country is
deeply involved in the issues which you are considering here: sharing innovative
integration policies and practices. As you certainly will know we have a large
population of first, second and next generations of settlers in the Netherlands, in
the bigger cities such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam, but also in smaller
communities. Most of them are fully integrated within all parts of Dutch society
and make important contributions to our country. But having said this, we can not
close our eyes for challenges within our society caused by speed and size of
immigration flows in recent years, and more specifically by growing negative
sentiments in our society towards the rising number of Muslims. If we would prove
to fail finding decent ways to meet those challenges, these tensions would certainly
grow.

Therefore the role of an organisation like Cities of Migration is to be welcomed as

it contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of migration and the added
value of good practices. I am sure you are in for the long haul. Such efforts will be
needed for many years to come. I am delighted to see such a diverse audience who
are all working to overcome some of these challenges in their own societies and
share their experiences with others here today.

Migration is inevitable. It has happened throughout recorded history and even in

prehistoric times, and it happens in all parts of the world. There will always be the
desire to move from places where there are few opportunities or to escape poverty
and hunger and move to places that seem to offer more. And there are other parts
of the world where skills and expertise are needed as well as people willing to carry
out more menial tasks. Many Dutch people left and leave to seek opportunities
elsewhere and many other people came and come to the Netherlands because of
opportunities here.

Globalization with its attendant economic mobility and displacement increases the
levels of diversity across the world. With the movements of people come tensions
with the existing populations. We can see that all over Europe nowadays, also in
this country. In times where people feel uncertain about the future and their
perspectives, misperceptions of people who are different easily can create tensions
even if reality differs from perceptions. When tensions grow, then perceptions
easily become reality, rather sooner than later.

There is no more likelihood that migration will cease in future decades than that the
wind will cease to blow from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. But
this realistic expectation makes it even more important that organisations like
Cities of Migration and people like yourselves continue to monitor and compare
good practices in order to respond timely to needs as they arise.

I am here today not only as a citizen of the Netherlands and as former prime
minister, but mainly as president of the Club de Madrid, and I mention this because
the Club has also been actively involved in these issues for a number of years. The
Club de Madrid is, as you may know, the largest network in the world of
democratic former heads of state and heads of government, dedicated to
strengthening democratic values and leadership around the world by drawing on
the experience and resources of its Members. At the Club de Madrid, from our
experience when in office and since, we share the conviction that within a world
increasingly diverse and conscious of social and political inequalities, the question
of how we live together and how we manage our differences is one of the most
important conversations of our time.

Over 90% of the countries in the world today have a minority population of at least
10%. The reasons for this diversity vary. Sometimes it is the result of migration,
elsewhere it may be a consequence of colonisation in the past. In the Club de
Madrid, my fellow members and I recognise that the particularities of each situation
may differ, but we believe that there must be a common goal of finding ways in
which members of different communities can live in harmony with each other.

All of us cherish and value a socially cohesive society: a stable society, safe and
just, based on the promotion and protection of human rights, on non-discrimination
and tolerance; a society that respects diversity, equality and opportunity, solidarity,
security and participation of all people including disadvantaged and vulnerable
groups and individuals. A society where the residents can feel at home and able to
make their contribution to the community. A society where these conditions exist,
or at least where they are being actively and inclusively sought, is one we call a
“shared society.”
We in the Club de Madrid have established the Shared Societies Project, as our
contribution to the challenge of achieving that goal. We want to provide current
leaders and the wider society with greater understanding of the benefits of social
inclusion and the incentives and means to act to advance it. It also provides a
focus for the members to engage with these questions. We have been thinking of
similar issues to those on top of your agenda and I would like to share with you our
current thinking on 4 aspects of the topic:

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 1. The challenges

2. Key elements in tackling the challenges

3. Learning from experience

4. Who is responsible

1. The Challenges

We recognise that diverse communities do often live amicably together, but this
harmony can easily break down. Why does this happen? Finding the answers to
that question helps us to understand how to minimise the risk of a breakdown in
community relations.

Fear of domination is often a major concern which increases tension. This fear
may be well grounded, but the predisposition to feel threatened by other groups
seems to be deep within us and may lead us to see threats even where these
threats do not exist. Even small minorities can often be seen as a threat by the
majority. These threats may be felt in relation to our norms and values as much as
our personal security or our economic wellbeing. The reaction to the perceived
threat often takes the form of some kind of self protection, either by turning
inwards, away from the other community, or by challenging that community.
Either response in turn provokes suspicion in others which begins a vicious circle.
It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because when a community responds in these
ways, it begins to appear threatening to outsiders and provokes greater suspicion.

In times of economic slowdown the sense that there is a competition for jobs
and opportunities becomes more intense, as we have seen in recent years as a
consequence of the financial crisis and the economic downturn. It is often the poor
and unemployed who are in the frontline of migration issues. It should not be
forgotten that the most vulnerable groups within our societies are exposed to
competition embodied by migrants. Improving basic living conditions for the
weakest sections of society and safeguarding decent social protection is vital for
sustainable tolerance amongst domestic and new citizens.

New immigrants are often easier inclined to understand forms of suspicion and
hostility, but next generations are quite often more outspoken. They may also be
more ambivalent about their identity. They do not belong to the country of origin
of their parents and they may not share the values and norms of their parents. Yet
they are often not fully accepted in the country where they are born because of
prejudice and suspicion. Especially uneducated young people easily choose the
wrong path, although the number of success stories is much larger.
So if we ignore the problems or deal with them in insensitive and non-participatory
ways they will be exacerbated in the next generation. We have the opportunity
now to tackle the challenges in thoughtful and inclusive ways and establish the
foundations for good community relations in future generations.

2. Key elements in tackling the challenges

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There are many misconceptions underlying the fear and suspicion in the presence
of people who are different. It is important to understand the flaws in that attitude,
and challenge it by cogent analysis and argument.

At the moment in the Club de Madrid we have a Working Group on the economic
rationale for shared societies, which aims to demonstrate that diverse societies
which are cohesive and inclusive make sense: co-operation is better than conflict.
It is more cost effective and beneficial in every way to invest in building shared
societies.

We need to challenge the assumption that immigrants are a drain on the economy,
particularly in a world that has faced financial meltdown and with continued high
unemployment, where people feel even more insecure. We have recently been
working with the regional government of Madrid and they have been making the
point forcefully that the contribution immigrants make to the local economy in
Madrid is much greater than the amount of money they are sending home, and
equally the size of their contribution to the local economy is much larger than the
cost of services for immigrants.

It is important to equip ourselves with these types of information and analysis to

refute the negative arguments. But this will not be enough. Nationalistic populism
can easily touch the uncertainty that many citizens feel about those different from
themselves, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, as we have seen only too
clearly in recent elections in the Netherlands, Sweden and elsewhere. Then it is
difficult for rational arguments to be heard.

In the Club de Madrid we believe that there needs to be clear policies and
programmes in place, at the heart of which are four key elements. At the centre of
our approach is the need for mutual respect for the dignity of each of us even
though we may speak different languages, may follow different religions and may
look different. Respect itself is built on knowledge and understanding of the other
and therefore there needs to be positive opportunities to meet and know the other
in order to build respect. In turn, respect makes us aware of the needs of others
and the ways in which their rights may be overlooked or ignored.

This leads to a second and third key elements: equality of opportunity and the
absence of discrimination. If our rights are guaranteed we are more secure and
we are less likely to feel threatened by the state or by other sections of the
community.

And fourthly we believe that democratic participation is able to provide the best
kind of structures for ensuring that all sections of the community are able to speak
for themselves and express their needs and society

If these four principles are only aspirations and ideals, little will have changed.
They need to be embedded in specific policies and practices. To this end the Club
de Madrid has identified 10 policy areas which we call “Commitments”
because we believe all diverse societies need to make commitments to address
these policy areas if they are to avoid social tensions and hostilities. There are
copies distributed of these Commitments here today.

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Some societies will have addressed some of these Commitments, others will have
addressed others. But we recognise that these Commitments are complimentary.
We need all ten. The challenges are complex and the dynamics of the problems are
interconnected therefore our response must be multi-dimensional.

As it says in the conference documentation “How can we re-frame integration as a

dynamic process that crosses cultural divides, stimulates social innovation and
builds common social and economic capital?” There is no one strategy which will
create a shared society and every individual strategy is likely to have unintended
consequences in other policy areas. What is needed are multiple, complimentary
strategies which strengthen each other and also resolve the unintended
consequences if they arise.

3. Learning from experience

I applaud the initiative that this conference has been sharing examples of practices
and that you have had a “Marketplace of good ideas”.

The Club de Madrid has also been collecting examples of practice which can be
accessed on our website and the CD that accompanies the Commitments. We
believe it is important to do this, not only to share good ideas and effective actions.
It is also important to show that something can be done.

Often leaders and communities say “We wish it was not like this, but we cannot do
anything.” “The situation is too difficult”. “We cannot afford it”. And all manner of
other excuses are offered. We want to say, “Look! Other communities facing real
difficulties have done something. This may not be right for you. If it is not, you
have to work out what would work for you.”

We are not prescriptive. We say what are the areas that need to be tackled and we
describe approaches that have been taken. But we do not say you have to do it
this way. We simply say that you cannot ignore the challenge in any of these areas
of policy.

4. Who is responsible?
The easy answer is of course that we are all responsible. Migrants live in
communities and the members of those communities may either help them to settle
and feel at home or leave them feeling isolated and marginal.

The individual migrants themselves have an important part to play. They can reach
out to the host community or they can choose to remain separate and risk being
misunderstood and a source of suspicion. They have to want to be part of the
community and accept the responsibilities that come with that.

Employers, service providers and the media also have an impact on the levels of
cohesion that the society achieves because they interact with different sections of
the community and influence public discourse about immigration and immigrants.
You have been listening to some of these people today. However it is reasonable to
expect that our public bodies, both local and national have a crucial role in
providing leadership and setting standards and expectations.

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Political leaders also provide the legal and administrative framework which is
essential. Quite rightly, Cities of Migration has highlighted the importance of cities
as the place where migrants often settled and the crucial role of municipal leaders
in building shared cities.

Leadership is important in reassuring people and challenging those who appeal to

and exploit the fears of communities who do not know each other well; it is needed
to take initiatives and act in ways that show an inclusive approach; it is needed to
make the cogent argument that our society is a better place for all of us if we
embrace diversity even if it is initially challenging.

The Club de Madrid has a special opportunity to speak to political leaders and so we
focus on the role of political leadership. But political leaders cannot replace the
contribution of individuals in their own communities and the work of local
organisations which you have been hearing about today. Political leadership often
needs to be enabling leadership which encourages or makes it possible for attitudes
to change and communities to act.
What we say to political leaders is also relevant to those in leadership positions in
civil society. Two years ago here in the Netherlands at a Global Forum on
Leadership for Shared Societies the Members of the Club issued a Call to Action
which is as valid today as it was then. I have brought copies of this call here with
me today.

It is a call to “all peoples, leaders and organisations in all sectors of society and
walks of life to redouble efforts towards building understand and tolerance”.

Especially in the current situation –with a wave of anti-immigration calls in most

parts of Europe and painful austerity measures endangering social inclusion and
cohesion at all levels- I think it is the right moment for a call to action to the
multiple stakeholders and global cities in this audience to build shared societies at
all levels, based on greater tolerance for differences and good citizenship. Your
organization is doing a great job and I am looking forward to future collaboration
between the Club de Madrid and Cities of Migration.

Thank you very much.

(Check against delivery)

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