Inclusive Growth: How Cities Can Support People with a Migrant Background

This one-day workshop, jointly organised by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the OECD, explored how cities can → could support people with a migrant background to promote inclusive growth in cities. Held at the OECD headquarters in Paris and online, the event brought together local governments, civil society actors, migrant organisations, and financial institutions to exchange experiences, identify practical solutions, and strengthen collaboration.

The workshop was organised within the framework of the OECD-led project on Inclusive Growth in Cities, supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO).

Cities play a central role in shaping economic and social outcomes, and they are at the forefront of migrant integration, as most migrants settle in urban areas. Cities offer access to employment, housing, education, public services, and cultural life. Yet they also face significant challenges, with inequalities and integration gaps often more pronounced for people with a migrant background. Migrants are indeed more likely than native-born residents to experience unemployment, earn lower incomes, and face barriers to opportunities. Addressing these gaps is essential both to improve individual well-being and to better harness the talents and potential of migrant populations.

Some cities have developed the tools and networks to deliver practical, forward-looking responses to these challenges. Drawing on the OECD’s work on inclusive growth and the CEB’s expertise in financing social investment, this workshop brought together cities and their partners to strengthen their capacity to promote migrant inclusion and create growth that benefits all residents.

• Support the implementation of local integration projects through practical discussions on how to identify needs, coordinate integration stakeholders, finance initiatives, track progress and communicate results to improve public trust and policy effectiveness.
• Support peer learning among cities on how to include people with a migrant background across policy areas such as employment, housing, education and public services.
• Strengthen collaboration across levels of government, sectors and stakeholders.
• Contribute to OECD and CEB outputs, including the forthcoming OECD publication Supporting People with a Migrant Background in Cities for Inclusive Growth, the development of a compendium of good practices and other knowledge-sharing tools.

• The workshop followed the key stages of the policy cycle, from identifying needs to evaluating the impact of local inclusion strategies and initiatives. It was designed to combine analytical inputs with practical examples, and to provide opportunities for dialogue and meaningful collaboration among actors and sectors.
• Participants heard from local authorities, NGOs, employers and international organisations on how cities are working to improve outcomes for migrants while contributing to local growth. They also took part in facilitated implementation labs focused on real integration challenges.

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