BilbaoThe Local Immigration Council of Bilbao
What is inspiring?
The Local Immigration Council is a co-governed body comprising the City Council and organisations led by migrants. Only migrant-led organisations may participate in the Council, reinforcing its representative nature and promoting the empowerment of migrant communities within the city. According to official data, over 40,000 residents of Bilbao (12%) are foreign nationals, while a further 19,000 (5%) are naturalised citizens of foreign origin. The most common countries of origin include Morocco and Colombia. Currently, 26 migrant-led social organisations actively participate in the Council, contributing both to the Council's work and to other participatory structures in the city, including processes related to public budgeting.
Contact
‘Consejo local de la Inmigración’
Mr. Carlos Regidor, Head of the Coexistence and Interculturality Section of the Human Rights, Coexistence, Cooperation and Interculturality Area, Bilbao City Council, E-Mail: carlos.regidor@bilbao.eus
Ms. Claudia E. Laredo, Immigration Technician of the Human Rights, Coexistence, Cooperation and Interculturality Area, Bilbao City Council, E-Mail: claudia.emmanuel@bilbao.eus
How does it operate?
The Local Immigration Council works to strengthen the organisational and advocacy capacities of migrants by involving migrant-led organisations in the development of local policies. This ensures that affected communities can put forward their own proposals and recommendations. It also fosters public awareness and encourages shared public-social responsibility in the process of migrant inclusion. The Council meets in plenary twice a year and conducts most of its work through various thematic working groups.
One of the two vice-presidencies of the Council is held by a migrant representative, with the other held by a City Council representative. Four additional positions on the Executive Committee are also occupied by members from migrant organisations. The Local Immigration Council has its own operational budget, which is jointly managed by the City Council and the participating migrant organisations.
Who initiated the project? How?
The Local Immigration Council is one of Bilbao’s Sectoral Councils – consultative and proposal-making bodies through which social organisations in the city maintain a continuous dialogue with the City Council. Established in 2011, the Local Immigration Council is a key instrument of the Department of Equality, Cooperation and Citizenship. The Department views the participation and empowerment of migrants and their organisations as an essential component of the city’s migration policy.
What is the outcome?
Among the Immigration Council’s key initiatives is the project “Migrant Women from Bilbao”, which highlights and values the contributions of migrant women to the city. The Immigration Council also supports the strengthening of migrant organisations by facilitating access to funding, physical spaces, and connections with other local associations and civil society actors.
In addition, the Immigration Council is actively involved in other participatory bodies in the city, including the Council for Equality between Men and Women, the Civic Council, and the Basque Language Advisory Council. The Local Immigration Council also operates a working group on participatory budgeting, through which it proposes projects that are then submitted for public vote by interested residents.
Over the past two years, several initiatives backed by the Immigration Council have been incorporated into Bilbao’s municipal budgets. These include the establishment of a migrant women’s network and the launch of the “Anti-Racist Empowerment School” (“Escuela de Empoderamiento Antirracista”), a project proposed by the Immigration Council’s youth working group. The school provides a space for discussion on the various forms of violence experienced by young racialised migrants, with the aim of sharing practical tools for anti-racist activism in everyday life.