PROVIDING REFUGE # DIAGNOSTIC

TYPE  Research-action, local development

DATE  May 2018 > ongoing

LOCATION Vallée du briançonnais (Briançon Valley)

PARTNERS  Article 13, Les Refuges Solidaires, Marcel Sans Frontières, Tous Migrants, MJC – centre social de Briançon

FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS Emmaüs France, Fondation Abbé Pierre

A Constellation of Solidarity

High in the mountains, we strive to help all those whose lives are in danger by the simple act of welcoming. For nearly five years, a network of reception centres has gradually been established in the Briançon area, based on a tradition of hospitality. What initially began in the homes of residents has now become a wider reception of migrant populations organised around places and partnerships involving civil society and local public actors.

These spaces of solidarity are run by volunteers who are united by the concept of unconditional welcome and at the same time, the urgency of the situation. The pooling of skills, material, logistical and human resources demonstrates a remarkable capacity for self-organisation, which is making the Briançon area shine in an unprecedented way on a national scale.

At the local level, in a political landscape that changes with each election cycle, how can this culture of unconditional welcome be secured? On the national and European scale, where political, physical and administrative obstacles exist,  how can a human-centred vision of the situation be conveyed? How can we guarantee the integrity and dignity of all asylum seekers?

A Policy of Unconditional Reception

Quatorze conducted research and a shared diagnosis which led to a development strategy for the reception network. The strategy focuses on scale and attempts to anticipate future changes through an in-depth action plan. The four sections of the strategy include: stabilizing emergency reception, securing unconditional reception, developing social and solidarity-based reception, and seeking to diffuse the reception network. This action plan is the result of an ongoing dialogue between the host community in the Briançon area, the representatives of the public authorities and the national NGOs involved in the situation. Following this dynamic, Quatorze’s role is to contribute to the emergence of a policy of unconditional and dignified reception.