The immigrant advisory commission for the Italian city of Naples took office on Thursday, February 25.
The commission’s purpose is to create an “institutional space of self-determination” for migrants, associations, and those working to assist them.
After years in the making, 20 associations involved in the commission took part in the body’s first meeting on Thursday, and the councilor in charge of immigration, Marco Gaudini.
Tasked with Drawing Up Proposals
The commission will be working alongside a body known as the ‘Tavolo Migranti’, which for years has been away for the city administration to connect with associations working on the ground on this issue whenever the need arises.
The immigrant advisory commission is tasked with drawing up proposals to improve the living conditions of migrants and immigrants in its territory and to express, when requested to do so by the town council, non-binding opinions on all matters and planning linked to migration and immigration.
Next Meeting on 11/3
The next meeting will be a March 11 videoconference during which an organization will be decided on that will be working for ”inclusion and new citizenships” policies.
“Today a new direction has been taken for the strengthening of the network of all those working to improve the conditions of the migrant population” in Italy, Gaudini said.
He added that “the public health emergency has further accentuated the many fragilities in this context and it is thus the task and duty of the institutions to undertake all actions useful towards facilitating and supporting these directions for integration and support of migrants.”
Number of Foreigners Registered in Italy Down in 2019
The overall number of foreigners who registered in Italy’s civil registry in 2019 dropped by 7.3% on 2018 figures. Registrations by migrants from Africa decreased by 28%, according to the Italian statistics bureau ISTAT.
The overall number of foreign migrants who registered in Italy’s civil registry decreased by 7.3% in 2019 to 265,000 people. A 28% drop was recorded in registered migrants from Africa.
The number of Italians who left the country rose by 4.5%: A total of 122,000 Italians emigrated, many of whom were well-educated young people, with nearly one-fourth who chose to go to the United Kingdom.
The figures were released in the most recent registry report by Italian statistics bureau ISTAT, published Wednesday.
Male and Female Migration
The population registered in the Italian registry in 2019 who came to Italy presented a slight gender imbalance in favor of men (51%). This, however, varies according to the citizenship of the migrants.
One in Five Chose Lombardy
With regards to territorial distribution, the ISTAT report said one in five foreign migrants chose the Lombardy region as their destination. “In 2019, the main destination region of foreign citizens registered from abroad, in absolute terms, is Lombardy. It alone welcomed 57,000 migrants (22% of the total). It was followed by Lazio (28,000 registrations), Emilia-Romagna (26,000), Veneto (25,000), Tuscany (23,000) and Piedmont (23,000).”
In the south, at least as a first residency, the regions of Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Calabria attracted 11% of the total. Milan, Rome, Turin, and Naples received 23% of the total number of entering foreigners.