Integration Governance in Cyprus Accommodation, Regeneration and Exclusion

Reception conditions in Cyprus have been evolving on a legal and policy level since 2000, with the enactment of the Refugee Law 2000(6)(I). While many positive steps have been taken since, a number of gaps and challenges remain, especially concerning the establishment of a long-term, gender-sensitive policy framework for the integration of asylum seekers and refugees. Due to the lack of plan and vision, a number of asylum seekers have continued to be pushed into homelessness, while the state relies heavily on the support of local authorities and NGOs in order to cover the gaps. At the same time, local authorities lack the legal framework to design social policies, which limits their scope; instead, NGOs and local authorities, in their turn, rely heavily on European and national funding to implement integration projects that are ultimately short term and often unsustainable. The lack of holistic policies shows on one hand the lack of political will, which in turn feeds Cypriots’ negative perceptions towards asylum seekers, and on the other hand, it points to the urgent need to improve public services to migrant populations who live and work in Cyprus. Experience throughout the years has shown that the phenomenon of European countries experiencing an influx of asylum seekers and migrants is not temporary. Due in part to armed conflict, environmental conditions and other motivations, populations will keep being on the move. Cyprus urgently needs to reform its legislation and policies around migration and asylum and provide solutions in order to settle in new communities. Urban regeneration is about using diversity and different skills to secure a vibrant community and make the economy of the state stronger