The Power of Contact: Fostering Migrant Integration and Social Cohesion through Social Mixing

While the pandemic has prompted widespread expressions of solidarity from across the world, it has also compounded a pre-existing culture of distrust, xenophobia and intolerance towards minorities, including migrants. This aggravates migrants’ feelings of isolation and overall leads to further exclusion - in multiple dimensions - from the rest of society. As the leading migration agency, IOM is no stranger to responding to anxiety, concerns and fears associated with social change triggered by migration even prior to the pandemic.
Within the framework of the Joint Global Initiative on Diversity, Inclusion and Social Cohesion (DISC Initiative), IOM has launched the publication “The Power of Contact” as a guide for policymakers and practitioners for effective and evidence-based social mixing interventions to strengthen migrant integration and social cohesion. This note draws from IOM’s emerging programming on migrant integration and social cohesion and extensive research on intergroup contact theory, which posits that under the right circumstances, increased interaction and mixing of people from different backgrounds can cultivate trust and decrease prejudice.
Through meaningful social mixing in both the face-to-face and digital worlds, migrants and host communities can develop stronger positive social connections, allowing for a shift away from xenophobic and anti-migrant attitudes.