During 2022–2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania, in collaboration with its counterparts in Latvia and Estonia, the UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic countries, and various regional stakeholders, successfully implemented the project "Fostering Refugee and Immigrant Integration" (FOR-IN). Building on this success, the initiative will continue as FOR-IN 2.0 during 2025–2026, with a renewed focus on aligning activities with the strategic priorities of national and local integration stakeholders across the Nordic and Baltic regions.
FOR-IN 2.0 will adopt a more practical approach, addressing critical needs to sustain effective integration systems and advancing the concept of inclusive cities. These efforts are particularly vital in a world where the number of forcibly displaced people continues to reach unprecedented levels annually.
Project purpose and goals
- Targeted capacity building on key topics and priorities through diverse methodologies, including training sessions, peer-to-peer learning, study visits, and strategic advisory support
- Engaging a broader range of strategic partners and stakeholders, including immigrants and refugees who have not been actively involved in previous FOR-IN project
- Strengthening connections and further consolidating networks among regional, national, and local stakeholders as a self-sustaining teaching and learning platform
- Developing a holistic and tailored approach that considers both country-specific and cross-cutting priorities
- Establishing a self-sustaining regional platform that connects actors and stakeholders from various fields across the Nordic-Baltic region who are working on or involved in integration
Project thematic areas
- Research and development: providing tools and practices that can be applied in various countries
- Holistic approach: including language, mental health and psychosocial support
- Continuing process: establishing a self-sustainable regional platform for integration actors
Project target groups
Local, regional and national authorities, civil society, refugee and immigrant-led organizations, NGOs, researchers and other integration actors
Major events and activities
- Kick-off conference Shaping Inclusive Cities Together, 9-10 April 2025 in Kaunas, Lithuania
- Project conference in Ludza, Latvia
- Nordic-Baltic Migration Conference Keys of Integration through Access to Digital Tools and Affordable Housing (tbc), 16 October 2025 in Tartu, Estonia
- Study visits to the Nordic countries in 2025-2026
Activities of the FOR-IN project 2022-2024
Read final project implementation report
Coordinators of the project activities
- Vida Gintautaitė, Adviser for Social and Health issues, Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania
- Karolis Zibas, Integration Officer, UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic countries
