Роль місцевого самоврядування міст Тбілісі, Кутаїсі та Батумі у формуванні політики інтеграції іммігрантів з України в 2022-2024 рр.

Abstract

В ситуації тривалих конфліктів в світі спостерігається тенденція росту міграційних потоків. Перед викликами напливу мігрантів стоять не тільки країни а також і міста та спільноти територіальних громад (муніціпалітетів). Місцеве самоврядування займає особливе місце в тому сенсі, що стикається із міграційними викликами які часто не відображені в місцевих стратегічних документах. Місцеве самоврядування повинно мати свою роль в інтеграції іммігрантів та тісно співпрацювати із центральною владою, для впровадження міграційних політик.

In the situation of protracted conflicts in the world, there is a tendency for migration flows to grow. Not only countries, but also cities and communities of territorial communities (municipalities) are faced with the challenges of the influx of migrants. Local self-government occupies a special place in the sense that it faces challenges of migration that in developing countries are not reflected in local strategic documents. Local self-government should have its role in the integration of immigrants and work closely with central authorities to implement migration policies. Although the legislation is in force, the rights of local self-government are limited, but in practice there are cases when selfgovernment itself plays a role in the integration of immigrants and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to precisely define the boundaries of the powers of the central government and the role of local self-government for the effective integration of immigrants into territorial communities. Modern Georgia is struggling with many challenges. Among them is the problem of population migration. Modern migration challenges associated with the mass arrival of refugees to the cities of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi in Georgia, primarily internally displaced persons, date back to the early 1990s. The minimal process of arrival of immigrants and refugees to Georgia took place before February 24, 2022, the date of the start of the large-scale invasion of Russian troops. However, it was not of such a massive nature. Only with the beginning of Russia's armed invasion in 2014 and Russia's support for separatists - primarily in Donetsk and Luhansk - did this phenomenon begin to intensify and continues to this day with varying intensity. Migrants fleeing armed conflict are by no means a new phenomenon for Georgian cities. Large population movements occurred especially during the years of armed conflicts in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. Refugees from conflict-affected regions arrived in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi to escape the war in 1991-1993 and 2008. To this should be added immigrants who arrived from the Arab countries of Syria and Lebanon, which were engulfed in armed conflicts in 2011-2022, as well as Ukrainian forced immigrants from Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions in 2014-2022. In Georgia, migration issues are the competence of state authorities. Any actions of local governments depend on the policy pursued by the government. Nevertheless, there were grassroots initiatives in local authorities in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi that implemented certain measures related to the policy towards immigrants from Ukraine after the large-scale invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022. One of the challenges that arise when immigrants arrive is the question of how they will be integrated with other members of the community of a given administrative-territorial unit. From the point of view of the interests of a particular city (municipality), it is important whether this process will ultimately lead to the creation of a single whole - a union at different social levels and the adaptation of the behavior of immigrants to the attitudes prevailing in the community. There are many problems that local governments face in relations between immigrants and local residents. To deepen these considerations, we will define the main concepts: local government, immigration and integration.