The key presentation of the second session of Day 2 of the 2017 Aurora Dialogues Berlin was delivered by Dirk Jacobs, Professor of Sociology, Université Libre de Bruxelles. Panelists included Gianni D’Amato, Member, Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration, Andreas Görgen, Director-General for Culture and Communication, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany, Rita Süssmuth, President of the Consortium for the Development of the Turkish-German University (TDU), and Lori Wilkinson, Professor, Director, Immigration Research West, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of International Migration and Integration. The moderator of the day was International Broadcaster Nik Gowing.
 

The session opened by a presentation on the 2017 Aurora Humanitarian Index, delivered by Dirk Jacobs, Professor of Sociology, Université Libre de Bruxelles. The Aurora Humanitarian Index is a special survey that examines public perceptions of major humanitarian issues. Professor Jacobs walked the audience through some of the results to give the participants some context to the debate they would be having. Overall, the Index revealed support for humanitarian action was on a steep decline and there was an overwhelming lack of confidence in world leaders to address the refugees crisis.

The day’s moderator Nik Gowing, International Broadcaster and Visiting Professor, Kings College London and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, then gave momentum to the discussion by asking the panelists about their take on the way people’s perceptions and fears affect the issue. “Obviously, this is a very complex time. What has been happening when it comes to understanding the influence, the attitude and the angst?”, he inquired.

Andreas Görgen, Director-General for Culture and Communication, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany, encouraged the audience to look for the real reasons behind people’s concerns and xenophobia. “If people talk about their fears and about migrants coming in, most of the time they feel disconnected from their own society,” he lamented. 

Gianni D’Amato, Member, Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration, addressed the issue of the responsibility. “Who shall do something? I think this can’t be delegated to the politicians, this cannot be delegated to the parties. All of us, all actors do have to do something to go in the direction they would like to go,” he said.

Much has been said on the topic of the challenge for civil servants. Lori Wilkinson, Professor, Director, Immigration Research West, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of International Migration and Integration, reflected on the burden they are carrying when it comes to interacting with the authorities. “You have to go with whatever government that’s in place. You’re stuck,” she explained. “You try to provide good, solid information to the politicians and hope that they’ll use it in good, solid ways.”

Rita Süssmuth, President of the Consortium for the Development of the Turkish-German University (TDU), highlighted the fact that quickly giving the migrants a possibility to work was crucial in making sure they were perceived with less hostility. “It’s very important to give them an early <sense of> belonging,” she insisted. “The perception is not coming from the sky but is made by people.”