Integration Co-ordination Group

The Integration Co-ordination Group, established in 2002, is the municipal administration's internal control unit for the business field of "Integration of Immigrants".

Its members are experts appointed to the group by the Lord Mayor, and they represent the following municipal business units:
Lord Mayor's Office, Office for Statistics and Urban Research, Personnel Department, Schools Department, Department for Primary and Special Needs Schools, Social Work Department, Youth Department, Department for Culture and Leisure, Adult Education Centre, Economic Department, and Housing Department. Further members are the officer in charge of repatriates' issues and the executive officer of the Council for Immigration and Integration. By appointing the head of the Human Rights Office to the Co-ordination Group, the task of implementing human rights in the city is also added to the group's portfolio.

If the need arises, ad hoc working groups are established, with external experts invited to join them. As a rule, those working groups address one individual topic on a limited time scale and are led by a member of the Co-ordination Group to safeguard information flow in both directions.

The Co-ordination Group takes up suggestions, proposals, complaints and problem reports via many different channels and makes sure they are given proper attention. It is embedded in a wide network of decision-making and advisory bodies and has access to all municipal data, research and project results. It also has direct access to the Lord Mayor. By establishing the Co-ordination Group, the topic of "integration" was finally defined as a task to be taken up across all municipal departments.