Milan, April 14, 2026 — How can mobility be transformed into a real opportunity for integration? This was the central question at the heart of the event "Milan - A city of cooperation" held at Palazzo Marino in collaboration with the Municipality, bringing together institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
The first panel focused on the shift from service-centered interventions to pathways towards autonomy.
Rosita Milesi, Founder and Director of the Institute for Migration and Human Rights (IMDH), shared the Brazilian experience, highlighting access to rights and employment as key drivers in building pathways to inclusion and independence.
In the Milan context, Angelo Stanghellini, Director of the Welfare and Health Department of the Municipality of Milan, described a model based on shared administration and a partnership involving more than 40 organizations, with particular attention to the educational dimension and the personalization of interventions.
Along the same lines, Stefano Sangalli, Head of Projects at AVSI4Community, outlined the goal of moving beyond a logic focused solely on case management, towards an accompaniment approach capable of combining social integration with labor market inclusion.
From the academic world, Emanuela Colombo, Rector’s Delegate for Scientific Diplomacy at Politecnico di Milano, emphasized the role of universities as spaces of integration, including through international mobility, university corridors and research for development.
Concluding the panel, Sergio Rossi presented the experience of a project promoted by the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce, developed in response to companies’ needs and aimed at labor market inclusion: over two years, around 400 people were trained and more than 200 job placements achieved, thanks to language and professional support pathways. These figures confirm the role of employment as a concrete lever in integration processes.
A second key element concerns the method: integration cannot be addressed by a single actor, but requires tools for co-programming and collaboration among institutions, civil society and the private sector.
Maria Vittoria Beria, Director of International Relations at the Municipality of Milan, described Milan’s experience as a “city that cooperates”: a system bringing together institutions, universities, businesses and civil society to develop concrete tools, including professional mobility programs and internships, also building on pilot initiatives supported by European funds.
From the perspective of countries of origin, the need for mobility to be fair, well-governed and shared clearly emerged. As highlighted by Mounir Dakhli (Tunisia), pathways are needed that integrate training, rights protection and responses to the needs of both sending and receiving territories.
The Brazilian experience, presented by Regis Spindola, likewise confirms the value of structured models based on cooperation between public institutions, civil society and the private sector, capable of integrating reception, protection and territorial inclusion.
Within this framework, legal entry channels represent a key tool. As recalled by Daniele Albanese (Talent Beyond Boundaries), humanitarian, university and labor corridors make it possible to build safe and planned pathways, aligning people’s skills and aspirations with labor market needs.
Il settore privato a sostegno della migrazione regolare
Il coinvolgimento del settore privato emerge come un elemento sempre più decisivo.
Le imprese non sono solo destinatari di politiche di integrazione, ma attori centrali nella costruzione dei percorsi. Come evidenziato da Francesco Baroni (Gi Group Holding Italia), il lavoro rappresenta una leva concreta di inclusione, ma richiede processi coordinati e strumenti adeguati per rispondere in modo efficace alle esigenze del mercato.
Mariangela Romanazzi, Pathways International Country Specialist, ha evidenziato il valore dei canali legali costruiti insieme al settore privato: percorsi che partono dai bisogni occupazionali, passano per formazione e accompagnamento, e arrivano all’inserimento lavorativo e all’inclusione sociale.
Infine, Ilaria Catastini, Direttrice Generale di Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, ha portato il tema della transizione energetica, sottolineando come competenze e professionalità delle persone migranti possano contribuire a rispondere alla domanda di lavoro in questo settore, a condizione di costruire percorsi accompagnati e condivisi tra imprese e territorio.
The involvement of the private sector is increasingly emerging as a decisive factor.
Companies are not only recipients of integration policies, but central actors in shaping pathways. As noted by Francesco Baroni (Gi Group Holding Italy), employment is a concrete lever for inclusion, but it requires coordinated processes and appropriate tools to effectively respond to labor market needs.
Mariangela Romanazzi, Pathways International Country Specialist, highlighted the value of legal channels developed together with the private sector: pathways that start from workforce demand, move through training and support, and lead to employment and social inclusion.
In the end, Ilaria Catastini, Director General of Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, introduced the theme of the energy transition, underlining how the skills and professional profiles of migrants can help meet labour demand in this sector, provided that shared and supported pathways are developed between businesses and local communities.
A people-centered pathway
The discussion emphasized a shared understanding: integration is not an automatic outcome, but a process that requires time, tools and shared responsibility.
Turning mobility into an opportunity means building pathways that bring together rights, employment and relationships, enhancing the contribution of all the actors involved.
From this perspective, integration is a journey that takes shape in the encounter between people and the contexts in which they live: a path that requires accompaniment, alliances and a vision capable of recognizing, in every individual, a resource for society.
