The Welcoming Association has launched a new policy calling on the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government to take stronger, coordinated action to support community cohesion.
At a time when misinformation and hostility towards refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants (New Scots) is rising, the policy sets out practical steps for building fairness, inclusion, and trust. These include:
- expanding community-building programmes such as befriending and cultural exchange initiatives,
- creating leadership pathways for New Scots,
- embedding refugee services into mainstream housing, education, health, and employment,
- launching a Scotland-wide campaign to highlight refugee contributions, and
- investing early in language learning, skills recognition, and employment.
Keith Watson, Chair of The Welcoming Association, said:
“New Scots come to Scotland with resilience, skills, and aspirations to build new lives. Yet too often they are portrayed through negative myths that fuel division. Our experience shows that when New Scots and local people connect, cohesion flourishes. We are calling for greater investment, transparency, and leadership so that New Scots are valued members of our communities. A welcoming Scotland is a stronger Scotland.”
Our CEO, Tesfu Gessesse, also reflected on this moment in his recent opinion piece for Third Force News. In it, he writes:
“We can allow misinformation and hostility to divide us, or we can actively invest in fairness, inclusion, and shared humanity.”
You can read Tesfu’s full opinion piece here on Third Force News: Strengthening community cohesion in Scotland.
This new policy is both a message of intent and a call to action. By working together, we believe Scotland can continue to be a place where everyone belongs and contributes to stronger, more resilient communities.
