In 2008 the Council of Europe and the European Commission, together with a group of pioneer cities, took a challenge : to develop and test a culturally competent approach to integrating diverse communities. The Intercultural cities initiative was born.

At the heart of this novel approach to integration lies the concept of Diversity advantage. The Dublin milestone event will be an opportunity to take stock of what cities have achieved, what works and what does not, and under which conditions, what challenges remain and how they can be addressed together with partners from other networks and organisations.

In Dublin we will discuss the following questions :

What does diversity advantage mean in practice and how can different kinds of urban policies be shaped through the intercultural lens ? How can cities develop a strategic approach to the diversity advantage ?

Is the concept supported by research evidence ?

Over 60 cities in Europe and beyond have joined the Intercultural cities programme and pursue the diversity advantage. At the Dublin event these cities will share their experience and learning :

 What does diversity advantage mean in practice and how can different kinds of urban policies be shaped through the intercultural lens ?

 What intercultural strategies have cities adopted ? How have they managed to build broad local partnerships to ensure grassroots involvement, transverality and sustainability ? What challenges are they facing and how are they dealing with them ?

 How can cities demonstrate the reality of diversity advantage ? Is the concept supported by research evidence ? How can the results be assessed ?

Participants will learn about the tools which have been created to support cities in implementing the intercultural integration approach : a Step-By-Step guide enables a structured approach to policy audit, citizen involvement in strategy development and an Intercultural Cities Index helps cities make evidence-based judgments about the impact and outcomes of their policies and resource investment.

And not the least

Participants will witness Intercultural Dublin in action : its vibrant organisations and networks, its cosmopolitan buzz and creativity, its belief in organic, grassroots intercultualism and partnership between the city authorities and citizen organisations. Thematic workshops

Participants will review the meaning and practice of interculturalism in various policy fields such as culture, education, housing and neighbourhood development, safety and policing.