May 2008
Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture 2008., was the host of the major international conference held from 1st – 3rd of May to mark the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
The delegation from Subotica, composed of Ms. Andrea Losonc, Mayor’s office and Stanka Parac, Delegate of Local Democracy Agency Subotica were among the participants of the event that gathered around 200 representatives of local authorities from across Europe, as well as from US, Canada and Australia.
The main topics presented and discussed in interactive thematic workshops were related with a number of key issues and challenges of moving from traditional multicultural society towards innovative and more dynamic concept of building intercultural bridges, with particular emphasis on the local urban context. Plenty of approaches and methods of reaching the most approapriate local solutions to existing local cultural diversity related challenges include among others: the intercultural lens, intercultural innovators, the need for new indicators of interculturalism.
The participants had excellent opportunities to explore the city of Liverpool and the regeneration /development plans developed so far in order to mark the main events of the Year, but also to further develop its long term economic, social, cultural policies. In many ways, the visit to the Community Urban Centre, was an excellent example illustrating efforts aimed at local cohesion and inclusion of marginalised groups. Their effective participation in decision making process at the local community level represent the grounds for sustainable and instututionalised mechanism of activating the individual potentials for intercultural exchange and understanding.
The Programme included also a separate kick-off event – the meeting of the 12 selected European intercultural cities – Pilot programme of the Council of Europe and EU, marking the start of a two year co-operation programme around various diversity related challenges of local communities in these cities from different parts of both old and new Europe: Grenwich (UK), Tillburg (The Netherlands) Lyon (France) ReggioEmilia (Italy), Neushatel (Switzerland), Berlin-Neukolln (Germany), Lublin (Poland), Patras (Greece), Melitopol (Ukraine), Izhevsk (Russian Federation), Oslo (Norway) and Subotica (Serbia).
Collaborative actions and exchange will start later this year at the thematic conferences initiated by Emilia Romagna and Lyon, while the main four thematic priorities are related with: intercultural governance, mediation, culture, education and media.
LDA Subotica submitted the application in co-operation with the local authorities at the initiative brought forward during the Public Round Table on intercultural understanding and tolerance in Subotica, held last August within a wider EU/EIDHR supported project: Local Partnerships for Tolerance. In many ways, activities within this Project helped increased visibility of LDA actions aimed at civil society networking for improved citizen participation at local level. Joint participation in the Pilot Programme of the Council of Europe and EU will further contribute to developing a new international decentralised co-operation network and new opportunities for promoting the good local practice acquired within a long history of intercultural heritage of the city of Subotica. Stanka Parac
LDA Subotica Delegate |
