The thematic year of the European Union 2008 is the year of "Intercultural Dialogue"
The official website of the EU year is www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu
The Council of Europe is in the process of drafting a "White paper" on Intercultural Dialogue.
Please find further information here.
Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue - Rainbow Platform
The idea and initiative for a Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue, which is contextualised in the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, came from the European Cultural Foundation and the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (now: Culture Action Europe). It secured financial support from the Network of European Foundations
The activities of the official Year will focus on increasing EU citizens' and inhabitants' appreciation of diversity, and on enabling them to cope with and benefit from diversity. The platform on the other hand will help advance the practice of intercultural dialogue where diversity is in proximity: Ethnic diversity due to old or new migratory flows in urban environmentsWhile the platform is an initiative from the cultural sector, organisations from the fields of education, youth, social affairs, human rights, migration, anti-discrimination, etc. are invited as partners. Cross sectoral collaboration is key to the endeavour of this platform to advance intercultural dialogue practice
The platform's operational goals are:
- demonstrate the range and variety of practices of intercultural dialogue (interest of the initiating organisations to highlight valuable intersections and cross-fertilization between the cultural and other sectors);
- stimulate, strengthen, and promote initiatives and projects for intercultural dialogue (with the involvement of artistic/cultural components);
- build stronger cooperation on intercultural dialogue between the arts and other sectors;
