IT’S OFFICIAL: Dublin is intercultural. The capital has joined a network of European cities including Oslo, Berlin and Lublin that strategically promote interculturalism.
Dublin Lord Mayor Andrew Montague signed up to the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme 2011/2012 at City Hall on Friday week.
The commitment requires Dublin to review policies from an intercultural perspective, study successful practices in other cites and form a plan of action which will decide its intercultural strategy.
The pledge is expected to feed into the council’s existing integration plan.
“For me openness and diversity are a key strength for Dublin city and I believe we need to celebrate diversity, not just tolerate it,” said the Lord Mayor.
“Dublin City Council’s Office for Integration has recognised the value of diversity and has done much to encourage interaction between our migrant societies and the wider society.”
He added: “Events such as the Chinese New Year Festival have promoted understanding and respect for the contribution our migrant communities make.”
Cllr Montague said campaigns such as the council’s One City One People, which is being relaunched this autumn, have highlighted that racism and discrimination are “simply not acceptable”, while Dublin’s participation in the Intercultural Cities Programme “will allow us to learn from and share knowledge with our European peers”.
Speaking about the One City One People initiative, Declan Hayden of Dublin City Council's Office for Integration reiterated the council's strong commitment to promoting integration of all peoples in the area, but said it is ultimately members of the public – both individuals and groups – that would make it work.
Almost 74,000 non-Irish nationals were living in the Dublin City administrative area in 2006, according to official figures, with just under half within the inner city area.
The northeast area of the city centre continues to be home to the greatest concentrations of ethnic minority communities. Four out of the 10 electoral divisions in this part of Dublin have an ethnic minority population of over 50 per cent, while a further three have an ethnic minority population of over 25 per cent.
Just under 80 per cent of Dublin City residents are Catholic, less than the national figure of 87 per cent, while Muslims comprise the main minority religious group in the city.
Other minority religious groups include Christian Orthodox, Protestant, Presby-terian, Evangelical, Hindu and Sikh.
One City One People aims to communicate that Dublin is a city which “respects and embraces difference and does not accept racism or discrimination”. The campaign is part of the Intercultural Cities Programme.
For further information visit www.dublin.ie/onecity.
