Over 600 participants from across Europe and beyond gathers in Paris to evaluate the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 in a closing conference entitled "New Perspectives for Intercultural Dialogue in Europe".
With hundreds of activities and projects highlighted, promoted and disseminated during this Year, the communication campaign has tried to raise awareness throughout Europe of the importance and benefits of intercultural dialogue. Building on this experience, the aim of the conference is to look to the future of Europe from the point of view of cultural diversity.
The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue has mobilised stakeholders, policy makers and grass-roots civil society organisations throughout Europe. So far this Year, there have been 524 national events and 406 projects, while 91 national 'ambassadors of intercultural dialogue' have been nominated by the Member States.
To mark the closing of the Year, the French Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission are organising a closing conference on 17-19 November in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Keynote speakers will include Christine Albanel, French Minister of Culture and Communication, Ján Figeľ, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Jean Pierre Jouyet, French Secretary of State for European Affairs, and Members of the European Parliament. Themes such as intercultural education, the role and responsibilities of the media in intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and integration, Europe in the wider world, and intercultural dialogue in the arts will be discussed.
The conference "New Perspectives for Intercultural Dialogue in Europe" is an opportunity for discussion and practical implementation of the experiences of 2008, in order to further promote intercultural dialogue in the policies of the European Union, the governments of its Member States, and local and regional communities in the long term. The contributions to the
The debate is conceived as an encounter between theory and practice and will be accompanied by the use of various forms of oral, visual and artistic expression as well as by an exhibition presenting the results of the seven flagship projects of the European Year.
(Europe Rapid press release)
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