Cities are crucial for promoting Intercultural Dialogue - but how is diversity in cities covered by the media?

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Promoting intercultural dialogue in cities is crucial to ensure the success and sustainability of increasingly diverse societies around the Mediterranean. On the 24th of June the Anna Lindh Foundation & the Mediterranean Universities Union  (UNIMED) organize the seventh edition of the Intercultural Trends and Media Platform focusing on intercultural dialogue in cities. 

According to the Intercultural Trends Survey of 2020, 89% of respondents in Europe and 90% of those in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean considered local authorities and civil society initiatives that promote intercultural dialogue to be either ‘somewhat effective’ or ‘very effective’ actions, which suggests a high level of confidence in local authorities and civil society working namely in cities. 

Yet, media narratives in the Euro-Mediterranean have to a large extent quite a neutral effect on mutual perceptions with only 8% of respondents in Europe and 17 % in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean reporting that the media had influenced their views in a positive way about the other shore of the Mediterranean. This in turn begs questions on how coverage of practices promoting intercultural dialogue and intercultural encounters in cities, could contribute to a more nuanced public debate and a better understanding of one another in the Euro-Mediterranean. 

With these observations in mind,  the Anna Lindh Foundation is thrilled to bring together academics, civil society and journalists to discuss the promotion of intercultural dialogue at the city level  and the prevalent public and media discourses on that topic. 

“Cities are on the forefront, when it comes to promoting intercultural dialogue and the seventh Intercultural Trends and Media Platform will be a great stepping stone in the Foundation’s Intercultural Cities and Learning program that will soon see the launch of the EuroMed Capital for Dialogue Award”, highlights Eleonora Insalaco, Head of Operations and Intercultural Research. 

The seventh Intercultural Trends and Media Platform will start with an introduction from Jelnar Ahmad, a Germany-based Syrian consultant, Research and M&E Manager at IMPACT-Civil Society Research and Development. 

About the Intercultural Trends and Media Platform

The Intercultural Trends and Media Platform is organised by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) with the aim of bringing together media, academia, and civil society to create a network and to discuss how perceptions between Europeans and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean people have evolved in recent years as a result of the growing migratory and refugee movements, the rise of populist’s discourses and phenomena of violent extremism.

 If you are a journalist, member of civil society or academic who would like to participate in a future edition of the Intercultural Trends and Media Platform, please do not hesitate to contact us (Johannes.Jauhiainen@annalindhfoundation.org - Intercultural Research Social Media Executive).

For more information on the Intercultural Trends and Media work at the Anna Lindh Foundation you can contact: Eleonora.Insalaco@annalindhfoundation.org - Head of Operations and Intercultural Research.