Purpose: Despite inter-ethnic strife in Ukraine one city offers leadership in pursuit of an alternative way
Process:
Whilst war and interethnic conflict has raged to the east (Donbass) and south (Crimea) of it, the city of Melitopol has held on tightly to its intercultural principles by hosting events and issuing policy statements.
In September 28-29, 2015 the city of Melitopol hosted the intercultural forum, ‘Revisiting the concept of Intercultural Cities in the contemporary Ukrainian reality’. It offered an alternative model of Ukraine that goes beyond the stereotypical divide into Ukrainian and Russian-speakers, east and west, and was about ‘removing barriers between people’.
There were more than 150 attendees, in particular from municipalities right across Ukraine, with a view to establishing a functioning national network of intercultural cities. The city’s new intercultural strategy had engaged 120 individuals in the preparation stage and was presented to this audience, hopefully as a model others could emulate.
One lesson from the experience of the ICC network has been that political leadership is key to the success of the intercultural approach. This is for two reasons: first, interculturality’s inherently ‘transversal’ nature means it can easily fall between municipal departments, with no one taking responsibility, unless the mayor makes clear that it is the responsibility of all. Secondly, interculturalism can seem ethereal and removed from day-to-day concerns unless it is clearly communicated to the public by those in elected authority. Significantly in that light, the mayor of Sergiy Minko, launched Melitopol’s new Intercultural Strategy at the forum.
The ‘Melitopol Intercultural Integration Plan 2015-2020’ is set in the context not only of the ICC network but also of the Development Strategy of Melitopol, which has the same conclusion point. This is valuable in allowing everything the municipality does to be viewed through the ‘intercultural lens’ and in making the connection to the wider public arena.
The ICC network has always sought to exploit the ‘diversity advantage’ and the Melitopol integration plan concretises the mayor’s ‘innovation’ theme, describing its main objectives in talent-tapping terms: ‘creating conditions and new opportunities for dynamic, inclusive, truly intercultural society with the participation of all residents regardless of their ethnic origin, religion, age, sex or education’.
The plan is organised around five strategic themes:
- cross-cultural awareness, education and intercultural communication;
- promotion of social activities, economic and informational support of intercultural development;
- intercultural planning and creative arrangement of urban space;
- the welcome policy of the city and cultural and spiritual practices of the community, and
- tourism and regional studies as factors of intercultural city integration.
Each of these themes is associated with a number of specific organisational aims and related tasks. Each of the tasks has an identified responsible actor(s), a timescale and envisaged results.
The plan was implemented by a working group approved and chaired by the mayor. It included a wide range of local and external stakeholders, although the reference to business representation was not matched by that of trade unions or third-sector organisations. The plan benefitted from the support of non-governmental organisations as well as their engagement in its delivery on the ground.
In 2019, the Melitopol Town Development Strategy until 2030 was adopted and included an intercultural focus including renewing the Intercultural Integration Plan.
