The Multiethnic Society and Local Government [antikvár]

Executive summary Today more and more local communities consist of inhabitants of different ethnic backgrounds. The encounter between markedly different cultural backgrounds and languages presents a great challenge to local governments. Many local governments take action to improve the integration of immigrants and refugees in their communities. This paper is meant as an inspiration for all local governments and as a source providing examples on how to improve the integration of ethnic minorities. Members of the Network "Cities of Tomorrow" have collected "good integration practices" in Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA. Although national legislation and division of competencies and responsibilities are different in these countries, on the whole the goals of local governments' integration efforts are similar. They are: - to provide immigrants and refugees with an existence based on equality, self-support and an adequate level of self-sufficiency, - to create respect for the country's democracy, its values and institutions, - to create respect for the cultures of the ethnic minorities among the citizens, i. e. to create mutual respect, to enhance a two-sided process of social acceptance, to promote intercultural understanding, - to help minorities to get familiar with the society they live in, to acquire the skills and knowledge they need.