In Lutsk, the results of the Council of Europe project “Cities of Reciprocity: Integration through Intercultural Dialogue” were summed up
A final round table titled “From dialogue to action: how intercultural interaction can transform a community” took place at the Palace of Culture in Lutsk. The event focused on discussing the outcomes of the project “Cities of Reciprocity: Integration through Intercultural Dialogue”, presenting successful cases, and reaffirming a shared vision for the sustainable development of the network of Ukrainian intercultural cities.
The project is aimed at supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly representatives of national communities and people with disabilities affected by the full-scale war in Ukraine. It was implemented in partnership between the intercultural cities of Lutsk and Pavlohrad (Ukraine) and Lublin (Poland) within the framework of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities programme. Other participating Ukrainian intercultural cities include Sumy, Vinnytsia, Melitopol, and Odesa.
Deputy Mayor of Lutsk Iryna Chebeliuk welcomed the participants of the round table:
“This event concludes a tremendous joint effort. I would like to thank our partner cities and the Council of Europe for their support. I hope that our community and our partners will become part of the large family of intercultural cities. Cooperation in this format through culture and interaction – demonstrates our resilience, endurance, and strength. We are fighting not only for independence but for our very lives; we support cities that are suffering the most while also caring for what unites us – our culture,” said Iryna Chebeliuk.
Via video link, Rita Marascalchi, Head of the Intercultural Inclusion Division of the Council of Europe, joined the discussion:
“Throughout this project, Ukrainian cities have demonstrated resilience and faith in the future during the darkest times. That is why we wish to continue this programme – to reaffirm our commitment to your people. We are pleased to see that all intercultural cities of Ukraine are working in harmony, in solidarity, and presenting themselves strongly on the international stage,” said Rita Marascalchi.
Project leader and local coordinator of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities programme, Tetiana Hnativ, Director of the Department of Culture, added:
“This round table is not only about summing up results, but also about reflecting on what we have created together and envisioning our future steps. During the project, our communities learned not only to listen to one another but to act together – to build a space of trust, partnership, and reciprocity, demonstrating the power of humanity in contrast to aggression.”
Summing up the project’s work, project manager Tetiana Shevtsova reminded participants of the issues addressed and the activities that helped tackle them:
- uncertainty and fragmentation within war-affected communities;
- insufficient mutual understanding between local residents and newly arrived IDPs;
- language barriers and lack of knowledge of local traditions, which create a sense of alienation for newcomers;
- psychological consequences of war and emotional trauma;
- discrimination and hate speech.
Within the project framework, 26 events were held, involving 700 participants. These included the opening conference “Integration through dialogue: challenges, opportunities, solutions”; the round table “Crisis as a challenge to unity: integration of IDPs today”; the educational event “Polyphonic Lutsk: language, history, and traditions of Lutsk communities”; and public lectures on the history of Lutsk’s national communities – “Czechs in Volyn,” “The Karaite community of Lutsk,” and “The national policy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.”
The project’s key events were the Intercultural Forum “Cities of Reciprocity: Intercultural Dialogue as a Path to Unity” and the Festival “Palette of Cultures.” To help overcome language barriers and lack of familiarity with local traditions among newly arrived IDPs, language courses and training sessions were conducted. The issue of discrimination and hate speech was discussed in depth during a special panel of the Intercultural Forum titled “Information security in an intercultural city.”
Department of informational work,
Department of International Cooperation and Project Activities