Global City Experts Gather to Share Best Practices and Experiences
Mayor Lee Min-geun: "We Will Gather Wisdom for Innovation, Inclusion, and Progress"
Asan City in Gyeonggi Province, the first officially designated "Intercultural City" in South Korea, will host the "Ansan Intercultural City International Symposium" for three days from September 17 to 19.
An "Intercultural City" refers to a city where residents of various nationalities and cultures acknowledge and respect differences while actively engaging in exchanges. In February 2020, Asan City became the first city in South Korea and the second in Asia to be designated as an Intercultural City by the Council of Europe (CoE).
The city explained that it is holding this international symposium to commemorate the 20th anniversary of establishing a dedicated department for migrants, the 5th anniversary of being designated an Intercultural City, and the milestone of reaching 100,000 foreign residents.
Under the theme "A New Vision for Intercultural Cities: Innovation, Inclusion, and Co-Prosperity," this symposium will bring together city officials and experts from various countries to share best practices and experiences related to Intercultural Cities.
Experts such as Nakano Yusuke, Mayor of Hamamatsu City in Japan; Rita Marascalchi, Head of the CoE Inclusion and Integration Secretariat; and Yamawaki Keizo, Professor at Meiji University in Japan, will participate to engage in in-depth discussions.
On the first day, September 17, panel presentations and roundtable discussions will be held at Hanyang University ERICA campus. On September 18, expert seminars and the main symposium will take place at Hotel Square Ansan. The symposium will feature the sharing of exemplary cases from Intercultural Cities, followed by a panel discussion.
On the final day, September 19, participants will join a tour program visiting the Ansan Foreign Resident Support Center and the Global Multicultural Center, offering a direct experience of advanced foreign resident policies in action.
The city aims to use this symposium to share its accumulated best policy practices as an Intercultural City both domestically and internationally, while also laying the groundwork for building an Asian Intercultural City Network.
Lee Min-geun, Mayor of Ansan, stated, "With 100,000 migrants from 14 countries living together, Ansan is a microcosm and the future of Korea's immigrant society," adding, "Through this symposium, we hope to gather global wisdom for innovation, inclusion, and co-prosperity."
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