It is in this context that the design and development of the City Intercultural Integration Plan 2015-2020 – openly debated by the audience of almost 100 of local educators, media representatives, NGOs, social actors and public officials at the city hall – was approved by the Mayor of Melitopol Sergiy Minko in January 2015.
The key points of the Plan include the vision and the values of intercultural integration in the current political and economic context of the city and the region, the fundamental structure for such integration, the scope of plan implementation, and the list of thematic areas on which the city is planning to concentrate its efforts within the next few years. These areas include intercultural awareness, education and communication (focus, directions, events); city social, economic and political development through the ‘intercultural lens’; community participation and engagement; culture, art, and sport; urban space planning; welcoming newcomers (refugees, immigrants), cultural and religious expression; international and interregional consciousness (incl. tourism and heritage).