Diversity management and citizen security: The role of sending countries and immigrant communities

(Registration form below the presentation)

Commemorating the International Migrants Day

Presentation

On 13^th and 14^th December 2011, the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia and the Catalan Ministry of the Interior will hold the international conference on “Diversity management and civil security: the role of sending countries and immigrant communities” to commemorate the International Migrants Day. This conference is an invitation to exchange and present practices, experiences and international and national reflections concerning the cooperation between the countries of origin of migrants and the receiving society, and on the contribution of migrants to diversity management and social cohesion through civil society associations.

The meeting will be an open space to analyse the situation of immigrants, migration trends and their impact on normative order, both in receiving countries and countries of origin. It will also offer the opportunity to reflect on the challenges of coexistence in  plural societies through sharing good practice in diversity management aimed at respecting the rights and security of all citizens. The contributions will shed light on the role and implication of the countries of origin and of civil society organizations in the improvement of intercultural living-together and in addressing social cohesion challenges.

The meeting will be an occasion to present useful contents for professionals and other interested people who deal with and experiment diversity – which is expressed in the  presence of immigrant people in all different areas of society, both nationally and internationally. This approach will provide elements that are necessary to examine the framework for the management or co-management of all citizens’ diversity and to understand the processes involved in living-together when facing intercultural situations, whether locally or at a global scale. The intention is also to provide elements for an intercultural insertion of citizens, on a realistic basis, grounded on the local experiences of other countries.

Analysis and reflection on the meaning of respecting diversity and the implementation  of human rights related to security management will be the axis of the round table contributions. This responds to the will to disseminate different experiences, focused on police forces from different countries, that aim to contribute to the objectives of intercultural living-together and insertion in all fields.

The contributions of the conference will deal with:

1. challenges, mechanisms and perspectives related to immigration in countries of origin and receiving countries.
2. relation, cooperation and contribution of the countries of origin.
3. participative experiences of immigrant organizations in the management of diversity and social and cultural insertion.

The conference will close with the presentation of the book: Human rights: questions and answers, a UNESCO publication translated into Catalan that aims to contribute to the creation of a universal culture of humans rights. It offers clear and updated information about major human rights instruments and its implementation procedures.