Rochester, MN
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201 4th Street SE
Rochester, MN 55904
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Phone: 507-328-2900
Fax: 507-328-2901
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Intercultural City
Overview
The City of Rochester officially became the first American city to become an Intercultural City (ICC) at a ceremony held at the City Hall on June 13, 2018. The Mayor and the City Council took the first step when they approved the City's participation at its April 3, 2018 City Council meeting.
The Intercultural Cities Initiative includes over 100 cities in Europe, Japan, Korea, Africa, Mexico and Canada. Cities participating in the program undergo expert and peer reviews of their policies, governance and practices. It calls on local political, social, cultural and economic institutions to focus on harnessing the skills and talents of all community members, including migrants and refugees, and creating the best conditions for their full participation in society and the economy.
Community members will have numerous opportunities to participate in the process as it unfolds. Public input will be actively collected and applied to work on the initiative.
News & Updates
The City of Rochester, in partnership with the Diversity Council and others, announced the release of the draft Intercultural Cities Initiative program index report and an upcoming virtual site visit. Representatives from the Council of Europe (COE), the organization managing the Intercultural Cities program, will engage in a series of virtual meetings the week of September 14, 2020. This draft index comes after community leaders and community members collaboratively responded to a question set provided by the COE, which was used to populate the report. Once accepted by the City Council and Mayor, the report will provide a baseline for measuring improvement in our ability to be fully inclusive of and equitable toward all our residents and visitors.
The index baseline report analyzes citywide policies and practices, and offers suggestions for how community members and leaders can collaboratively use data and expertise to improve lives of residents. The index also benchmarks Rochester against international cities like Montreal, Manchester, Leeds and Zurich, and ultimately against itself.
Did you see something you believe was missed in the baseline report? Share that feedback here.