The Intercultural Cities programme is pleased to welcome the city of Mechelen (Belgium) which becomes its 120th member. One of Flanders' prominent cities of historical art, Mechelen is a highly diverse town, with 132 nationalities and 30% of citizens with a migrant background. With an explicit negative reputation only 15 years ago, Mechelen managed – in a relatively short time - to change its image and become one of the reference cities in Belgium. It did so by working and investing on social cohesion and welfare, safety, integration, and valorisation of diversity through the promotion of interconnections among its citizens and the development of  intercultural competence. 

The membership of Mechelen will surely increase the knowledge-base and mutual learning approaches of the Intercultural Cities programme.