An intercultural city should advocate respect for diversity and a pluralistic identity, to ensure that city policy works for everyone living in the city. The city, understood as any subnational authority, actively combats prejudice and discrimination and ensures equal opportunities for all by adapting its governance structures, institutions and services to the needs of a diverse population, without compromising the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Regardless of the size of the city or the nature or scale of its diversity, the aim of the network is to support local and regional authorities in making these intentions and wishes a reality at every stage of the process.

The intercultural city in its ideal form would be inclusive in all aspects, with equality and anti-discrimination engrained across all policy areas, as well as in political life and through the private sector and businesses. Policies should be based on the four pillars of intercultural inclusion, namely diversity, equality, interaction and, active participation and citizenship.

We are a European capacity-building programme working with local authorities across the globe to improve their ability to manage diversity as an asset for society as a whole.

By providing expertise through the groundbreaking Intercultural Cities Index, giving the floor to cities to share practices which have proven benefits for local communities, and organising in-person study visits and training sessions to boost the capacity of officials, administrators and politicians alike, we aim to build more resilient local communities, in which everyone can take part.

The Programme therefore provides international expertise to help cities build and implement intercultural strategies, as well as monitor them. It assists cities with evidence-based policy making and monitoring, and facilitates networking, exchanges and mutual support through regular in-person and online events, responding to the needs and interests of its members.

The Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme is based on the Council of Europe's intercultural approach to inclusion which uses four pillars as its support for building genuinely inclusive societies: equality, diversity, interaction and participation.

That means ensuring equality of rights and opportunities and non-discrimination are effective and meaningful to residents of a city. 
It means ensuring that space is made to celebrate, highlight and welcome the diversity which makes cities across the globe those melting pots of cultures, languages, traditions, histories and religions. Everyone in the local community can benefit from diversity as it exists locally and embrace a shared, pluralistic identity rooted in the local community.

Making sure that the whole of society have opportunities to interact - to chat, discuss and even play together - is crucial for making sure that society is strong and cohesive, built on a solid foundation of mutual understanding, knowledge and trust.

Crucially, finding ways to allow everyone to participate in society - whether through formal or non-formal means - creates strength through participation and citizenship as it reinforces shared ownership and a broad sense of belonging.

The Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme as a network of cities and regions, supports authorities in making this approach a reality for residents of its members across the globe.

Members benefit from expertise through the Intercultural Cities Index, a questionnaire aimed to find out the efforts cities make to encourage participation and interaction from an intercultural perspective, provides targeted recommendations for members to improve, which match with best practices from elsewhere in the world to make those recommendations implementable. This is followed up by an expert visit which allows for deeper discussions about the issues being faced, the possible ways to overcome them, and lets the Programme experts and staff see first-hand some of the good practices being implemented.

A member can attend the study visits held by the Programme, as well as offering to host them. Likewise, the annual co-ordinators' meeting is open for registration to members - and is always hosted by a member. These in-person meetings, in addition to in-person trainings, support in ad-hoc liaising with other members, online events/webinars, provide ways to network and see how other cities and regions are solving common challenges. This is a powerful tool of solidarity for city officials and staff working on inclusion policy, as well as providing tried and tested means of fostering intercultural inclusion locally.

To help members in their work on intercultural inclusion, the Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme has produced several tools aimed at city policy makers and decision makers, from online training resources and manuals on anti-rumours or intercultural competences, to an online good practices database and policy briefs. All resources are available in different languages on the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Inclusion website.

Tools for citizens and residents of cities are also available in multiple languages on the ICC website, including the intercultural citizenship test, and escape roomours online game for children and young people.

ICC members can apply to competitive calls for grants, generally run on an annual basis subject to the availability of human and financial resources in the secretariat. Grants provide the opportunity for two or more cities, ideally from different countries, to work together to pilot a particular idea, initiative or project with Council of Europe support. In previous years, successful grantees have worked on tackling harmful stereotypes, hate speech and discrimination through in person dialogue meetings (Leeds & Camden, Brave Space Cafes); and provided a network of migrant and refugee youth ambassadors (Reykjavik and Wroclaw).
Seven ICC members can apply to give advice on the direction of the ICC Programme through the ICC Programme Advisory Group. This group works with the Secretariat of the Programme to provide guidance on its strategic direction and purpose, the management of the network and what areas of focus should be prioritised.

Every two years, eight ICC members can also apply to join the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Intercultural Inclusion, a unique standard-setting body of the Council of Europe which brings together local, regional and national governments to provide advice on inclusion policy at a pan-European level. This is based on a call for interest from ICC members, and provides a real opportunity for cities and regions to play a role in the development of European inclusion policy direction.

When joining, a city receives the welcome pack, the branding material and certificate attesting to the new status as a member of the ICC network. They can then use the Intercultural Cities logo and associate themselves with the Council of Europe.

ICC members are clear that progress in their cities has been inspired and brought about by the ICC Programme and its activities in the past years. The sharing of good practices is seen by members as an important added value of the Programme. Progress and changes made include but are not limited to:

• New or revised policy documents: strategies, action plans, etc.
• Introduction of new topics such as Roma inclusion, youth participation and gender perspective in welcoming policies.
• Increased skills on intercultural competences.
• New structures and dedicated staff within the local administration to promote intercultural inclusion.
• New partnerships at national and international level.

Feedback from members on the use of ICC tools is an important part of planning the Programme's work.
Statistics from 2023 to 2025 show that 98.6% of members had already developed and adopted an intercultural strategy or diversity/integration strategy with intercultural elements by 2023, with this figure falling to 94.6% in 2024 and rising again to 100% in 2025.
Most of the strategies or action plans developed have a duration ranging from two to five years, with many of them being renewals or adaptations of previous actions, demonstrating the use of ICC tools at local level.
ICC members particularly appreciate that the ICC Programme offers benefits such as peer-to-peer learning and support, as well as increased legitimacy. 
Here’s what some members of the ICC Programme had to say in the annual survey about their city’s participation in the Programme:

“The ICC Programme and its tools (webinars, index, meetings, working groups, transnational projects), as well as those of the national network, are essential and very useful in facilitating the implementation of policies and initiatives in the intercultural field in our city”.

“It is noteworthy, that my city feels proud and "lucky" being an ICC member. The network is a previous source of expertise.”

“The bilateral exchange among the ICC member-cities is a great advantage for us, as well as the various tools (good practices included) that we fully exploit within the implementation of local actions and networking”.

Firstly, a city interested in joining the Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme should contact us through the online form or via email at intercultural.cities[at]coe.int. We will then get in touch with you, to present the Programme and answer your questions.

This is then followed by a formal expression of interest by the city in joining the Programme, ideally signed by the mayor, city leadership or other political figure, signalling the city's interest in joining the network and explaining what the city already does in terms of inclusion, and what it expects from joining.

An agreement is subsequently signed between the city and the Council of Europe, committing both sides to certain obligations - and to working together.

The city then pays the annual fee and at that point, the city is a full member and can take part in ICC events and benefit from the tailored support offered by the Programme.

The city should then appoint a coordinator, or team of coordinators, who will act as the contact point between the city and the Council of Europe.

The annual fee for a city is 5,000 EUR per year. As part of this, travel and subsistence expenses to and from ICC events are covered by the Council of Europe, according to the applicable rules, as is the expertise provided to the city.

For cities outside of the Council of Europe territory, some restrictions on funding and sponsored travel apply.

Note that as of 2025, the above-mentioned flat fee is under review, to be replaced by a graduated membership fee.