Building on the success of the 2nd European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge has formalised, at an event with the mayor of Kristiansand, Jan Oddvar Skisland, the co-operation between the Council of Europe and the Norwegian city.

The University of Agder, the Arkivet Center for Peace and Human Rights, the Kilden Performing Arts Center, the Sørlandets Museum of Art (SKMU) and the Cultiva Foundation are part of the thematic network of the City of Kristiansand.