The first meeting of the Task Force on the “ICC Strategy Development – Vinnytsia” was held on September 11, 2018. Representatives of national communities, Vinnytsia City Council and city departments, public organizations, as well as city activists and media gathered to discuss the results of the first “Intercultural Vinnytsia” survey along with the strategic vision of the city for integration and inclusion of IDPs and minorities. The local ICC coordinator Yuliia Kashpruk offered a breakdown of Vinnytsia’s strengths and weaknesses resulting from Vinnytsia’s ICC Index test. A few examples of intercultural cities strategy developments in the ICC Global member-cities were presented by the national ICC-UA coordinator Kseniya Rubicondo, who listed a variety of approaches and tools used for the ICC strategy design and implementation in different municipalities.

An open discussion was held about the strength and priorities of the city as a basis for developing the ICC Strategy that would help the municipality to address its weaknesses and move forward along intercultural policy dimensions to effectively implement the urban model of intercultural integration.

It was agreed that in addition to the intercultural vision of the city, concrete intercultural actions and projects will have to be implemented in parallel. Moreover, Vinnytsia ICC Strategy will also foresee the setting-up of a single platform for the development of coordinated actions for national minorities and the inclusion of IDPs in the city’s life.

The city will also take part in the seminar-workshop on the ICC Strategy development for the ICC-UA members that will be hosted by another Ukrainian city, Pavlograd, on October 25-26, 2018. During the workshop, Vinnytsia’s representatives will share their local experience and receive a tailored methodological advice and support accounting for the stage of their ICC Strategy development at that time. The final Task Force Group meeting on the ICC Strategy-Vinnytsia is planned for late November 2018 with the goal to finalize the document by the end of 2018.