CONFERENCE

INTERACTING IN DIVERSITY FOR SOCIAL COHESION: frameworks and references to adapt the organisation and competences of social services to the demands of a pluralist society

7-8 December 2009, Council of Europe, Agora Building, Strasbourg (France)

The Council of Europe, in partnership with the European Commission and the Government of Quebec, organised a Conference – open to public authorities, social workers, migrants, researchers, etc - whose purpose is to analyse the social and operational frameworks, in particular the acquisition of the intercultural competences more suited to fostering interaction in a context of cultural diversity, especially the development of public services in our pluralist societies.

This conference has dealt primarily with the following topics;

- the advantages and limits of the concept of reasonable accomodation in relation to the European standards on non-discrimination;

- the nature of constraints affecting and potential for the interaction of "accommodations" deployed in Europe by social workers and mediators;

- the need to adapt institutional language.