The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored an International Conference on the Inter-Ethnic City in Rome, June 1, 2011, under the auspices of the UN Alliance of Civilizations.
The event featured remarks by the Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon [PDF] and the High Representative of the UN President Jorge Sampaio [YouTube Video] and [PDF].
The Rome event was a follow up to earlier discussions in 2009 and 2010. In September 2009, the Permanent Missions of Italy and Canada, the IOM and the Alliance co-sponsored a roundtable at UN HQ on the “Inter-Ethnic City: Management and Policies for Better Integration of Migrants,” to showcase successful examples of integration programs and recommend integration policies aimed at promoting tolerance and understanding in multicultural cities. The event also featured participation by the Fondazione Della Rocca and the city of Turin. During the 2010 UNAOC Rio Forum, there was a session on “Living Together in Urban Societies.”