Interkulturell integration

Dr Robin Wilson has been an expert adviser to the Council of Europe on the theme of intercultural integration, on which the organisation has become the global standard-setter, since its work began in the aftermath of 'September 11'. He was one of the principle drafters of the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue, providing guidance on policy and good practice to the 47 member states, in 2008, in the aftermath of several troubling incidents across the continent. Subsequently, he has advised the Intercultural Cities programme, which has attracted 136 members in all continents, trialling the ideas contained in the white paper on the ground, and has assisted a number of member cities to develop bespoke intercultural strategies. He has also worked at all levels of football, from clubs to football associations to Football Against Racism in Europe, on how the sport specifically can be used to promote tolerance and intercultural integration. Latterly, he instigated a Council of Europe project to develop a template for the member states on national intercultural integration plans, on which he has again been a principal drafter. A social and political scientist by formation, he has encapsulated this oeuvre in his Meeting the Challenge of Cultural Diversity in Europe: Moving Beyond the Crisis (Edward Elgar, 2018). Having lived his life throughout the Northern Ireland 'troubles' and their aftermath, he is also author of The Northern Ireland Experience of Conflict and Agreement: A Model for Export? (Manchester University Press, 2010). An experienced journalist and researcher by profession, he is currently general editor of Social Europe.