Government programmes supporting intercultural dialogue and co-operation are mainly channelled via intergovernmental organisations such as the Danish Centre for Culture and Development (DCCD, Center for Kultur og Udvikling) and the Danish Agency for International Education. The co-operation between the intergovernmental organisations and specific target groups is carried out in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Udenrigsministeriet) and DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance), the ministry’s agency for international development activities.
The Danish Centre for Cultural Development (Center for Kultur og Udvikling) is an independent institution related to the Ministry of Culture by a performance contract. DCCD promotes cultural co-operation between Denmark and the developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East through presenting art and culture from the developing countries to the Danish public. An example of this work is organising festivals celebrating other cultures, presenting Danish art and culture in the developing countries, and functioning as a knowledge and counselling centre for Danish institutions and organisations which, in recent years, have upgraded cultural co-operation with the developing countries. One major festival, Images of the Middle East, is presented in this compendium’s Cases of Good Practice on Intercultural Dialogue.
For more information see: https://globalnyt.dk/content/center-kultur-og-udvikling-cku-danish-center-culture-and-development-dccd and chapter 2.9.
Denmark is also participating in EU and Nordic programmes supporting trans-national youth exchange and co-operation within Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and the Mediterranean countries. The programmes entitled Youth in Action and the Nordic Children’s and Youth Committee Scheme (Nordisk Børne- og Ungdomskomités tilskudsordning) are managed by the Danish Agency for International Education.
The Danish government is also supporting programmes with the aim of strengthening democracy and intercultural understanding in the Middle East and developing countries. These are managed by the Danish Youth Council (Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd). See: http://www.duf.dk
Several Danish NGOs apply for the above mentioned funding in view of maintaining and establishing cross-border intercultural dialogue and co-operation. Danish institutions and associations also work on cross-border intercultural activities with no significant grant support, but are supported by structures set up to enhance co-operation activities. Examples of such structures are the UNESCO Associated Schools Project. See: http://www.unesco-asp.dk – the Asia-Europe Foundation: http://www.asef.org – the Etwinning network: http://www.etwinning.net.
Denmark’s present development policy underlines the importance of international cultural co-operation and an increasing focus on cultural dialogue and values. Government allocations to humanitarian assistance through the Danish NGOs amounted to a total of DKK 402.3 million, corresponding to approximately 36.4% of total Danish humanitarian assistance and 3.7% of total development assistance in 2005.
See: http://amg.um.dk/en/policies-and-strategies/stategy-for-danish-development-cooperation/
Intercultural dialogue: actors, strategies, programmes
One of the main priorities in the new governmental programme A Denmark That Stands Together, amended in October 2011 and the Danish Presidency of the EU January – July 2012 (see chapter 1.4) is to improve a more open identity and integration policy and strengthen intercultural dialogue (see chapter 2.1).
There is no specific legislation covering interculturalism, apart from the very important legislative frameworks for home rule in the Faeroe Islands and the self-governing system in Greenland which came into force on June 21 2009 (see chapter 2.6). In compliance with the Danish tradition of self-governance, responsibility for the implementation of cultural policy and cultural projects for cultural minorities, groups and communities lies with the institutions, institutes, councils and boards.
The Centre for Cultural Development / DCCD, The Danish Cultural Institutes and Danish Agency for International Education are the major organisers of intercultural dialogue in Denmark and abroad, financed by private and public funding.
To some extent, the councils and boards within the agencies of the Ministry of Culture, the state cultural institutions and the local cultural institutions, spread over the country and funded partly by the state and the municipalities, also take responsibility in developing special programmes and measures for “the new Danes”, refugees and other new audiences.
Examples of initiatives promoting intercultural dialogue are:
- the Danish Royal Theatre has reduced the ticket prices for refugees and immigrants to a tenth of the normal price (see chapter 2.6 and chapter 4.2);
- a local media institution took part in creating the television channel I-TV, a television channel for and about immigrants (see chapter 2.6); and
- the Danish Centre for Culture and Development (DCCD) promotes cultural co-operation between Denmark and the developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. DCCD presents art and culture from the developing countries in co-operation with partners in Denmark and provides the framework for large initiatives such as the Images Festivals and information projects (see https://globalnyt.dk/content/center-kultur-og-udvikling-cku-danish-center-culture-and-development-dccd).
Additional Resources:
Government’s overall approach to intercultural dialogue
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