Interculturality and Diversity

Diversity is a treasured part of everyday life in Monheim am Rhein. Monheim regards itself as a "City for Everyone", where inclusion and equal opportunities are a daily reality at every level. To make this happen, the City Administration encourages encounter and dialogue between different people and cultures to promote mutual understanding and successful coexistence. This way, Monheim am Rhein can develop into a place where everyone can actively participate and no-one is excluded.

Citizens with an international family background are represented by the [intern] Equal Opportunities and Integration Committee, which is also the expert body for living together in diversity. Apart from face-to-face encounters, other measures that provide hands-on experiences of diversity and enable contact with other cultures are the lively exchange Monheim maintains with its [intern] six twin cities and the free Interrail passes it offers its youngsters.

Intercultural Fair Weeks

With the Intercultural Fair Weeks, the City of Monheim am Rhein has introduced a dedicated period of events that brings together local and global perspectives and highlights how people live together, both in the city and worldwide. As a "City for Everyone" and as a Fairtrade City, Monheim am Rhein is committed to promoting fairness and respectful coexistence at home and across the globe. That commitment relies on the many individuals who contribute from all corners of city life.

These themed weeks are a key part of that effort. Through their activities and events, local groups and initiatives demonstrate what diversity and global responsibility look like in Monheim am Rhein: sharing fair-trade tea in the mosque, building connections through sports with fair-trade snacks and footballs, creating art together, hosting readings and exhibitions, cooking fair-trade meals in daycare centers, holding intercultural fair-trade breakfasts with seniors, or knitting for a good cause. The Intercultural Fair Weeks create spaces for meeting, exchanging ideas, and broadening one’s perspective. They invite everyone in Monheim am Rhein to see the world, and their own city, through fresh eyes, discover new offerings, and take part.

Local shops are involved as well: the annual program flyer highlights a variety of fair and sustainable products offered by Monheim’s local businesses.

International Weeks against Racism

Every year, the City of Monheim am Rhein invites active members from a wide range of fields to take part in the International Weeks Against Racism. The event period takes place annually around March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

During these weeks, committed individuals and groups demonstrate through their activities that the city community stands strong and united in solidarity. The weeks provide an ideal opportunity to promote a pluralistic and peaceful society and to showcase the diverse forms of civic engagement within the city.

Participants contribute through lectures, workshops, themed evenings and discussions, cultural or sporting events, and other social activities. Their efforts help create opportunities for encounters, encourage reflection on personal attitudes, and actively take a stand against exclusion and discrimination. Together, the community sends a clear message against racism and celebrates a city that values respect, diversity, and living together in harmony.

Integration Award

Since 2008, the City has granted an Integration Award endowed with €1,000 to individuals or organisations, associations, institutions, initiatives and legal entities that take an active stance for diversity and against discrimination, racism and inequality in Monheim am Rhein, promote equality and social participation or take action for the integration of people with a history of migration.

A jury consisting of nine members decides on who receives the prize. The criteria by which suggested projects and activities are assessed include their pioneering spirit, their innovative approach, their lasting effect and how high the proportion of voluntary commitment is.

Concept for Integration

The first-ever Concept for Integration in Monheim am Rhein was unanimously adopted by the Council in 2012 to serve as the basis for integration activities. Ever since, the City has consistently pursued and expanded the topic. The concept was updated in 2016 and 2021 through a participatory process.

The second update introduces new thematic priorities aimed at establishing a modern understanding of integration in a pluralistic urban society. It identifies approaches to strengthen coexistence, equal opportunities, and participation, while actively addressing structural disadvantage, discrimination, and racism.
Following an overview of the starting point, core objectives, and process, the strategy is structured around four main fields of action. These fields bring together topics that are crucial for a forward-looking approach to integration. The measures associated with each field define where development priorities will be set in the coming years to achieve the strategy’s objectives.
The strategy connects work on diversity and integration across different sectors of society and takes into account key interfaces to ensure long-term impact for the entire city community. A guiding principle of the update was the exchange with the participating stakeholders, who contributed their expertise from their respective areas and whose feedback helped shape the measures. The update was carried out in collaboration with the moderation office “Prasanna Oommen – Moderating Change.”

European Coalition of Cities angains Racism

Since June 2021, Monheim am Rhein has been a member of the [extern] European Coalition of Cities against Racism. The coalition is a European network of cities that work together to combat racism and discrimination, exchange experiences with other cities on an international level, and develop measures and strategies together. The City of Monheim am Rhein is represented at the General Assembly of the Coalition of Cities.

As a member, the city is committed to implementing the [extern] Ten-Point Action Plan against Racism. The plan is an instrument to illustrate, further develop and expand measures to promote equal opportunities and diversity and to combat racism and discrimination. The city's ten-point action plan includes recommendations and results from the Concept for Action on Intercultural Education and the Concept for Integration.

[PDF] Ten-Point Action Plan against Racism (in German)