The Intercultural Platform

County Donegal is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. Donegal has a population as per the 2016 census of 159,192, with 5 Municipal Districts. Donegal has changed radically within one generation, the 2016 census indicated that 7.2% of the population of the county, or 11,477 people were born outside the state and this population continues to grow. This statistic highlights the diverse nature of the current population of the county.

The Donegal Intercultural Platform is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that supports people and communities interested in working towards inclusion and equality in Donegal and in promoting human rights and challenging discrimination and racism. The Intercultural Platform is committed to creating the conditions for a more inclusive, equitable and anti-racist society and is collaborating with Donegal County Council to amplify the voice of minorities and people with a migratory background, fight racism, and support interculturalism.

The Donegal Intercultural Platform contributes to shaping policies, in particular its role was central in the establishment of the first ever Strategy for Black and Minority Ethnic Inclusion for County Donegal, launched in March 2022. This Strategy is the result of a two-year process that began with research by Donegal Intercultural Platform into the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the county. This was followed by the establishment of a multi-agency steering committee to develop a Strategy that would identify actions to deliver on the identified needs.

This Strategy seeks an inclusion based on equality and human rights and reflects values shared across all stakeholders. Donegal is a developing intercultural county but with that comes a responsibility to ensure the inclusion of Black and minority ethnic communities, including Traveller and Roma communities in the county. In the context of the EU-Belong project, this strategy is being further specified and implemented.

Website of the Donegal Intercultural Platform: https://interculturaldonegal.org/

Download the Strategy for Black and Minority Ethnic Inclusion for County Donegal

EU-Belong website: https://eu-belong.aer.eu/