Västra Götaland County

Västra Götaland is a county on the western coast of Sweden and the first region to join ICORN after signing the Membership Agreement in 2015 and committing to protecting and promoting freedom of speech and democratic values.

The main task of Västra Götaland County is to support the ICORN Cities of Refuge in the region, through facilitating the two-year residencies and coordinating the onboarding of new ICORN members. The Cultural Development Administration of Västra Götaland County offers its ICORN cities financial and practical support in establishing and running their ICORN residencies.

Västra Götaland has produced a travelling exhibition, aimed at raising awareness of the work of Swedish ICORN Cities of Refuge. You can find more information about the exhibition here.

The Cultural Development Administration has also published an ICORN City of Refuge Anthology, composed of texts written by current and previous ICORN residents in Sweden. Each of the contributions in the anthology are both in the original language and in Swedish, alongside presentations of the ICORN residents. The book was published by Bokförlaget Korpen and was released in September 2021. You can find out more about the anthology here.