Welcome to ICORN, Strasbourg!
The French City of Strasbourg joined ICORN on October 20th, 2022, when the ICORN Membership Agreement was officially signed at the Strasbourg City Hall.
With Strasbourg’s Municipal Council voting for the city to join ICORN in 2020, the relationship was formalised by the city’s Mayor Jeanne Barseghian, ICORN Board Member Sabine Gimbrere and ICORN’s Executive Director Helge Lunde. Deputy Mayors Anne Mistler (Arts and Culture), Véronique Bertholle (International Relations and European Affairs), and Floriane Varieras (Inclusive City: Solidarity, Support for Vulnerable People, Fight Against Discrimination) were also present. The ceremony was also attended by representatives from city and local organisations and partners, including François Wolfermann, Artistic Director of Relatio, Andreas Wissner, UNHCR Representative, Sylvie Bollini, Senior Advisor at the Council of Europe, and Delphine Rideau from SOS Méditerranée, amongst others.
Located in eastern France, Strasbourg is the largest city in the Grand Est region and the official seat of the European Parliament as well as many other international institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Strasbourg is a city with a rich history and culture. It is the home to numerous institutions and festivals, including the Théâtre National de Strasbourg, Opéra National du Rhin, and Festival international de Strasbourg.
Reaffirming the city’s commitment to freedom of expression, hospitality, and human rights, the Mayor of Strasbourg said:
Defending human rights is our fundamental value. It is a source of pride for Strasbourg, Europe’s capital of democracy and human rights, to be an ICORN City of Refuge for those who, through work, creations, their pens, resist persecution and fight for freedom and peace. Their lives are in danger, so Strasbourg will be their refuge.
Adding to the Mayor’s sentiment, ICORN’s Executive Director Helge Lunde says:
‘Cosmopolitans of the world, unite!’ was the French philosopher Jacques Derrida’s message to the First Congress of Cities of Asylum held in Strasbourg in November 1996. The City of Strasbourg, with its vital European institutions, has a long and proud history of promoting human rights and freedom of expression. Hence, it felt both moving and very significant when Mayor Jeanne Barseghian signed her city into ICORN, as the world is in more need of solidarity, hospitality, and creativity than ever.
Significantly, Strasbourg’s ICORN Membership comes as the city prepares for its role as the UNESCO World Book Capital in 2024 by which time its first ICORN writer or artist will be in residence. The City of Strasbourg will manage and host the ICORN residency whilst offering professional working space at the La Virgule, located in Strasbourg’s COOP district.
The rest of the network and the ICORN Secretariat are excited to work with Strasbourg in protecting and advancing free expression, human rights, and democracy locally and around the world.
