The DPN aimed to:
- facilitate the systemic exchange of information on policy developments in countries that are designing and implementing integration and diversity policies;
- provide a platform for exchanging successful and less successful practices;
- promote the development of joint initiatives and new approaches to integration and diversity; and
- assist governments in keeping these issues on the national and international policy agendas, and in linking them with broader policies on social cohesion.
Participants of the DPN were governmental departments that had experience in the implementation of reception, integration and diversity policies. Among the issues addressed by the DPN were the further development of equal opportunity, anti-discrimination and diversity policies; the improvement of methods of mainstreaming these policies at various levels of government; ways to increase the effectiveness of labour market strategies and vocational and language training schemes; the promotion of self-employment and ethnic minority businesses; the development and dissemination of diversity management strategies in the private and (semi-) public sectors; engaging new and other non-governmental actors (including the business community) in the design and implementation of integration and diversity policies; promoting partnerships between public, private and minority actors in urban areas; performance measures for settlement services and other (semi-) public services for a diverse population.
Organisation of the DPN
The Network developed by way of cycles. The first cycle started on 1 September 2000 and was concluded with a seminar on 5-6 March 2002 in Brussels. Members were Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. A second cycle commenced in December 2002. The members of the second cycle were Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. A seminar took place on 11-12 September 2003 in Brussels with the following sessions: Language teaching and introduction courses, Engaging partners on anti-discrimination and diversity, Indicators, and Dialogue and consultation.
The third project cycle started on 1 March 2004, again with Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom as members. It concluded with a seminar on 3-4 March 2005 in Brussels.