Over Metropolitan City of Milan
The Metropolitan City of Milan operates on a challenging scale. With 3.2 million inhabitants spread across 133 municipalities and over 487,000 foreign citizens among them, its inclusion work could easily retreat into generality. Instead, it has made diversity a defining feature of its governance - embedding it in its organisational statute and administration plan.
The ambition is reflected in programmes combining rigour and imagination. The Claudia!Project partners with businesses to turn gender equality and inclusion into a competitive advantage. The EMERGO Plan builds personalised employment pathways for persons with disabilities (and it now covers neurodiverse persons as well). Within its own administration, the Metropolitan City of Milan introduced alias identity recognition for LGBTIQ+ employees in 2024 - a quiet but significant policy for those working there. EU-funded programmes support migrant minors and victims of trafficking, while dedicated initiatives address the inclusion of vulnerable women seeking to re-enter the labour market.
The numbers are also telling. In 2025, nearly 1,200 staff members received awareness training on inclusive service delivery - and 84% reported applying what they had learned in their daily work.
Finalist video