Ljubljana has joined the ICORN network of cities – shelters for persecuted writers that started at the initiative of Salman Rushdie and the International Parliament of Writers (IPW) in 1994.

In the year (23 April 2010 – 23 April 2011) that Ljubljana has borne the title of UNESCO World Book Capital, the City of Ljubljana and PEN, the Slovenian Writers' Association, have agreed that Ljubljana should join ICORN - The International Cities of Refuge Network, whose administrative centre is in Stavanger in Norway, from where they maintain contact with selected candidates and cities – shelters.

The ICORN network started at the initiative of Salman Rushdie and the International Parliament of Writers (IPW) in 1994 as an international network of cities that offer sanctuary to writers that are at risk due to their artistic creativity and expression of opinions. The network of cities – shelters already includes numerous cities in many democratic countries, mainly in Norway, from where the network has been in operation since 1995. City – shelter enables writers that have often had to flee their homeland to avoid jail or an even worse fate to create new social networks in new environs for themselves, to find employment or other options to make a living and provide conditions for work at the time, directly after fleeing their homeland, when things are at their hardest.

By joining the ICORN network, cities oblige themselves to:

• by arrangement with the ICORN administrative centre, select a Guest Writer for the city for a period of two years
• organise an appropriate dwelling for the writer and his/her family
• help the writer to obtain legal status (visa, residence permit), to enable the writer to stay in the city
• provide the writer with a grant or similar support paid in monthly instalments. The amount is determined with the ICORN administrative centre in line with internationally recognised indices of standards of living.

The City of Ljubljana City Council at its 4th meeting on 21 March 2011 unanimously adopted a resolution that Ljubljana should join the ICORN network.

In 2011, Ljubljana is to campaign to obtain the permanent UNESCO title of City of Literature, currently held by four places (Dublin, Iowa, Edinburgh and Melbourne), thus membership of ICORN is an exceptional opportunity for Ljubljana to demonstrate that it is an open and hospitable city that actively supports literature. Membership of ICORN proves de facto that Ljubljana is consciously on the path of many cosmopolitan cities that value creativity and freedom of the pen.

In co-operation with the City of Ljubljana's Board of Housing, the City's Department of Culture has renovated an 86m² apartment for the guest writer. Working with the Ministry of the Interior, we have agreed the appropriate legal basis for the writer under the Aliens Act.

The City of Ljubljana will maintain absolute confidentiality regarding all contacts with ICORN and the writer until their safe arrival in the city; in addition all travel expenses for the writer and their family will be covered; a co-ordinator will be appointed to work with the writer and facilitate their integration into city life; decent working and living conditions for the writer and their family will be established and maintained; access to possible health and housing insurance will be ensured; within its capabilities, access to city public services and meetings with writers and city literary organisations will be enabled; co-operation with educational institutions will be promoted, and the writer will be enabled to learn Slovene. The contract lasts two years and will be extended by tacit agreement unless there is a formal statement of its termination.

Guest writers will, within their capabilities and with the help of the City of Ljubljana and PEN, be incorporated into Ljubljana public life and thus the project is also an opportunity to develop original Slovenian creativity via contact with an author from another cultural environment.

The guest writer that Ljubljana expects to adopt in autumn 2011 will be selected by the ICORN administrative centre, the City of Ljubljana and the PEN Slovenian Writers' Association.
It is estimated that the annual cost to the City of Ljubljana of membership of and partnership with ICORN will be €30,000.

The ICORN network includes 37 places worldwide, that already or from next year will host persecuted writers, namely: Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Bergen (Norway), Brussels (Belgium), Chiusi (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), Drøbak (Norway), Fanø (Denmark), Frankfurt (Germany), Fredriksberg (Denmark), Gothenburg (Sweden), Grosseto (Italy), Hanover (Germany), Haugesund (Norway), Krakow (Poland), Kristiansand (Norway), Lillehammer (Norway), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Malmö (Sweden), Mexico City (Mexico), Miami (USA), Molde (Norway), Norwich (UK), Odense (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Paris (France), Potenza (Italy), Skien (Norway), Skåne (Sweden), Stavanger (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden), Tromsø (Norway), Trondheim (Norway), Tuscany (Italy), Uppsala (Sweden) and Århus (Denmark).

City-shelters currently host over 20 authors.

ICORN highlights the following as the most outstanding authors of recent times:

• Philo Ikonya, a Kenyan writer, journalist and activist in the field of human rights, currently hosted in Oslo who writes about her homeland Kenya, the status of women and freedom of expression. She recently published a book of poetry titled This Bread of Peace.
• Dejan Anastasijević, a Serbian author hosted in Brussels. This investigative journalist and writer has, among other things, worked for Time magazine and The Guardian. He recently brought out his work Brussels for beginners.
• Mansur Rajih, who came to Stavanger in Norway as a persecuted writer in 1998, after having spent 15 years in prison in Yemen. He is an Arabic poet, revolutionary author and political activist.

During his time in Norway he has produced numerous works in the field of poetry, including Horoscope of Prison? Horoscope of Love. Today in exile he mainly writes about love and life in western society.

A list of cities, hosted authors and other information can be found at www.icorn.org/cities.php.