Unia, or the Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities and the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism is an independent public institution that fights discrimination and promotes equal opportunities in Belgium.

History

The Centre was founded in 1993 by an Act of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives. In 2003, the competencies of the Centre have been further expanded to include 'non-racial' forms of discrimination. The Centre has also been given the authority to intervene on the grounds of the law against negationism. In 2011, the Centre received the mandate of independent mechanism responsible for the promotion, protection and monitoring of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2013, the federal government, the regions and communities signed a partnership agreement officially making the former Centre - now Unia - an interfederal institution for combating discrimination. The responsibilities regarding migration, the fundamental rights of foreigners and their humane treatment were assigned to a separate federal structure: the Federal Migration Centre, that was renamed Myria. In 2018, Unia was recently recognized as a national institution for the protection of human rights, B status, by the competent international bodies.

Tasks and goals

The legal responsibilities of Unia cover two key elements: Unia has four ways of achieving this goal: Unia is not competent for:

Management

Directors

On 1 February 2016 Els Keytsman and Patrick Charlier were appointed co-managers of Unia.

Board of directors

Unia's board of directors is made up of 20 members plus a representative from the German-speaking Community (for matters relevant to that community). Members are appointed on the basis of their expertise, experience, independence and moral authority and are drawn from the academic world, law, civil society, social partners, etc. Shaireen Aftab et David Quinaux were elected chairpersons of the Board of Directors on 20 May 2021.