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Unia, formerly the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, is an independent, public anti-discrimination institution that promotes equal opportunities in Belgium.

Creation
In February 1993, the Royal Commission on Immigration Policy recommended the establishment of a permanent structure to combat racism and promote equal opportunities and social integration. The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism was founded by law and received its tasks from Parliament. It was made clear from the outset that the organization would carry out its tasks in complete independence. .

Name change and new competences
In June 2013, the Federal Government, the Regions and the Communities signed the Cooperation Agreement in order to transform the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism into an anti-discrimination interfederal institution (which went on to take the name of Unia in February 2016) and a Federal Migration Centre (Myria) entrusted with the Centre’s tasks regarding migration analysis, fundamental rights of foreign nationals and human trafficking.

In 2018, Unia received around 7,500 reports and opened 2,192 cases on discrimination in Belgium. The top three discrimination criteria from these cases are 'racial' criteria (ethnic and national origin, skin colour, alleged race, ancestry) (33.9%), disability (23.6%) and religious or philosophical beliefs (12%). Unia has taken legal action in cases of hate speech on the Internet and the first sentences have already been passed.

Flanders' withdrawal from Unia
As an interfederal institution, Unia is financed by the Federal State, the Communities and the Regions. In September 2019, the new Flemish government announced in its general policy brief its intention to stop funding Unia and to create a Flemish Human Rights Centre. The decision represents a loss of about €800,000 per year for the institution, but will only be effective from 15 March 2023. Some critics believed that this was a sign of the influence of Vlaams Belang on the new Flemish government.

Roles
Unia's main tasks as defined in the 2013 Cooperation Agreement are the following:
 * To defend equal opportunities, promote the participation of all citizens in society and combat discrimination based on any of the 17 criteria protected by anti-discrimination legislation: nationality, skin colour, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, religious or philosophical belief, health status, wealth, physical or genetic characteristics, marital status, political belief, trade union belief, birth and social origin.
 * To act as an independent mechanism to promote, protect and monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Unia is also competent to:
 * Produce reports and carrying out studies necessary for the fulfilment of its tasks
 * Receive and analyse reports of discrimination, hate speech or hate crimes
 * Organize awareness-raising campaigns and actions
 * Support initiatives carried out by private and public organizations regarding diversity and non-discrimination
 * Take legal action in certain cases

Unia has no competence regarding:
 * Gender. This criterion falls within the competence of its sister institution, the Institute for the equality of women and men.
 * Language. To date, there is no public body with this specific competence.

Related articles

 * Online hate speech