History of Unia
The history of Unia goes back to 1993, with the founding of our predecessor, the Centre for Equal Opportunities and the fight against Racism. Unia itself was established in 2013. Since then, we have evolved into the centre of expertise in the field of equality and anti-discrimination. Here is an overview of the key milestones in the history of Unia.
1994: Creation of a General Assembly of Muslims and an Executive
1995: law on genocide and the fight against human trafficking
1997: European Year for Combating Racism
1998: creation of the Department for Combating Poverty, Precariousness and Social Exclusion
2003: migration and "non-racial" discrimination
2011: independent body for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2013: Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities and Federal Migration Centre
2018: Unia recognised as a national human rights institute at international level
1993: establishment of the Centre for Equal Opportunities and the fight against Racism
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and the fight against Racism is established as an independent public service with the aim of combating racism and promoting equal opportunities. The Centre’s responsibilities include research, recommendations and the handling of individual reports and cases of discrimination.
Unia was a pioneer at that time. Only in Great Britain did a comparable Commission for Racial Equality exist in 1993.
1994: establishment of a General Assembly of Muslims and a Muslim Executive
The Centre provided a breakthrough in the issue of the recognition and representation of Islam in Belgium. Under the leadership of the Centre, negotiations were started with the main Muslim organisations in Belgium regarding the creation of a General Assembly of Muslims and a Muslim Executive, that was recognised by the government in 1994.
1995: Negationist Act and combating human trafficking
- The Centre was authorised to initiate legal proceedings in disputes falling within the scope of the new Act of 23 March 1995 on the punishment for denying, minimising, justifying or approving the genocide committed by the German National Socialist Regime during World War II (Negationist Act).
- The Centre was assigned the specific task of promoting, coordinating and monitoring policies to combat human trafficking. This law was later supplemented by the Act of 10 August 2005 to reinforce the fight against human trafficking and human smuggling and against practices of housing exploitation.
1997: European Year against Racism
The Centre organised a ‘States General for equality of opportunities and for combating racism' to discuss themes such as the political participation of foreigners, education, discrimination on the labour market, …
1998: establishment of the Centre to combat poverty, insecurity and social exclusion
The Centre to combat Poverty, Insecurity and Social Exclusion was made part of the Centre for Equal Opportunities and to the fight against Racism. Its tasks include:
- inventorying, systematisation and analysis of data on poverty, insecurity of existence and social exclusion
- formulating recommendations to improve policies
- organising structural consultations with associations where poor people express their views
- drawing up a bi-annual report
2003: migration and "non-racial" discrimination
The Centre received the task to inform the government about the nature and scale of the migration flows. In addition, it monitored the respect for the fundamental rights of foreigners:
- by closely monitoring what happens in the field as well as analysing the complex legislation in this regard.
- by providing first-line assistance to people who want information about their fundamental rights as foreigners or their residence situation.
The Centre was also given the competence on so-called 'non-racial' forms of discrimination on the grounds of disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or conviction, physical characteristic, etc. The Act of 10 May 2007 on combating certain forms of discrimination further expanded the general framework for combating discrimination in Belgium and also lead to an increase of the the tasks of the Centre.
2011: independent body for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
The federal government, the communities and the regions designated Unia as an independent body, responsible for the implementation, protection and follow-up of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 33.2 of the Convention). Unia must therefore ensure that measures are taken so that persons with disabilities can fully exercise their rights.
2013: Interfederal Equal Opportunities Centre and Federal Migration Centre
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and the fight against Racism is reorganised into 2 separate centres: the Interfederal Equal Opportunities Centre and the Federal Migration Centre.
2016: Unia and Myria
The 2 centres are given new names:
- The Interfederal Equal Opportunities Centre becomes Unia. It is responsible for combating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.
- The Federal Migration Centre is named Myria. It is responsible for assignments related to migration, fundamental rights and humane treatment of foreigners.
2018: Unia is internationally recognised as a national human rights institution
Unia, as a national human rights institution, is again granted B status by the International Alliance of Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). Unia already had this status as an Interfederal Equality Centre. The international recognition is based on our independence, expertise and commitment to human rights.
2023: shared competences in Flanders
- Since March 2023, Unia is no longer responsible for discrimination in certain Flemish competences, such as the Flemish rental market, Dutch-language education or the services of De Lijn. These Flemish matters are henceforth treated by the Flemish Human Rights Institute (VMRI).
- Hate speech, hate crimes , discrimination in the workplace, in restaurants and hotels, during commercial activities, in the banking and insurance sector, in the field of consumer and patient rights, , public health, public transport (NMBS, STIB, TEC), and concerning the military, the police and the justice system... and other federal matters continue to be treated in Flanders by Unia.