National Office against Racial Discrimination - UNAR

Brief history

UNAR was created by a Legislative Decree, number 225 on 9 July 2003, as part of the European Directive 2000/43/CE, to promote the principle of equal treatment of individuals, independently of their race or ethnic origin. UNAR has become an institutional point of reference for the acknowledgement and understanding of the rights of immigrants as well as a catalyst for those individuals, associations and local agencies who work on a daily basis to stem racial discrimination. Since 2011 UNAR is the National Contact Point for social inclusion of Roma people. The office was founded in order to translate the new legislative ordinances and legal instruments adopted by Italy to protect the rights of immigrants and ethnic minorities through the delivery of concrete operational responses which meet the requirements of social inclusion for foreign communities to eliminate every form of harassment or discrimination, direct or indirect, based upon ethnicity, race, religion or culture. The interventions put in place by UNAR have gone beyond providing free legal assistance to the victims of discrimination. They identify and break down, wherever possible, the structural factors of discrimination. By altering the system it promotes collaboration, bringing together local and national levels, to promote a significant cultural change.

Mandate Type

Predominantly promotion-type and legal support body

Litigation power:

• Formally deciding on complaints (e.g. decision or recommendation addressed to the parties) Not legally binding

Activities

Other statistics:

Management

• Single headed equality body (led by director or ombudsman/commissioner)

Management details

• 1 Director General
• 2 Managers
• A working group made up of 8 permanent staff members of public administrations, holding a management position and competent on specific issues (complaints, hate crimes, awareness raising) and 30 external experts working on specific issues, grounds of discrimination or projects (European Social Fund initiatives, Roma
  issues, territorial antennas, communication).
• Specific desk officers in outsourcing, offering help for specific areas (Roma complaints, discrimination cases on the grounds of disability, LGBT and age)

Additional details

UNAR was set up within the Department for Equal Opportunities under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, article 7 of Legislative Decree 215/2003 pursuant to European Council Directive 2000/43/EC. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is the competent political authority for the Department of Equal Opportunities, while the Ministry of Cooperation and Integration is the political reference for the work of UNAR as the National Contact Point on Roma.

Number of staff dealing with equality issues

Grounds and fields of discrimination covered by the equality body

We are accountable to

• National Parliament
• National Ministry