SIXTH INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS CONFERENCE

WORKSHOP 52: Cities working in partnership against discrimination

Thursday, November 29, 2001
16:00 - 17:30


ORGANIZER

Pauline Geoghegan,
Secretary General, Quartiers en Crise,
Rue Ropsy Chaudron 7, B 1070 Brussels, Belgium,,
tel 00 32 2 5244545,
fax 00 32 2 5244431,
info@qQuartiers en Criseskynet.be

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Goals of the workshop: in the context of the Metropolis conference, and in particular in relation to the panel discussion on 'developing cohesive cities: a perspective from the ground' to examine how urban communities are entering into public/private partnership to combat the discrimination experienced by many groups, including new migrant groups, in order to contribute to their better integration within the host communities.
Policy relevance and topic: within many urban communities, difficulties experienced by those suffering from exclusion from society (health, disability, etc.) are exacerbated by discrimination linked to their racial origin, or their gender, their sexual origin.
At the time when the European Union has introduced a programme of action to combat such discrimination, a project is being carried out in the course of 2001 to identify where partnerships have been established t-at local level to combat this types of discrimination, in order to share this experience, and t o develop better practices at local level, by giving guidelines for training to combat this discrimination.
How policy-makers, researchers and NG0s are all involved in the workshops
Inputs to this workshop will be made by the partners to the current project: representing local authorities (drawn from Anderlecht, Bologna, Bradford, Doncaster, Sabadell, Turin, Venice ... ), a research organisation from Turin specialising in this domain, and the Centre d'Egalite des Chances, Brussels, a key Belgian NGO.

How international comparisons will be introduced into the discussions
The workshop will present the outcome of an analysis of the situation on the project partners which is currently being carried out. By November 2001, there will be specific information on the local partnership initiatives in nine different sites, in four EU members states, and an overall view on recommendations for training, based on an initial 'test' training module.
Mechanism(s) to ensure discussion of best practices/policies.
Initial paper outlining provisional conclusions of the project circulated before the conference
Inputs by the partners concerned on:
The partnerships: The difficulties and the solutions
What training can be put into place to improve the situation
These inputs to be supported by Powerpoint presentation

DURATION: One session

PARTICIPANTS

Researchers:
Turin based organisation

Policy-makers: to be drawn from the following:
lean-lacques Boelpaepe, Deputy Mayor, Commune of Anderlecht, Belgium
Maria Augusta Nicoli, Director, Istituzione Gian Franco Minguzzi, Bologna, Italy
Martin Davies, European Initiatives Manager, City of Bradford Metropolitan District, UK
Arnold Drakeley, Assistant Director of Development,Doncaster Health Authority, UK
Isabel Compte, Responsable de section "Orientation, Formation et Insertion", Mairie de Sabadell, Spain
Luisa Avedano, International Affairs Department Municipality of Turin; Italy
Pierangelo Bertoli, Educatore, Assessorato alle Politiche Sociale del Comune di Venezia, venice, Italy

NGOS:
Marisa Felia, Centre pour I'Egalite des Chances et la lutte contre le racisme, Brussels, Belgium