The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (Italian translationUfficio Nazionale Antidiscriminazioni Razziali), also known by the
acronymUNAR, is an Italian state body with the function of promoting equal treatment and the removal of discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. Active since 2003, it is established at the
Presidency of the Council of Ministers.[1] It operates in an autonomous and impartial manner and also deals with the different impact that discrimination can have on women and men, as well as the existence of forms of racism of a
cultural and
religious nature.
The tasks entrusted to the office by law are the following:
Provide assistance, in jurisdictional or administrative proceedings undertaken, to people who consider themselves harmed by discriminatory behaviour, also according to the forms referred to in art. 425
Italian civil procedure code;
Carry out investigations, in compliance with the prerogatives and functions of the judicial authority, to verify the existence of discriminatory phenomena;
Promote the adoption, by public and private entities, in particular by
associations and bodies carrying out activities in the field of combating discrimination, of specific measures, including projects positive actions, aimed at avoiding or compensating for disadvantaged situations linked to racial or ethnic origin;
Spread the maximum possible knowledge of the protection instruments in force also through actions to raise public awareness of the
principle of equal treatment and the implementation of information and communication campaigns;
Formulate recommendations and
opinions on issues related to discrimination based on race and ethnic origin, as well as proposals for amendments to current legislation;
Draw up an annual report for the Parliament on the effective application of the principle of equal treatment and on the effectiveness of the protection mechanisms, as well as an annual report to the
President of the Council of the Ministers on the activity carried out;
Promote studies, research, training courses and exchanges of experiences, also in collaboration with associations and bodies that carry out activities in the field of combating discrimination, with other
non-governmental organisations operating in the sector and with institutes specialists in statistics detection, also for the purpose of developing guidelines on the fight against discrimination.
Composition
The office is directed by a manager appointed by the President of the Council of Ministers or by a Minister delegated by him. It also makes use of personnel from other public administrations, including
magistrates, lawyers and
public prosecutors, in positions of command, on leave or outside the role, as well as experts[3] and external consultants.
Editorial series
UNAR directs the editorial series "Rights, Equality, Integration" which has the declared aim of contributing to the realization of the general principle of non-discrimination and equality, enshrined in Article 3 of the Italian Constitution, and to spread the values of diversity and differences against every form and cause of discrimination.[4]
UNAR, Gelormini Paola (2013).
Noi e gli Altri(PDF). Roma: Armando Editore. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
UNAR, Associazione Culturale Pescepirata (2014).
Diverso sarò io(PDF). Roma: Armando Editore.
ISBN978-88-6677-716-8. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
Controversies
In 2017 an investigation by the program Le Iene reported that in a private club affiliated to the
ANDDOS, association which had access to state funding amounting to 55,000 euros thanks to a UNAR tender, not yet disbursed,[5]group sex and prostitution homosexual.[6] Subsequently ANDDOS specified that the money paid by UNAR (awarded through a regular tender) was not linked to the support of the group but the aim was to finance specific projects relating to courses on discrimination.[7] On 20 February 2017, following the
media outcry caused by the investigation, the director of UNAR Francesco Spano resigned from office.[8]
In July 2018 all the accusations relating to the former director of UNAR, Francesco Spano, were dropped and the
court of auditors confirmed the correctness of the announcement that ended up under accusation.[9][10]
^Gli esperti sono scelti tra soggetti, anche estranei alla pubblica amministrazione, dotati di elevata professionalità nelle materie giuridiche, nonché nei settori della lotta alle discriminazioni, dell'assistenza materiale e
psicologica ai soggetti in condizioni disagiate, del recupero sociale, dei servizi di pubblica utilità, della comunicazione sociale e dell'analisi delle politiche pubbliche.
^Pilati, Katia (2010). La partecipazione politica degli immigrati: il caso di Milano. Roma: Armando.
ISBN978-88-608-1736-5.