Advisory boards
The City of Brussels advisory boards include the Cultural Diversity Board, the Advisory Board for Gender Equality, the Advisory Board for Persons with Handicaps and the Board for Brussels Citizens of Foreign Origin.
Board for Brussels Citizens of Foreign Origin – Cultural Diversity Board
Brussels, the capital of Belgium and Europe, is an international and multicultural city. With its rich cultural diversity, it is a meeting place for citizens in which they can enjoy their right to diversity and expression. Through its social, educational, political and cultural activities, the Board works to promote transculturalism.
The board issues advisories and recommendations from its head or by request from the Community Board for Foreign Persons or Persons of Foreign Origin. It studies a number of themes such as citizenship and social cohesiveness, aims to enhance Brussels’ plural identity and undertakes action to foster discussion between residents and associations.
A number of concrete actions have already been put forward : conferences, debates and conventions to promote living together, organizing success assistance workshops and an annual celebration where people can meet one another, etc.
Advisory Board for Gender Equality
Brussels created the Advisory Board for Gender Equality in 2007 with a view to fighting the multiple discriminations and inequalities women face, in collaboration with associations.
Its objective is to issue opinions on gender-related issues such as discrimination, conjugal violence and equality in the workplace. As well, the Board may advise the city on producing and distributing informative brochures and implementing concrete actions to raise awareness among the population.
Many of its proposals have led to concrete action, such as Women’s Week, the multilingual brochure Are You a Victim of Violence, the action plan in favour of gender equality at the city, etc.
Advisory Board for Persons with Handicaps
The Advisory Board for Persons with Handicaps was created in 2007 as a meeting place for community authorities, associations and individuals to share information from the community and create common projects in Brussels.
Topics include the foremost concerns of people living with handicaps: accessibility, mobility, advocacy and awareness. The Board liases with community officials and issues opinions and suggestions to improve the lives of persons with handicaps in Brussels.
For example, the Board was the foundation for an accessibility audit of city buildings, the “Parkeerkunst“ awareness campaign and discussions with the Brussels metropolitan transport authorities about pedestrians, neighbourhood contracts and accessibility of public transit.
Photo: Parkeerkunst ("Parking Art") to sensitize the public to respect reserved parking spots.
