Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Unimore participates in the Cities project to combat racism and discrimination

Unimore's commitment to the fight against racism and discrimination continues, most recently thanks to the European project "Cities - Cities Initiative Towards Inclusive and Equitable Societies," in which the university is participating alongside the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, which leads the project, Mondinsieme Foundation, and five Italian organisations that are part of the Italian "Cities of Dialogue" network – Modena, Ravenna, Olbia, and Casalecchio di Reno – as well as ICEI, a third-sector entity coordinating the network.

The project benefits from the support and collaboration of important national and international institutions, including the Council of Europe, the Unar (National Anti-Racial Discrimination Office), the Emilia-Romagna Region and the cities of Leuven (Belgium) and Strasbourg (France).

At the local level, the project, which will conclude in March 2026, includes: training initiatives on combating discrimination and developing intercultural competencies, the establishment of a multi-stakeholder group open to civil society and representatives of groups at risk of racialisation and discrimination to develop an Equality Plan, and the implementation of a service for listening, guidance, and handling reports of ethnic-racial discrimination based on origin, background, and cultural and religious affiliation, which will also serve as a territorial observatory.

The research and monitoring activity, led by Unimore through questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and analysis of administrative data on discriminatory phenomena, will be aimed at developing and implementing a tool for detecting discrimination and collecting and analysing equality data.

The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia involves in this work Professor Rita Bertozzi (President of Unimore’s CUG), Professor Tindara Addabbo (Equality Delegate for the University), and Professor Thomas Casadei (Director of the CRID - Interdepartmental Research Centre on Discrimination and Vulnerabilities), as well as two research fellows: Dr Elisa Pighi and Dr Carlotta Barra.

"This is an innovative and necessary project," comment Bertozzi, Addabbo, and Casadei , "to strengthen actions for the prevention and countering of multiple discrimination. The intersectional perspective is adopted in the creation of new data collection and analysis tools and is also promoted as a perspective for local public policies. Thanks to the networks in which it is embedded, the project benefits from relationships with many international realities. For Unimore, it is also an opportunity to work alongside local authorities to build new awareness and new strategies for countering discrimination. Particularly important is the joint work with the Municipality of Reggio Emilia and the Municipality of Modena, which together are two of the crucial players in the Cities project."

Among the goals is the promotion and presentation of the Equality Plan, as well as raising awareness and communication on the topics of combating racism and promoting equality, especially on significant dates such as March 21st, "International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination," and May 21st, "World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development."

On a broader scale, the project aims to strengthen the key role of cities in combating discrimination and promoting equality, through the sharing of experiences among the Italian cities involved but also with two European cities, Leuven and Strasbourg, as well as with the national (Cities of Dialogue) and international (Intercultural Cities) network of intercultural cities.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng