The City of Brussels is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels Region. It is home to 194 291 people, of which 39,1% are of foreign nationality (source: IBSA, January 2023) and almost 2/3ds were of foreign nationality at birth. With over 183 nationalities, Brussels is the 2nd most cosmopolitan city in the world.

The Equal Opportunities Service of the City of Brussels actively works on the following topics: equality between women and men, LGBTQIAP+ issues, handicap, racism and antisemitism. In each of these areas, the aim is to set up awareness-raising initiatives and projects aimed at Brussels’ inhabitants to combat stereotypes and discriminations of all kinds. Several call for projects are launched every year to support associations active on these issues.

The action plan against racism and antisemitism was adopted by the municipal council and his board in 2023. It guides the measures that are carried out within the different departments of the administration and on the territory of the City of Brussels to fight racism and protect its targets. The action plan focuses primarily on awareness-raising and training.

The Equal Opportunities Service also coordinates the Consultative Committee for Cultural Diversity since 1994. Its purpose is to study issues of interest to the residents of Brussels from culturally diverse backgrounds and/or issues that arise in the context of cultural diversity.

The City of Brussels regularly carries out projects celebrating the cultural diversity of its population such as DiverCity or the Roma day. DiverCity is an intercultural local festivity which celebrates the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The International Roma Day is a celebration of the recognition of Roma culture. On this occasion, the City of Brussels demonstrates its solidarity with the Roma people and their fight for a just and non-discriminatory emancipation.