City of Brantford council supported a staff recommendation that will see Brantford join the UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities during their Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, May 3.
The UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities is a network of municipalities who strive to improve policies against racism, discrimination, exclusion, and intolerance. This network of partners will provide staff access to information, resources, and frameworks for promoting diversity and inclusion in Brantford.
“I am very encouraged by the Committee’s support of this important declaration,” said Mayor Kevin Davis. “Joining the UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities is a valuable opportunity to leverage and build on the good work already being done in our community to make Brantford a more diverse, welcoming and inclusive place to live, learn, work and play.”
The recommendation to join the UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities is a proposed action outlined in the 2022 Brantford Immigration Partnership Action Plan, recently finalized by the Brantford Immigration Partnership (BIP) Advisory Council. The BIP is a multi-sector partnership comprised of leaders from community agencies across several sectors including education, settlement services, employment, healthcare, and culture.
The BIP works towards creating an inclusive community for new Canadians through a variety of projects and initiatives. Recent examples include:
- Telling Our Stories: Voices of New Canadians in Brantford campaign that encouraged new Canadians to share their immigration stories,
- Your Language, Your City initiative that allows agencies to translate public facing documents into multiple languages
- International Nurses Recruitment Initiative that assists internationally trained nurses in having their foreign credentials recognized, and supporting the local labour market
The declaration to join this UNESCO coalition will require the City to work with community partners and stakeholders, including the Wilfrid Laurier University School of Social Work, with the objective of developing a comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Plan. The plan is expected to be presented to City Council in early 2023.
To learn more about the BIP please visit Brantford.ca/BIP and join the conversation online at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cityofbrantfordimmigrationpartnership.
