Minderhedenforum

Minderhedenforum, formally known as the Forum van Etnisch-Culturele Minderheden (Forum of Ethnic-Cultural Minorities), is a Flemish non-profit organisation (vzw) founded in 2002. It serves as an umbrella body for around fifteen Flemish federations of associations representing ethnic-cultural minorities, including people of African, Moroccan, Turkish, Italian, Latin American, and Russian backgrounds. Through these federations, it indirectly represents approximately 700 local associations. The Flemish government recognises it as the representative voice of these groups. The organisation engages in advocacy towards policymakers and broader society, aiming to strengthen the social position of ethnic-cultural minorities in Flanders and improve relations between population groups. It has been active in public debates such as the Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) controversy. Minderhedenforum receives a fixed annual subsidy of over 700,000 euros from the Flemish government, with additional project funding available. In 2016, the Flemish Government granted an extra 593,000 euros for the project 'Focus op talent - MENTOR2WORK', aimed at bridging the gap between employers and potential workers with a migration background. In 2018, 604,864.69 euros were allocated for this project. In 2020, the Flemish government decided not to renew Minderhedenforum's recognition and instead allocated funds for 2021-2025 to the newly created Join.Vlaanderen. This decision drew criticism, partly because several organisations named by Minister Bart Somers as partners of Join.Vlaanderen denied their involvement. Following a legal challenge by Minderhedenforum, the Council of State suspended the selection of Join.Vlaanderen because the selection application of Minderhedenforum appeared to have been assessed more strictly. Leadership includes chairperson Huseyin Aydinli and director Landry Mawungu, who took over in 2017 from Wouter Van Bellingen (director from 2014 to 2017). The organisation continues to operate and advocate for minority rights in Flanders.

Minderhedenforum was founded in 2002 as a non-profit organisation (vzw) in Flanders, Belgium. It emerged as an umbrella body for federations of associations representing ethnic-cultural minorities, including people of African, Moroccan, Turkish, Italian, Latin American, and Russian descent. Over time, it grew to indirectly represent around 700 local associations and became recognised by the Flemish government as the representative voice of these groups. The organisation engages in advocacy, aiming to strengthen the social position of ethnic-cultural minorities and improve intergroup relations. It has been involved in public debates, notably the Zwarte Piet controversy. It receives a fixed annual subsidy of over 700,000 euros from the Flemish government, plus additional project funding. In 2016, the Flemish Government granted an extra 593,000 euros for the project 'Focus op talent - MENTOR2WORK', which seeks to reduce the distance between employers and potential workers with a migration background. In 2018, 604,864.69 euros were allocated for this project. In 2020, the Flemish government decided not to renew Minderhedenforum's recognition and to allocate funds for 2021-2025 to the newly created Join.Vlaanderen. This decision was criticised, partly because several organisations named by Minister Bart Somers as partners of Join.Vlaanderen denied their involvement. Minderhedenforum challenged the decision, and the Council of State suspended the selection of Join.Vlaanderen because Minderhedenforum's application appeared to have been assessed more strictly. Leadership has included chairperson Huseyin Aydinli and director Landry Mawungu (since 2017), who succeeded Wouter Van Bellingen (director 2014-2017). The organisation continues to operate and advocate for minority rights in Flanders.

• Minderhedenforum founded as a non-profit organisation (vzw) in Flanders.

• Wouter Van Bellingen becomes director.

• Flemish Government grants 593,000 euros extra subsidy for 'Focus op talent - MENTOR2WORK' project.

• Landry Mawungu becomes director, succeeding Wouter Van Bellingen.

• 604,864.69 euros allocated for the MENTOR2WORK project.

• Flemish government decides not to renew recognition; funds for 2021-2025 go to Join.Vlaanderen.

• Council of State suspends Join.Vlaanderen selection after Minderhedenforum challenge.

Representative advocacy organisation for ethnic-cultural minorities in Flanders, recognised by the Flemish government.

1. 1Minderhedenforum - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Minderhedenforum - Dutch Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org