Published Tuesday, 04 August 2009
The event in the Waterfront Hall will draw together people from across the city and beyond to discuss ways to tackle intolerance.
It comes in the wake of the recent racist attacks in south Belfast that forced more than 100 Romanians to flee back to their homeland.
Lord Mayor Naomi Long said while the conference would focus on racism, it would also examine other sorts of hate crime, such as sectarianism and homophobia.
"Sadly we all witnessed some recent examples of the racism that exists in our society," she said.
"And while it may be only a small minority of people who hold these views, it marred the reputation of our city and sent out very negative messages across the world."
Hate crime
The Belfast City Council organised event on September 9th follows on from the inaugural conference held last year.
Mayor Long added: "But it's not just racism that is a problem here in Belfast; the issue of hate crime is much wider and includes sectarianism, discrimination against people with a disability, or discrimination due to religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
"As Lord Mayor, my vision is of a Belfast without barriers that is welcoming for all.
"We live in a changing city which has become a melting pot of different cultures and religions, and rather than being negative, this is something to be embraced. But we can only do that through education and understanding and this convention aims to address some of the stereotypes and situations that lead to hate crime in our society."
The convention is aimed at those who work in the community as well as statutory and voluntary groups across the city.