Together with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Equinet delivered its first training of 2010 on 29-30 April in Belfast. The policy training explored how equality impact assessment works and how equality bodies can develop, implement and promote it.
Equality impact assessment has emerged across the Member States as a key tool in the promotion of equality. It is a tool for testing whether a new policy or programme will achieve benefit for people from groups experiencing inequality across all the grounds covered by equality legislation.
This two-day training event equipped policy and legal experts and practitioners from equality bodies from all over Europe with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to develop, implement and promote equality impact assessment.
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, co-hosted of the training and Equinet member, has extensive experience and expertise in equality impact assessment within public sector bodies.
The objectives of the training were to:
- Promote and share the experience and knowledge developed by equality bodies in this area of equality impact assessment.
- Provide a clear understanding of what equality impact assessment is and what it involves.
- Develop skills and understanding in the development, implementation and promotion of equality impact assessment.
- Explore the roles that can be played by equality bodies in developing, implementing and promoting equality impact assessment in policy making and within organizations.
The training event started with a plenary session to explore the potential and the practice of equality impact assessment. Practical workshops were the opportunity to carry out equality impact assessment exercises on a policy document and on the internal policies, procedures and practices of an organization. Delegates worked in small groups to prepare reports of their impact assessment and its implications. Results of the working groups were presented for discussion and analysis.
Presentations
- Equality impact assessment. Definition, Potential, Main elements and the Role for Equality bodies – Niall Crowley, Acting Director, Equinet (Word, 22KB)
- Equality impact assessment in public sector policy making – Lisa King, Policy Director, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (PowerPoint, 587KB)
- Impact assessment: review of equality policies in human resources in the French Public broadcasting – Martin Clément, HALDE (PowerPoint, 691KB)
- Presentation of Maria Hegarty, Equality Strategies Ltd (PowerPoint, 250KB)
- Creating the context for Equality Impact Assessment – Legislative and Non-Legislative Approaches – Markus Syrjänen, Health and Social Welfare Department, city of Vantaa, Finland (PowerPoint, 475KB)
- Establishing the Role of Equality Bodies in Promoting and Implementing Equality Impact Assessment – Paul Lappalainen, Head of Equality Promoting Unit, Swedish Equality Ombudsman (PowerPoint, 1100KB)
Downloadable files
Equinet Policy Training – Final Programme (updated on 26/04/10, PDF, 166KB)