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Assessment tool to assist in preparation of equality promotion plans

Ministry of Justice
Publication date 22.1.2016 10.08
Press release

The Non-Discrimination Act that entered into force on 1 January 2015 obliges not only central and local government but also education providers and employers to prepare an equality promotion plan and foster equality.  All employers with 30 or more employees are obliged to draw up such a plan.

The Ministry of Justice has prepared support material to assist in the preparation of equality promotion plans. The first step in drawing up the plan is an equality assessment which provides the basis for an action plan.

The equality assessment tool helps in conducting such an assessment. The related material includes examples of issues related to various groups at risk of discrimination and of how to develop operations from the equality perspective.

Equality promotion plans must be ready by the beginning of 2017. The plan can be prepared separately or as part of other plans required by cooperation legislation, such as the gender equality plan.

A wide range of measures

The Act does not specify the type of concrete action to be taken, but the key issue is that the responsible party must be prepared to have an impact on issues such as equality in the workplace and seek to identify concrete measures, suitable for the specific context, aimed at furthering equality. The range of such measures is wide, from measures related to ensuring accessibility or taking various groups into account during recruitment.

The Act includes the obligation to further the equality of disabled persons. For example, this means that education providers are obliged, if necessary, to adapt their premises in a reasonable manner in order to provide disabled persons with equal opportunities to participate in education. The Act also prohibits discrimination based on ethnic origin, age, national origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, political or industrial activity, family status, state of health, sexual preference and other personal reasons.

The assessment tool is available as an electronic and printable version in Finnish, Swedish and English. 

Tool for the assessment of equality
- in Finlex
http://yhdenvertaisuus.finlex.fi/en/

- in printable PDF format
http://yhdenvertaisuus-fi-bin.directo.fi/@Bin/3999b9b0b67fd042bb565776e222053a/1453442917/application/pdf/435422/Tool_uk.pdf

Further information:

Panu Artemjeff, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2951 50211, and
Katriina Nousiainen, Project Manager, tel. +358 2951 50275.
(e-mail: [email protected])

Non-Discrimination Act, brochure
http://www.yhdenvertaisuus.fi/welcome_to_equality_fi/?x134450=432313

Information about non-discrimination and equality
http://www.yhdenvertaisuus.fi/welcome_to_equality_fi/

 
Jari Lindström