Leadership: The CEHR will influence and lead wider debate on equality and human rights, discrimination, diversity and the challenge of building a cohesive inclusive society.

Partnership:  The CEHR will not be able to succeed in it’s mission alone.  It will need to add value to the work of others and engage partners to help deliver it’s objectives.  The CEHR acknowledges that it will need to be grounded in the communities it serves, working alongside interest groups and their organisations in the voluntary and community sectors.  The CEHR aspires to recognise & value the expertise of the voluntary & community sectors and aims to develop a constructive partnership with them.

Open & Transparent: The CEHR aims to consult widely with it’s stakeholders, including groups which experience discrimination, employers and service providers in the public and private sectors, and the voluntary and community organisations

Strategic: The CEHR anticipate that the demand for their services will be high.  In order to be effective the CEHR will need to operate strategically, developing his work in a way that delivers the most benefit, and adds value to the activities and work of others.

Effective: The CEHR aims to have a flexible range of enforcement and promotion tools at its disposal and will need to use its tools effectively and proportionately.

Efficient: As a publicly funded body, the CEHR will need to ensure it is efficient in the use of resources, acting with integrity and probity at all times.
The formation of the CEHR has brought with it controversy and disagreement amongst the existing Commissions. (Commission for Racial Equality (‘CRE’), Disability Rights Commission (‘DRC’) and Equal Opportunities Commission (‘EOC’)).

The CRE have objected to the merging of the Commissions’ as it feels that ‘Race’ may well lose it’s place on the ‘Agenda’.  In response to the criticisms by the CRE, earlier proposals have been amended to allow the CRE to retain its responsibilities until April 2009.  The CRE have described the present bill as, ‘much improved’.

A draft Equality bill is now on the agenda that set down the powers and duties of the CEHR.  The CEHR will advise upon race, disability, sex discrimination, age, religion and sexual orientation.  The government has just announced an Equalities Review, led by Trevor Phillips, Chair of the CRE, to investigate the causes of discrimination and inequality in British society.  It is report to the Prime Minister in summer 2006 and is expected to prepare the ground for a single Equality Act.

Exciting times ahead!!!!!!

An article by Lina Parmar
Deputy Director - Legal