The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Coimisiún Comhionannais do Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster-Scots: ''Equalitie Commission fer Norlin Airlan'') is a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

established under the

Northern Ireland Act 1998 __NOTOC__ The Northern Ireland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which allowed Westminster to devolve power to Northern Ireland, after decades of direct rule. It renamed the New Northern Ireland Assembly, established b ...

. "The Commission is responsible for implementing the legislation on sex discrimination and equal pay, race relations, sexual orientation, age, religious or similar philosophical belief, political opinion and disability. The Commission’s remit also includes overseeing the statutory duties on public authorities to promote

equality of opportunity Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. The intent is that the important ...

and good relations under Section 75 of the

About

The commission's vision is "Northern Ireland as a shared, integrated and inclusive place, a society where difference is respected and valued, based on equality and fairness for the entire community". Its mission is "to advance equality, promote equality of opportunity, encourage good relations and challenge discrimination through promotion, advice and enforcement".

Responsibilities

"The Commission´s duties and functions are set out in the legislation for which we have responsibility. General duties include: * working towards the elimination of discrimination * promoting equality of opportunity and encouraging good practice * promoting affirmative/positive action * promoting good relations between people of different racial groups * overseeing the implementation and effectiveness of the statutory duty on public authorities and * keeping the relevant legislation under review." On 1 October 1999 the Commission took over the functions previously exercised by the Commission for Racial Equality for Northern Ireland, the Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland, the Fair Employment Commission and the Northern Ireland Disability Council. Since 1999, a number of new pieces of legislation have been introduced. The commission is now responsible for promoting awareness of and enforcing anti-discrimination law on the following grounds: age,

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

, race, sex (including marital and civil partner status), sexual orientation, religious belief and political opinion. In 2008, the Commission became part of the UK independent mechanism promoting, protecting and monitoring implementation of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, alongside the three UK

national human rights institutions A national human rights institution (NHRI) is an independent state-based institution with the responsibility to broadly protect and promote human rights in a given country. The growth of such bodies has been encouraged by the Office of the United ...

Reactions

In July 2009 Peter Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party criticised the commission for having insufficient

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

representation.

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

defended the commission.

References

External links

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
{{Authority control Politics of Northern Ireland Government of Northern Ireland

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ''Coimisiún Comhionannais do Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Equalitie Commission fer Norlin Airlan'') is a non-departmental public body in Norther ...

Disability rights organizations Anti-racism in the United Kingdom Non-Departmental Public Bodies of the Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland peace process

About

Responsibilities

Reactions

See also

References

External links