Black History Month Reception 2007
The Ministers for Women and Equality, Harriet
Harman and Barbara Follett, hosted a reception on 29 October
2007 to mark Black History Month. The event, "Making
Democracy More Representative, Making Our Communities Stronger",
saw around 150 ethnic minority women come together from across
the UK. For more information click
here
European Year of Equal Opportunities for All
Background
2007 has been designated as the ‘European Year
of Equal Opportunities for All’. The aim of the Year is to launch a
major debate on the benefits of diversity societies with a focus
around: Rights – raising awareness of the right to equality and
non-discrimination, and the problem of multiple-discrimination.
Representation - stimulating the debate on
ways to increase the participation of under-represented groups in
society, in particular groups that are victims of discrimination.
Recognition - celebrating and accommodating
diversity and equality. Respect - promoting a
more cohesive society.
We are marking the Year, which coincides with
the establishment of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
through a series of events including regional seminars, across
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that focus on what we
can all do to help create a society that is more at ease with its
diversity.
The conclusions of these conversations will
help the new Commission build a solid foundation for policies and
services that can create fairness and freedom for all. In addition,
the conclusions will be taken to European leaders in Brussels in
December as a testament of what Britons are doing to create a
fairer, more equal society.
The Government Equalities Office is now
responsible for coordinating the UK government’s participation i.e. it
is the National Implementing Body (previously this was the
responsibility of Communities and Local Government).
We are now planning the UK’s ‘closing’ event to
conclude celebrations of the ‘Year’ and this will take place in
December 2007. The closing event will provide an opportunity to
demonstrate the UK’s commitment to valuing diversity and promoting
equality of opportunity for all and, in particular the establishment
of the EHRC.
For more information please visit:
www.europeanyearofequalopps.org.uk
The Equalities PSA
Address the disadvantage that
individuals experience because of their gender, race,
disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
The Equalities
PSA
In October 2007, the Government published its spending plans for the
three year period 2008-2011 [
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pbr_csr/psa/pbr_csr07_psaindex.cfm]. This
includes details of the new Equalities Public Service Agreement (PSA
15:
Address the disadvantage that individuals experience because of
their gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation,
religion or belief) which sets out improvements that
you should expect to see in equalities by the end of 2011.
Here is the link to the full details of the measurement
methodology for this PSA.
The Government
is committed to tackling inequality and promoting social justice and,
for the first time, includes a dedicated Equalities PSA. The
Equalities PSA reflects the Government’s determination to fight
discrimination and ensure everybody in Britain can make the most of
their talents regardless of their gender, race, sexuality, age,
faith or disability.
Priorities for the Ministers for Woman
On 17 July the Minister for Women, Harriet Harman, set
out her key priorities - providing better support for family
carers, tackling violence towards women and human trafficking,
and empowering black and minority ethnic women to build
community cohesion.
Click
here to view Oral Statement
Click
here to view the Command Paper
Click here to view
the Press Notice
Click here to go to the
Woman's National Commission's website
New Deal for Carers - your voice counts
What could make a positive difference to, or improve the life
of, carers? This is the question we are putting to the
experts - you!
6 million people in the UK give up a significant proportion of
their time to care for a member of their family or friend who
needs extra support. We are developing a new national
strategy for carers and we want it to be grounded in reality -
so we need your input.
We've launched a consultation with an online 'Ideas Tree' at
www.newdealforcarers.org. We want you to give us your
ideas to help shape the strategy. You can post a message,
read what other people have said and tell us if you agree.
The Tree will be live until mid September. Consultation
events are also being held around the UK arranged by our
partners, Carers UK, Crossroads Caring for Carers, Princess
Royal Trust and the Children's Society.
The Consultation is a cross-government priority involving the
departments of Health; Work and Pensions; Education and Skills;
Trade and Industry; Communities and Local Government and the
Treasury.
European Year of Equal Opportunities for All - Opening
Conference
The opening conference took place in
Manchester on 14 May, and will be followed by a series of
regional events across the country, culminating in a closing
event in December. Activities are also taking place across Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland. Details of the activities currently
planned can be found on:
www.europeanyearofequalopps.org.uk
Today's Woman: your say in the future
Led by Minister for Women, Today's Woman: Your say in the
Future, was a national debate designed to hear first
hand from women how policies introduced by the Government have
impacted on women's lives and to involve them in the next state
of public policy development.
Our aim was to engage women of all ages and from all backgrounds
to get their views on key policy issues such as childcare,
healthcare, safety and the world of work.
Over 400 women from all walks of life participated in the
roadshows which were lively and informative. In total we
visited seven cities - Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, London,
Newcastle, Glasgow and Inverness.
Research was also conducted to underpin this programme and has
been incorporated into this final publication -
Click here to
view.
Our thanks to all the women who gave generously of their time
and experiences.
Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion
Could you nominate someone for a prestigious
Royal Award? The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion recognises
individuals who have played an outstanding and significant role in
promoting business skills and attitudes in others. Those nominated
are likely to be working in business, education, training or youth
work. The closing date for nominations for the 2008 Award is
midnight on 31st October 2007.
Link to
www.queensawards.org.uk/individual
See also
Newsroom
News archive 2006
News archive 2005
News archive 2004
News archive 2003
News archive 2002
News archive 2001
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