Coordination at national level

• Author: Bojarski, Lukasz
• Pages: 110-112

110

9 COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

There is no single ministry responsible for the coordination at national level of all issues

of equal treatment and non-discrimination based on all the grounds of racial or ethnic

origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

However, the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment has the obligation to

execute Government policy in relation to the principle of equal treatment.450

According to the ETA, the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment should

prepare and present to the Council of Ministers a national action programme for equal

treatment451 and then report annually on its execution452. The Polish Council of Ministers

adopted the first National Action Programme for Equal Treatment 2013-2016 (Krajowy

program działa na rzecz Równego Traktowania na lata 2013-2016) document on 20

December 2013.453 The first annual report on the execution of the programme was

published on 27 June 2014.454 The second report was sent to the Council of Ministers on

7 May 2015455 (this is the version used in this report). The report covering 2015 was

published in January 2017.456 The last report, covering 2016, was published in July

2017.457 There have been no reports since 2017. According to the information provided

by the Plenipotentiary in 2016, evaluation was being undertaken, and the next

programme would be developed, based on input from various Government agencies.

However, no public consultation on the draft programme has taken place,458 although the

previous programme has come to an end and the Plenipotentiary had planned to prepare

the new programme in 2017.459 The Ombud asks regularly about both the evaluation

report and the new programme. Surprisingly, meanwhile, a representative of the

Chancellery of the Prime Minister, during a session of the UN Committee on the

Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 7 August 2019, in Geneva, informed the

committee about a two-fold evaluation of the National Action Programme (in 2016 and

2018) and about work on the draft new National Action Programme for Equal Treatment

covering 2021-2030.460 The Ombud immediately (on 22 August) sent a letter requesting

the relevant documents. In the response ( dated 3 December), the Plenipotentiary

450 Equal Treatment Act, 3 December 2010, Article 21(1).

451 Equal Treatment Act, 3 December 2010, Article 22.

452 The reports published so far are available at: https://www.rownetraktowanie.gov.pl/raporty-z-realizacji-

krajowego-programu-dzialan-na-rzecz-rownego-traktowania.

453 See Public Information Bulletin – information on the draft National Programme of Activities for Equal

Treatment, February 2013, and comments on the draft programme and its consecutive versions, including

the last version adopted by the Council of Ministers, from 10 December 2013, published on 13 December

2013. Information about the adoption of the National Action Programme for Equal Treatment 2013-2016 by

the Council of Ministers is available on the website of the Prime Minister, available at:

https://www.premier.gov.pl/wydarzenia/decyzje-rzadu/krajowy-program-dzialan-na-rzecz-rownego-

traktowania-na-lata-2013-2016.html. The Programme is on the website of the Government Plenipotentiary

for Equal Treatment, available at: http://rownetraktowanie.gov.pl/aktualnosci/krajowy-program-dzialan-na-

rzecz-rownego-traktowania-na-lata-2013-2016.

454 Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (2014) Report on the execution of the National Programme

of Activities for Equal Treatment for 2013 (Raport z realizacji Krajowego Programu Działa na rzecz

Równego Traktowania za 2013 r.), Warsaw.

455 Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (2015) Report on the execution of the National Programme

of Activities for Equal Treatment for 2014 (Raport z realizacji Krajowego Programu Działa na rzecz

Równego Traktowania za 2014 r.) Warsaw.

456 Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (2017) Report on the execution of the National Programme

of Activities for Equal Treatment for 2015 (Raport z realizacji Krajowego Programu Działa na rzecz

Równego Traktowania za 2015 r.), Warsaw.

457 Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (2017) Report on the execution of the National Programme

of Activities for Equal Treatment for 2016 (Raport z realizacji Krajowego Programu Działa na rzecz

Równego Traktowania za 2016 r.), Warsaw.

458 As of February 2020.

459 Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (2017), Report on the Activities of the Government

Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment for the period 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2016 (Sprawozdanie z

działalnoci Pełnomocnika Rzdu do spraw Równego Traktowania za okres od 1 stycznia 2016 r. do 31

grudnia 2016 r.), Warsaw; Ombud, annual report for 2017, p. 71.

460 Ombud, annual report for 2019, pp. 26-28.