Coordination at national level

• Author: Poleshchuk, Vadim
• Pages: 51-51

51

9 COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

The main bodies that deal with anti-discrimination issues are the Commissioner for Gender

Equality and Equal Treatment and, to a much lesser extent, the Chancellor of Justice. The

functions and tasks of these institutions were described in section 7 above.

According to the Government of the Republic Act,122 it is the responsibility of the Ministry

of Social Affairs123 to promote equal treatment as well as equality of men and women,

including coordination of activities in this field, and the preparation of the corresponding

draft legislation (Article 67(1)).

However, each ministry, within its area of responsibility, should monitor compliance with

the requirements of the Equal Treatment Act and cooperate with other persons and

agencies in the promotion of the principle of equal treatment (Article 14 of the Equal

Treatment Act). In practical terms that means that the Ministry of Culture deals with issues

related to discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic origin (within social integration

policies), the Ministry for the Interior124 deals with discrimination on the ground of religion

or belief, and the Ministry of Social Affairs, in addition to general coordination of all relevant

anti-discrimination work, concentrates on issues related to the grounds of age, disability,

sexual orientation and sex.125

122 Government of the Republic Act (Vabariigi Valitsuse seadus), 13 December 1995, RT I 1995, 94, 1628.

123 Sotsiaalministeerium.

124 Siseministeerium. The area of government of the Ministry for the Interior includes the management of

issues relating to churches and congregations.

125 Ministry of Social Affairs; Written communication No. 1.2-3/1884 of 9 April 2012.