Implementation issues

• Author: Lappalainen, Paul
• Pages: 91-93

91

8 IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

8.1 Dissemination of information, dialogue with NGOs and between social

partners

a) Dissemination of information about legal protection against discrimination (Article 10

Directive 2000/43 and Article 12 Directive 2000/78)

Beyond the activities of the Equality Ombudsman involving reports, training programmes

and dialogue with NGOs, the social partners and Government authorities, which are

discussed above, further national and local activities are mentioned below. Some of them

are connected with the DO’s activities already mentioned above.

The Government has undertaken various initiatives that are worth noting:

• In November 2019, the Government a rranged for a national m eeting on an action

plan focused on specific measures to complement its LGBT strateg y.287

• In June 2019, the Gove rnment published an updated overview of the various tasks

being carried out concerning the equal rights and opportunities of LGBT p ersons.288

b) Measures to encourage dialogue with NGOs with a view to promoting the principle of

equal treatment (Article 12 Directive 2000/43 and Article 14 Directive 2000/78)

As has alr eady been ind icated, a fairly weak role is played b y the discrimination ground-

specific NGOs in S weden, with the possibl e exception of certain organisations within the

disability movement and the main LGBT organisation (RFSL) as well as the local anti-

discrimination bureaux.

In September 20 19, t he G overnment arranged for a national meeting with all the local

anti-discrimination bureaux to discuss the Government’s current effort s as well as their on -

going work against di scrimination and their id eas on how to improve the work on additional

measures for preventing and counteracting discrimination on the grounds of s ex,

transgender identity and expre ssion, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and

age.289

NGOs dealing with discrimination are encouraged to be members of and to form local anti-

discrimination bureaux. Some bureaux, like the one in Malmö, seem to have become fairly

important voices in counteracting discrimination in their regions, which gives them an

interesting platform from which to engage in dialogue with others.

In October 2019, the Government arranged a national discussion meeting on the work

against racism and hate crime. Its purpose was to help strengthen the Government’s work

on the national acti on plan against racism. The voices of NGOs wer e needed in this work.290

c) Measu res to promote dialogue between social partners t o give effect to the principle

of equal treatment within workplace practi ces, codes of practi ce, workforce

monitoring (Article 11 Directive 2000/43 and Article 13 Directive 2000/78 )

287 Ministry of Employment, 24.10.2019, https://www.regeringen.se/sakrad/2019/10/sakrad-om-det-fortsatta-

arbetet-med-hbtq-fragor/.

288 Ministry of Employment, 12.07.2019,

https://www.regeringen.se/informationsmaterial/2018/06/regeringens-arbete-for-hbtq-personers-lika-

rattigheter/.

289 Ministry of Employment, 25.09.2019, https://www.regeringen.se/sakrad/2019/09/sakrad-med-

antidiskrimineringsbyraerna/.

290 Ministry of Employment, 24.10.2019, https://www.regeringen.se/sakrad/2019/10/sakrad-om-arbetet-mot-

rasism-och-hatbrott/.