1. Creating the Context for Equality Impact Assessment at the Local Level
Legislative and Non-Legislative Approaches
Markus Syrjänen
Development and Strategy Manager
Department of Health and Social Welfare
Vantaa City

2. City of Vantaa a Part of Helsinki Metropolis Fast growing, fast ageing
a ”New City”
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

3. Characteristics of Local Governance in Finland
The municipalities are self-governing entities
 A long tradition of a strong autonomy
The municipalities play a central role in society organising most of the welfare services
 social welfare and health services, education, culture
 local government expenditure about 19 % of GNP
The municipalities are significant employers
 e.g. Vantaa has inhabitants and the city organization has employees, a budget of 1,4 billion euros
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

4. General Context: Equality Impact Assessment
Historical view
Structural view
Pros and Cons

5. Historical View: Development of Equality Impact Assessment in Finland and Vantaa
Equality Act 2004
Services for the Disabled Act 1987
Inte-gration Act 1999
”Theory” = Development in Legistelation
Gender Equality Act 1986
1980
1990
2000
2010
”Practice” = Measures taken in Vantaa
Vantaa Multicul-tural Programme 2002 /2009
Permanent
Administrative Equality Impact Assessment
Council for the Elderly 1979
Council for the Disabled 1979
Gender Equality Plan 1997 /2005
Advisory Board for Multicultural Issues 2001
Vantaa Equality Plan 2005
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

6. Structural View: Development of Equality Impact Assessment in Finland and Vantaa
Participation / Monitoring by the minority groups
Council for the Disabled
Council for the Elderly
Advisory Board for Multicultural Issues
Local Forum for the Roma Issues
Policy work / Planning
Gender Equality Plan + Equality Plan
City of Vantaa Multicultural Programme
Accessibility plan
Continious and Permanent Assessment
(Gender) Equality Impact Assessment of Financial Plan
Equality Impact Assessment of Resolutions of Boards and the City Council
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

7. Pros and Cons (1/2)
Council and Boards: Participation / Monitoring by the representatives of minority groups
+ genuine equality promotion
+ easy to motivate
- requires assistance
- even if the assessment is of high quality, futher use is lacking
Policy work / Planning
+ the process might be excellent in awareness raising
+ measures
- without mainstreaming the impact might be weak
- mainstreaming leads easily to fading out
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

8. Pros and Cons (2/2) Continuous and Permanent Assessment
+ genuine mainstreaming: equality impact assessment as one of the bureaucratic practices
+ systematic
- does not include participation  a risk of superficiality
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

9. Mainstreamed Equality Plan
Processes of Mainstreaming
Lessons to learn

10. Process of Equality Planning in the City of Vantaa 2005-2006
Horizontal  including all grounds of discrimination
Mainstreaming  the purpose of the plan is to include the perspective of equality in all strategic and steering documents
Empowering  the implementation of the plan is supported by a practical guide, training sessions etc.
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

11. Input  Output
Network by Join In Project (EC Community Action programme)
8 months work of the project coordinator
8 months work of the partner NGOs
Hundreds of office hours with different city departments
Active local NGOs
The Equality Plan
Structures for monitoring
The Toolkit for Equality Promotion
Analyses of Strategic documents
30 days training organized by the partner NGOs
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

12. Best Results Launching equality as a horizontal concept
Groups exposed to discrimination exchanging experiences
Raising a political interest
next step ”Gender Impact Assessment”
Also wider interest in equality issues was developed
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

13. Equality Plan: Processes of Mainstreaming at the Local Level

14. Lesson to learn A bias towards central government steering
A legal obligation does not mean a societal change
A wide debate is essential
Competition in the “mainstreaming-market”
 Overflow of plans, “attention economy” of administrative trends
Consistent and long-lasting marketing and communication are necessary
Public sector as an arena-organization
Doctor does not work for the city but for the medical career
For successful mainstreaming, a concept of equality should be adapted into professional paradigms
A bias towards local government
Local government is “only” 20% of GNP
Does the public sector have an obligation to be equal or to promote equality in the society?
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen

15. Equality Impact Assessment from Tabula Rasa

16. Steps to take Preconditions  Value setting
General Assesment of Impacts of Authority Activities
Structure for the representative dialog
 Systematic Self Assessment (horizontal)
Equality Promotion and Assessment
Goal setting and measuring
Space for separate schemes and interest groups
Vantaan kaupunki, Markus Syrjänen