Training manual on equality data collection and analysis to prevent and address systemic discrimination

Introduction

Starting points

The Model framework for an intercultural integration strategy at the national level, adopted by the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) in June 2021 (hereinafter Model Framework), establishes the underlying principles of intercultural integration as: ensuring equality (including combating all forms of discrimination), valuing diversity, fostering meaningful interaction and facilitating active citizenship and participation.¹ It notes that understood as policy goals, these principles help address the full range of diversity challenges and maximise the impact of policy and grassroots action in the field of equality.² Under the principle of ensuring equality, the Model Framework states that: Measures should be adopted to deal with both direct and indirect discrimination, with a special focus on systemic discrimination, on the basis of ‘visible’ diversity as well as inequality motivated by cultural difference, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity and other protected characteristics. It emphasises the role of data in ensuring that the starting point for any national/multilevel intercultural integration strategy is an evidence-based analysis of the situation that is to be addressed, through the prism of equality, diversity, interaction and participation.

Likewise, Recommendation CM/Rec (2022) 10 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on multilevel policies and governance for intercultural integration, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 6 April 2022, under the same principle of ensuring equality, states that: Direct or indirect discrimination in the functioning of public administration and in public service delivery should be identified and eliminated in a systematic way, including by carrying out anti-discrimination audits and reviews, adopting anti-discrimination charters and action plans to favour integration, providing anti-discrimination and intercultural training as well as intercultural mediation and, where possible, employing participatory service design that involves a diverse range of users.³

This training manual has been developed by the Committee of Experts on Intercultural Integration of Migrants (ADI-INT) and was adopted on 29 June 2023 by the Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI). It is one of the tools produced to support the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec (2022) 10 on multilevel policies and governance for intercultural integration (adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 6 April 2022) by Council of Europe member states.

Resulting from the collaborative work of local, regional and national authorities, this training manual responds to the desire to address and prevent systemic discrimination and underpins this focus on the role of data in enabling effective action on systemic discrimination. It will further help relevant stakeholders and agencies of Council of Europe member states to acquire some of the skills that are needed to implement the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers in this field. Data can be particularly useful in addressing and preventing systemic discrimination given that this is a phenomenon that is often invisible and without apparent intent.

Systemic discrimination involves the procedures, routines and organisational culture of any organisation that, often without intent, contribute to less favourable outcomes for minority groups than for the majority of the population, from the organisation’s policies, programmes, employment, and services.⁴

Systemic discrimination comes under a range of titles in the literature including structural discrimination; institutional discrimination; and systematic discrimination. It is not specifically defined in international or European legislation.

This manual draws more specifically from the work on systemic discrimination undertaken within the Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme of the Council of Europe. This includes the 2020 Policy brief –Identifying and preventing discrimination at the local level⁵ and its accompanying policy study.⁶ The policy brief defines systemic discrimination (as above) and identifies four strands of action required on this issue at the local level, with equality data having a key role in rendering the issue visible and in providing an evidence base for effective action.

The training manual addresses the national, regional and local levels of governance, reflecting that all levels of governance have a necessary contribution to make in addressing and preventing systemic discrimination. It aligns with Recommendation CM/Rec (2022) 10⁷ which defines multilevel governance as a model of governance embracing central, regional and local governments, as well as civil society organisations. It states that: Member States should adopt a holistic approach to integration by ensuring that public policies in all fields and at all levels, as well as civil society stakeholders, contribute to the goal of building inclusive societies.

Purpose and target audience

This training manual focuses on the use of equality data in addressing and preventing systemic discrimination.

The aims are to:

► enhance the awareness and understanding of users of the potential of equality data in responding effectively to systemic discrimination, the issues in collecting and analysing equality data and the need for and nature of targeted equality data initiatives alongside equality data strategies, at all levels of governance; and

► inform and enable action by users on the collection and analysis of equality data, in a manner that can advance effective responses to systemic discrimination.

The target audience encompasses:

► stakeholders at all levels of governments engaged in:

– progressing the policy cycle of policy thinking, policy making, policy implementation and policy monitoring and evaluation; and

– data collection and management, and undertaking research and data analysis.

► stakeholders from:

– public policy institutions, statistical and research institutions, official