"Capacity building of employers, NGOs and trade unions for implementation of the Law on Protection Against Discrimination "

2005 Vidin, BULGARIA

"Capacity building of employers, NGOs and trade unions for implementation of the Law on Protection Against Discrimination" is a project of Women Allience for Development (WAD). The project, which will continue for 15 months, started in December 2004 and is funded by PHARE. It is implemented in North-western Bulgaria in the cities of Vidin, Vratza, Montana and Lom. As an NGO with strong positions and authority in the local society of Vidin, OPEN YOUTH - Bulgaria was choosen by WAD as a cordinator of the project for this region.

The project objective is to facilitate the launching of the practical enforcement of the recently adopted Law on Protection Against Discrimination with regards to gender and multiple discrimination through information and advocacy actions in the selected region.

Target group and beneficiaries are: employers; managers; employees of state, private, foreign and joint venture companies; NGO's from the region- women's and human rights' organizations with clear social mandate; union activists and lawyers. Indirect beneficiaries are: governmental and administrative officials in the local jobs' bureaus; local authorities and municipal firms; key figures in state and local political power structures; as well as the media.

The project activities include information campaign for the general public, informative seminars for employers and managers, training seminars for representatives of local NGOs and trade unions and specialized training for lawyers. Analyses, brochures and information materials are already published as well as the data collected during the implementation of the project. Also an educational movie and an informative clip were developed and broadcasted by the media. An Internet portal "Anti-discrimination" was launched. It will be updated with the collected information on discrimination and will offer links to experts and organizations working on the issue. It will serve citizens, media, lawyers and interested state structures.

The implementation of the project will entail establishment of specific skills and increased individual and organizational capacity in NGO's, union activists and lawyers from the region with regards to advocacy, field work, documenting and analyzing information, partnership and dialogue among human rights' organizations, employers organizations and decision-makers. The project will assist the business circles, lawyers, NGO's and media not only in getting information about the Law but also in abiding by it and taking measures for non discrimination. That will be a practical contribution for the improvement of existing codes of conduct and the collective bargaining agreements. The collected case studies and all project-related information and activities will be submitted for future reference to the, still non existent but stipulated by the Law, Parliamentary Commission for Protection Against Discrimination.

Donor: PHARE