On 1 October 2007, the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) subsumes the responsibilities of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission.  Here, its first Deputy Chair, Baroness Margaret Prosser, gives her view of its role going forward.

The CEHR, which is due to be up and running from 1 October this year, must be more than the sum of it’s individual parts if it is to be successful.  Designed to promote equality in the fields of race, gender, age, disability, religion and faith, sexual orientation and human rights, the new body has a massive agenda and consequent huge responsibilities.

But what do we mean by “success”?  What would it look like and how can it be measured?  These questions are not rhetorical but the answers may be subjective and less than tangible.  I set out here some of my own thoughts.

Firstly, the CEHR touches every citizen in Great Britain.  No one will be able to say that this body is “only” there for people other than them.  This is not a minority interest.  To get that message across the CEHR must reach out to individuals and groups, to policy and law makers, to workers and employers, building trust and confidence and enabling a common agenda to develop working towards building a fairer society – a society more at ease with itself.

Secondly, our message must be positive.  Promoting equality is not about sanctions or criticism.  It is about bringing “added value” to people’s lives.  Mixed communities are richer communities.  Diverse schools and workplaces help to break down the fear of the unknown and enable us to learn from each other.

Thirdly, the CEHR is not the fount of all knowledge; we must be guided by those with more experience than ourselves.  In particular, listening to those with intimate knowledge of their communities, the ups and downs, the initiatives that worked and those that didn’t, and particularly the ideas for the way forward where we can work together, hopefully bringing about some solutions.

The CEHR has a duty to promote community cohesion.  The world of work can help here – diverse workplaces which reflect local communities, not only enable people of different backgrounds to feel more confident and less anxious about each other, they also enable companies and organisations to better reflect the customers they serve.  The workplace, be it hotel, kitchen, office, bank, factory floor or bus depot, can bring people together in a natural setting. This is not a false theatre where people feel uncomfortable or ill at ease.  This is where a person has a job to do and is therefore entitled to be where they are.  In such a setting friendships grow and fears subside.

Employers can also help, of course, by turning talk of equality into a reality.  Providing opportunities for workers to reach their potential helps enterprise, the individual and society as a whole.

No doubt there will be many occasions in the future where the CEHR has tricky and difficult judgements to make.  Balancing rights between conflicting interests will require much thought and considerable wisdom.  One thing we can be sure of: there will be an enormous emphasis on enabling stakeholders of the CEHR to have their say and to play a part in our overall deliberations.

Baroness Margaret Prosser of Battersea OBE is Deputy Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. www.cehr.org.uk