THE Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) on Wednesday conducted its Diversity, Equity and inclusion (DEI) training with staff of the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Highlighting the importance of these employees in the workplace, the training provided valuable insights into the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Participants gained a thorough understanding of the ERC’s roles and functions, with a key focus on understanding of the Commission’s constitutional mandate to ensure DEI among Guyanese. The training is being offered by the ERC to public and private agencies, to enhance awareness of these areas in the workplace.

Similarly, in July this year, the ERC also hosted a DEI training session with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The ERC is a Constitutional body established by Constitution (Amendment) (No.2) Act No.11 of 2000 which amends Article 212 D of the Constitution to provide for the establishment of the Commission.

The genesis of the ERC lies in the Herdmanston Accord signed on January 17, 1998 that provided for the establishment of a Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC).

The CRC, in its Report to the National Assembly on July 17, 1999, recommended that the Constitution shall establish an adequately-funded, suitably broad-based Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) comprising representatives of religious bodies, labour movement, the private business sector, youth and women.

The entities of each group identified one nominee and one substitute to serve as their representatives and on March 8, 2002 the ERC was established. The Commission was recently reconstituted with the swearing-in of 10 new Commissioners in March 2023 by Head of State, President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

The ERC has 24 functions, some of which include the promotion of the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, providing for equality of opportunity between persons of different ethnic groups and good relations between these persons, encouraging and creating respect for religious, cultural and other forms of diversity in a plural society and, monitoring and reporting to the National Assembly on the status and success of implementation of its recommendations.