The Institute's mission is to ensure that all practitioners who work in the equality, diversity and human rights sector have access to high quality learning, accreditation, professional development and networking opportunities.
 
The Institute aims to ensure that the highest standards of equality, diversity and human rights professional practice are demonstrated by our members.
 
The Institute is open to all equality, diversity and human rights practitioners.   For a definition of 'practitioner' go to the 'About Us' page.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) underpin the Institute’s work. 

Article 1 of the UDHR says, ''All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood''

Because the UDHR and the ECHR are now over 50 years old, some of the language they use is quite outdated. However, they are both ‘living documents'. As society and attitudes change, the United Nations and the Council of Europe have changed and developed the ways in which the UDHR and ECHR are interpreted. For example, gender neutral language has replaced the gender specific language of the original documents, influencing and reflecting the drafting of modern legal documents.