Equality and Diversity Forum

A network of national organisations committed
to progress on age, disability, gender, race,
religion and belief, sexual orientation and
broader equality and human rights issues

The Equality and Diversity Forum is a network of national organisations committed to progress on age, disability, gender and gender identity, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation and broader equality and human rights issues

The Forum was established in January 2002 to promote dialogue and understanding across the separate equality ‘strands’, and to ensure that policy debate on proposals for discrimination legislation and a single equality body recognises the cross-cutting nature of equality issues.

It has played a key role in building consensus and co-operation between organisations that had not worked together before.

Experience of promoting change on disability, gender and race is highly relevant in developing proposals and guidance on age, religion and belief and sexual orientation: the Forum has organised focused sessions on sharing best practice and commissioned a series of forward-looking research papers to advance the policy debate.

The success of the Forum in building trust and consensus demonstrates that there is significant scope for co-operation and mutual support across the equality strands, and a benefit in having a forum which meets regularly to debate and resolve differences.