About GEO
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is the department
responsible for equalities legislation and policy in the UK. The
department was created by Parliamentary Statutory
Instrument in October 2007. GEO is responsible for the
Government’s overall strategy and priorities on equality issues and
aims to improve equality and reduce discrimination and disadvantage
for all, at work, in public and political life, and in people’s
life chances.
We lead on gender issues, seeking to ensure
the integration of gender equality policy in all Government
policy. We are in particular responsible for delivering the
Minister for Women’s priorities. The GEO also leads on the
Government’s international obligations to implement the UN
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) and the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action; as well as the Government’s
obligations to implement the EU Roadmap for Equality between Women
and Men.
GEO leads across Government on sexual orientation and
transgender equality policy. This includes our responsibilities for
the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 which
protect people from being discriminated against because of their
sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services; the
protections under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 for transgender
people in employment, goods and services and our ongoing work
across Government and through the Equality Act
2010 to ensuring the continued protection for lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) people against discrimination.
We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Justice on Gender
Recognition and Civil Partnerships and with BIS on employment
protection for LGB people. In extending GEO’s role to include
transgender equality, we will work further with the relevant
stakeholder groups, exploring the specific needs and considering
how to best support the trans community.
The GEO Business Plan sets out the Department's
strategy and priorities for the year ahead.
The GEO Resource Accounts for 2009 - 2010
was laid before parliament in July 2010.
The GEO Autumn Performance Report 2009 is
available to download here:
Better Regulation – GEO Simplification Plan
Details of the steps we are taking to reduce administrative
burdens and our other simplification measures can be found in our
Simplification Plan.