International
The GEO coordinates, negotiates and
presents the UK positions on gender, LGB&T and equality issues
within the European Union, United Nations, Commonwealth and Council
of Europe. It also works to fulfill the UK’s international
commitments and promotes best practice and statutory compliance on
gender and equality issues, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGB&T), across a range of international and
regional institutions.
The UK participates in international
inter-governmental mechanisms for the advancement of women and
gender equality, and has signed up to relevant international
commitments, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional
Protocol, and the non-binding Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action for Women. The GEO liaises across UK Government departments
on these commitments, follows up on their implementation, and
coordinates cross-Ministerial reporting to the UN.
The GEO engages with various EU institutions,
including the European Commission and the Council of the European
Union, contributing to the development of common standards and
regulations to protect UK interests and promotes best practices
related to gender equality.
The UK is a member of the Council of Europe
and participates in its Steering Committee for Equality between
Women and Men (CDEG). The GEO works to co-ordinate, negotiate and
present UK positions within the CDEG in areas such as violence
against women, political representation and tackling the pay gap.
These negotiations in turn inform the Council of Europe’s Council
of Ministers.
As a member of the Commonwealth, the UK supports the strategy of
gender mainstreaming and the related Commonwealth Gender Plan of
Action (2005-2015). The GEO works across the UK Government to
implement its commitments on the Gender Plan of Action. It also
liaises across government to co-ordinate, negotiate and present the
UK positions on gender equality, including the Women’s Affairs
Ministers Meeting (WAMM) and the Commonwealth Heads Of Government
Meeting (CHOGM).
