Equinet provides support essentially to its equality body members, which include NHRIs with the equality body mandate. Equinet’s close cooperation with NHRIs and Ombuds-institutions may justify making its support available to non-members, depending on the circumstances.

Equinet is the European Network of Equality Bodies, a membership organisation which promotes equality in Europe by supporting and enabling the work of National Equality Bodies. It supports Equality Bodies to be independent and effective catalysts for more equal societies.

Equinet works to:

• Strengthen and support Equality Bodies to achieve equality for all
• Act as the expert voice of Equality Bodies in Europe on equality and non-discrimination
• Maintain and improve Equinet’s capacity as a strong, resilient, and innovative Network

At the time of writing, Equinet brings together 47 statutory organisations from across Europe which are empowered to counteract discrimination as national Equality Bodies across a range of grounds, including age, disability, gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. Around a third of Equinet’s member equality bodies also have a mandate as National Human Rights Institutions.

Equinet’s thematic focus is on promoting equality and combating discrimination. Having said that, we cooperate closely with NHRIs and Ombud offices and their European networks to provide mutual support. Therefore, while the support Equinet may be able to provide to NHRIs that are its members and to those that aren’t, may differ, support to non-member NHRIs may also be possible.

The scope and nature of the support would be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Equinet considers NHRIs as key players in the national human rights and equality infrastructure. While Equality Bodies cooperate with NHRIs at the national level, Equinet cooperates with ENNHRI at the European level, in particular on issues around the UN CRPD and on Economic and Social Rights.

Given that some of Equinet’s members have a dual mandate as both an Equality Body and an NHRI, we have also investigated the links and synergies between the two mandates, including through a publication.

Equinet had long been advocating for legally binding standards for Equality Bodies at the EU level, with a view to prevent and respond to threats and challenges to Equality Bodies. On 7 May 2024, the EU Council and Parliament adopted two Directives on standards for Equality Bodies that provide enforceable guarantees concerning their independence, mandate, powers, resources and accessibility. The standards in these Directives will apply to all multi-mandate organisations that also have an Equality Body mandate, concerning this mandate and could also be used indirectly, as a reference, by all NHRIs.

• All Equinet publications.
• In May 2024 the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament adopted two Directives setting binding standards for Equality Bodies:
  • Directive (EU) 2024/1500 on standards for Equality Bodies in the field of equal treatment and equal opportunities between women and men in matters of employment and occupation, and amending Directives 2006/54/EC and 2010/41/EU. This Directive is based on Article 157(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
  • Directive (EU) 2024/1499 on standards for Equality Bodies in the field of equal treatment between persons irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, equal treatment in the field of employment and occupation between persons irrespective of their religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, equal treatment between women and men in matters of social security and in the access to and supply of goods and services, and amending Directives 2000/43/EC and 2004/113/EC. This Directive is based on Article 19(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.