The Northern Ireland Act 1998 explicitly requires cooperation between the public authorities and the Equality Commission. The Equality Commission’s function is to consult, inform and control. Through publicity campaigns, the Commission promotes greater awareness of equality and raises awareness among both the general public and public authorities and businesses about the implementation of equal treatment standards. Preventing and/or alerting to discrimination are also part of their campaigns. The Commission also has a policy advisory role, reviews legislative proposals and current legislation, and proposes improvements.

Businesses or authorities that breach the obligations under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Law 1998 and are made aware of this by the Commission and/or staff may request assistance and advice from the Commission. This supports a constant exchange, which benefits both the Commission and the authorities, as it combines the theoretical understanding of the former with the practical implementation approaches of the latter.

Thus, while the concrete implementation of equality duties, for example the creation of an equality concept or a disability action plan, is the responsibility of the authorities, the Commission is responsible for overseeing the authorities.