The Equality Authority has suggested that the public and private sectors should have stronger equality provisions to help prevent discrimination and promote equal treatment of workers.
Speaking at an equality conference held as part of the Irish EU presidency, the authority's chief executive, Mr Niall Crowley, said "positive duties" should apply to employers across a total of nine areas of discrimination including race, gender and marital status.
Such duties could include equality and diversity training of staff, and action plans setting out targets and objectives for equality in the workplace and for customers.
The plans were described by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, recently as a "very worthwhile suggestion".
Mr Crowley told the conference in Limerick that instead of being merely reactive to issues of inequality, such positive duties would help prevent discrimination in the first place if done on a planned and systematic basis.
The nine grounds cover areas such as gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability and race.
He also said EU legislation being prepared in Brussels could help increase the effectiveness of independent equality bodies in all member-states by supporting such measures.
Similar provisions are already in place in the area of gender equality. An EU directive requires member-states to encourage employers to put in place provisions to promote gender equality in the workplace.
Mr Crowley said a new structure was needed at EU level which would lead to effective dialogue between equality bodies in member-states and the European Commission.
He also said there needed to be adequate investment in advocacy groups, such as trade unions and community organisations, which could support claimants and promote knowledge of equality legislation.
As well as this, the Equality Authority chief executive said finance and expertise could be made available to support enterprises to be more systematic in combating discrimination and promoting equality.
The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Mr Willie O'Dea, said gaps between countries in terms of legal protection in the area of equality were closing. However, he said steps needed to be taken to close the gap between what the law provided and the reality on the ground for many groups.
"One of the ways to close this gap is through planned and systematic approaches. By this we mean that legal prohibitions on their own may not be sufficient to combat discrimination. There is a need for an integrated policy approach at national and European level," Mr O'Dea said.
"Equality is not an optional extra. It is not some defensive measure taken by an employer or service provider to comply with the law.
"Genuine equality and diversity requires a whole-organisation approach, an approach which is planned and systematic, which is comprehensive."
