EU Platform of Diversity Charters

The new Award will give recognition to those towns, cities and regions taking concrete steps towards equality at a time when intolerance and discrimination are on the increase in some parts of society.

The applications are now open until 15 February 2022. The website and application form will be available in all EU official languages as of 29 November.

As we launch the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award, we are also excited to announce our Award newsletter: Diversity Capitals or #DiversityCapitals. Our goal is to inform you about the latest activities around the award leading up to EU Diversity Month 2022 and provide inspiration and materials to use in your communications with local authorities’ officials.

We aim to issue the newsletter monthly, starting from mid-December. Along with a snapshot of recent highlights, you will receive ready-to-use assets (social media posts, visuals etc.) and key dates for your diaries. Some of the resources will be downloadable from the award website.

Would you like to be informed on the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award? Subscribe here for the newsletter.

See also announcements on Twitter by Commissioner Dalli and DG JUST and the post on Facebook by DG JUST

Discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin is prohibited in the European Union. Yet such discrimination persists in our society. It is not enough to be against racism. We have to be active against it. This is why on 18 September 2020, the European Commission adopted an ambitious EU anti-racism action plan that sets out a series of measures for the next 5 years.

Business organisations and individual companies have a key role to play in ensuring non-discrimination, diversity and inclusion. Join us in the roundtable discussion and share your experience on how to build an inclusive workplace and society free from racism.

The workshop will include presentation by Michaela Moua the EU anti-racism coordinator, examples of best practice from Diversity Charter signatories and an open discussion.

Register to this virtual workshop in EU Survey. Registration will be open until 26 November 2021.

Commissioner Dalli, opening the conference, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic fueled discrimination and violence against minority groups, which extent we are unable to properly quantify. This confirms that, without evidence in the form of equality statistics, it is impossible to track progress towards equality. The absence of comparable and regular data on equality and non-discrimination prevents us from reaching out to the most vulnerable in our society, and dampens the incisiveness of our responses to current forms of discrimination.”

Vice-President Jourová, at the closing speech emphasised: “We cannot turn a blind eye to the most marginalised people in our society. Only with comparable and reliable data, our policies will be able to ensure full inclusion and protection of all EU citizens equally. We need a common standard, which can be used equally by all Member States. To lead by example, the Commission will collect data on the diversity of its staff for the first time.”

The European Union has in place an advanced legal framework with which to promote equality and non-discrimination. However, significant proportions of people experience discrimination on a regular basis. This calls for a reconsideration of how legislation and policies to promote equality are implemented and how progress on the ground can be monitored. Equality data are a crucial element of this reconsideration and powerful tools to support the fight against discrimination and exclusion.

Charter signatories particularly report an increase in the inflow of employees with a disability, with a migration background such as Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese, women and young people. Career advancement, retention and outflow are less well monitored and are an important point of improvement. Signatories who do monitor career advancement and retention, mostly achieve results with the advancement of women to higher positions. It is positively striking that, despite the corona crisis, the priority for diversity policy in 2020 has remained the same or even increased.

Annually SER Diversity at Work commissions a study into the annual reports of the signatories of the Dutch Diversity Charter, which aims to get an overview of the extent in which the Charter signatories put their action plan into practice, what results they achieve and how D&I policy focus develops over time. An online survey was filled out by 124 signatories and had a response rate of 75 percent.

THE MAIN CONCLUSIONS ARE:

- The corona pandemic has not led to a decrease in attention to diversity among Charter signatories in 2020. The corona pandemic did influence the way diversity and inclusion are brought to the attention in 2020. It also increased the pressure on creating an inclusive work climate.

- For creating an inclusive climate, the results for 2020 indicate a positive development. Companies are implementing specific activities to create awareness and support and are positive about changes in organizational culture and measures aimed at involving diverse groups in the organization.

- The actions taken to achieve a more diverse workforce show that the focus is mainly on the intake of employees with a non-Western migration background, people with an occupational disability/chronic illness and women. Only a limited number of signatories pay attention to the age dimension, in particular the intake of young people, and lhbti+.

- Positive results are achieved for the intake of people with an employment restriction or chronic illness and women. The intake of people with a migrant background is a spear point for many companies, but the visibility of the results on this point is regularly lacking. This is related to the reluctance of companies to register the ethnic-cultural background of their personnel.

- There is still little attention for the career advancement, retention and outflow from diversity groups. This makes the diversity policy vulnerable, because attracting new employees alone is not enough to sustainably achieve a diverse organization. The recommendation is to link the commitment to a more inclusive organization more explicitly to measures to promote advancement and prevent dropout.

The Finnish working population has always been diverse, and in the future, it will consist increasingly from experts with different kinds of backgrounds. In addition to legislation, diversity and inclusion (D&I) are driven by factors such as the increasing labour shortage, the intensifying competition and the expectations of both the personnel and the customers about equality and better service. Investors are also focusing more and more on companies’ diversity activities.

The field of D&I has developed strongly in recent years. However, in many organisations in Finland, systematic diversity work is only starting, and even many pioneers in the field would like to approach the work more strategically.

A solution to the problem has now been found: FIBS’s new Diversity and inclusion self-assessment tool helps all companies, regardless of their size and sector, get started and make progress in diversity issues.

The tool has been developed by Veera Iija, Corporate Responsibility Specialist, FIBS, and Jonna Louvrier, the CEO of Includia Leadership, as a part of the All in For Equality project coordinated by the Ministry of Justice of Finland.

“Diversity is already a critical competitive factor in many fields, whether in recruitment or expanding your customer base. It’s also a key part of companies’ risk management. However, diversity must be planned and managed strategically if you want to reap all of its benefits. Our self-assessment tool helps organisations to grasp different dimensions of D&I work, assess the current level of work within the organisation, and set goals and targets for the work.,” says Corporate Responsibility Specialist Veera Iija, FIBS.

The self-assessment tool can help companies suffering from a labour shortage, for instance, make their operating culture more inclusive so that they can retain their experts.

“A recently published Finnish survey on the problems experienced by women working in the field of technology shows how an operating culture where stereotypes persist and people experience exclusion can easily make people change jobs. Our tool helps you identify what you should pay attention to when drawing up a job advertisement, for instance, and how to ensure equal pay and career progress; it also maps out different practices that are essential for building an inclusive work culture,” Jonna Louvrier says.

4 themes, 41 measures, 149 practices – How and where to start?

Diversity and inclusion self-assessment tool makes it visible how extensive the activities can be at their best: the tool lists a total of 41 diversity work measures related to four key themes: “Commitment”, “Diversity and inclusion work processes”, “Employees”, as well as “Customers, users and other collaboration partners”.

Each user of the tool can assess if their own organisation is at the beginner, developer or advanced level with regard to the different measures and draw up long-term development targets for their organisation. The measures vary from the composition of the management team to recruitment and language awareness.

In the tool’s user manual, you can find detailed descriptions of the measures and a total of 149 practices you can use to implement the measures in practice.

For small organisations and beginners in diversity work in particular, the scope of the work may seem impossibly extensive. Jonna Louvrier reminds people, however, that every company and organisation can easily adapt the tool to suit their own starting point and resources.

“Diversity and inclusion work is related to both the organisation’s different processes and practices as well as the everyday interactions between people. As a result, those starting diversity and inclusion work may feel that they are faced with a massive task and they might wonder: how and where do I start? There is no single right answer to this question; instead, everyone can progress at their own pace, choose those of the tool’s measures that can be implemented right now and draw up development targets for the measures that are the most important for their own organisation.”

Both the managing director as well as the employees can carry out the diversity self-assessment

Diversity and inclusion self-assessment tool can be used in many roles. People planning and developing organisational practices, such as heads of human resources, heads of corporate responsibility, persons responsible for equality and non-discrimination, and managing directors of small and medium-sized organisations are evident users. However, also line managers, local union representatives and different employee groups can also benefit from using the tool.

Veera Iija encourages people to take advantage of the tool in facilitating internal discussions on diversity, too.

“Employees, supervisors and the management may have different opinions on which level the organisation has reached with regard to different kinds of diversity measures. If the tool is used by several people, it may lead to good internal discussions on what are the biggest issues that should be addressed immediately and what would be the best way to proceed in the development work.”

Diversity and inclusion self-assessment tool complements the systematic work for promoting the diversity work of companies and organisations that FIBS has been doing for more than a decade. FIBS organises several events on the topic annually, and the Diversity Charter Finland developed by FIBS has already been signed by nearly 100 companies and organisations. FIBS also carries out international cooperation in connection with diversity topics, and it represents the Europe-wide network EU Platform of Diversity Charters in Finland.

The Self-assessment of Diversity Management tool and its user manual are available in Finnish, Swedish and English at www.monimuotoisuusarviointi.fi.

Ana-Cristina Grohnert, chairwoman of the German Charter, emphasised this theme in the conference’s kick-off: a lot has already been done in the strive for a diverse economy and society, but in order to achieve the necessary changes we all need to be allies.

Other experts emphasised the intersectional perspective that is crucial to diversity. Women with disabilities face multiple discriminations on the labour market, they generally have a lower income and fewer opportunities for advancement. What we need is a stronger focus on the capabilities and unique perspectives of people with disabilities, as well as a dialogue at eye level. Inclusion will only be achieved, said Paralympic athlete Markus Rehm, when a person with disability can also be criticised at the workplace. Instead of making empty promises, employers need to cultivate inclusive workplaces in collaboration with people with disabilities.

Big transformations in organisations can only be successfully managed when everyone is involved and when the necessity for change is repeatedly and transparently explained, said Katharina Wolff, publisher of STRIVE magazine, and Claudia Oeking, managing director of Philip Morris GmbH. Especially digitisation has made transformative environments inevitable. Including diversity in this process is central to manoeuvring big changes, as it is the collection of different perspectives and experiences that provides answers to new questions. Diversity is a driving force for modernisation.

Sustainability and diversity were point of discussion in an expert lab between Andreas Heinecke (Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH), Denise Hottmann (Boehringer Ingelheim) and Anja Karslhaus (CBS International Business School). The social dimension of sustainability has not been sufficiently considered, and especially the potentials of people with disabilities need more attention. Additionally, studies show that diverse teams act more sustainably and creatively. The workings of crossfunctional teams were also the topic of one masterclass. Ultimately, the focus should not be on how diversity and sustainability fit together, but how one can reenforce the other.

Identity politics was matter of debate on another panel, featuring former German Federal President Christian Wulff. Often the question “Where do you come from?” is not intended as a conversation starter, but as a means for categorisation, and entails an exclusionary subtext. All the more important to create an awareness for the struggles minority groups face in their work environments.

Social heritage as a diversity factor has only this year been introduced at the German Charter. Naturally, it was a topic of discussion at the conference how different social heritages can act as a benefit and more businesses should make a conscious effort to open up to this potential. Measures can be a diverse recruitment panel or mandatory trainings on unconscious biases.

Allyship in sports and how it can serve as an example for businesses was another conference highlight. Paralympics athlete Markus Rehm called success a “series of solved problems” that is only achieved by a diverse team and clear roles.

Other perspectives addressed at the conference were diversity in the media; a feminist lens on comedy by Maren Kroymann; the efforts of Deutsche Bahn in taking societal responsibility seriously; representation in the composition of the new German parliament by the German commissioner for integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz; as well as a keynote by Margot Käßmann on diversity from a religious perspective.

Allyship may be a trending term, but is not a status that can be acquired and should not be seen as an end in itself. Rather, it is a path you embark on. It means questioning own privileges and standing up for those less privileged without taking up the stage. Anyone can be an ally, even those that are marginalised in one way can stand up for other groups. What matters is that we keep talking to each other, taking the time to listen, and the courage to speak up. In the spirit of these words, this DIVERSITY conference has been a big success and we are looking forward to next year’s event!

Teams could participate in one of three disciplines, with a guiding question each:

Creating DIVERSITY: How can we make societal diversity visible at the workplace?

Living DIVERSITY: How can we strengthen societal diversity at the workplace?

Rethinking DIVERSITY: How can we rethink societal diversity at the workplace?

The teams were challenged to showcase creativity and enthusiasm, initiative and innovative thinking. Each category had three teams winning teams, chosen by a jury, plus two audience awards.

From the initial idea, through implementation, to the award ceremony, the competition lasted six months. Before that, we organised eight CHALLENGE.Labs in which participating teams could learn more about the topic of diversity. The competition was accompanied by regular updates on our social media platforms, and we hosted several Instagram Live events with experts and the participating teams. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, the award ceremony took place in a digital live format.

With their contributions, the participating teams put diversity measures into action in their organisations and set the course for a more inclusive work culture from the bottom up, involving the next generation. The DIVERSITY challenge has shown that diversity is more than a quota – it is a lived reality and the competition projects set an example for other businesses on how to make diversity more visible, successful and fun.

Diversity Charter Sweden welcomed 22 new members at their annual Signatory Event. This year’s theme was “Successful leadership by allyship”. All the new members had prepared a short testimony maximum of 30 seconds emphasising the importance of diversity and inclusion for them and why they become a member of the Diversity Charter Sweden.

LGBTI+ Professionals Picnic (June 25, 2021): an informal work experience sharing on topics of inclusive benefits, education and culture, promoting diversity and non-discrimination with special focus on LGBTI+ community at workplace.

Small Talk(s) (in June, September & November 2021): best practice sharing online meetings for the signatories (Ambassadors and Main supporters) on topics such as Internal I&D Surveys, ERGs and Internal Communication of I&D.

Equal Pay Day – media breakfast, October 25, 2021: in cooperation with the Charter signatory Philip Morris Slovakia and the Institute for Labour and Family Research, we discussed the issue of unequal reward and opportunities for men and women. The 25^th of October 2021 is the day since Slovak women with average earnings symbolically start working until the end of the 2021 for free, compared to their male colleagues doing the same job.

BLF CSR Summit 2021, October 26, 2021: Diversity has been one of the key topics at our biggest conference about responsible businesses – BLF CSR Summit 2021.

Online discussion on the topic “Single-parent families”, November 23, 2021: what kind of incentives is the government and NGOs providing them and what could the employers do in this area to support their employees who are single-parent and the new signatories signing ceremony

More to come: January 27, 2022 – Czech-Slovak Forum – common (hybrid) event of Czech and Slovak Diversity Charter within the EC project Diversity Master Class. We look at the social-political background of Czech-Slovak history, our cooperation and acceptance of diversities in society. Further, our signatories operating on both sides of borders will share their best practice with focus on specific areas of I&D (women & parenthood; foreign workers; age diversity).

Places of worship around Europe and the world are in increased danger in the last years due the terrorist attacks and an augmentation of hate crimes. These places serve not only individuals but also families and people in need. It is therefore essential that people, the professionals and other experts working in and for these places of worship, as well as the wider community can feel safe, included and equal in such places and this should be a top priority among local and national stakeholders. One of the various ways to improve protection and security in places of worship is the engagement of the community in the protection efforts.

The main aim of the project is to establish cooperation between public authorities and faith-based leaders and congregations aiming at a better understanding of security threats, promotion of awareness raising activities and the creation of manuals for sharing best practices and relevant tools among EU stakeholders.

The general objective of PROSECUW is to enhance protection at places of worship in European countries by setting up cooperation between public authorities (especially law enforcement agents), religious leaders and congregants. The cooperation will be established in various forms and through communication and information for a better understanding of hate speech/crime and terrorist threats that places of worship face in terms of security.

The specific objectives are:

• Training activities for local law enforcement/security agents, public authorities and religious leaders that would form mixed committees for enhanced security
• Creation of a best practices manual and policy recommendations based on the project’s training activities will be ready to be shared EU-wide
• Awareness-raising on enhancing protection and security in places of worship

The PROSECUW partnership consists of a selective group of experts, academics, and professionals in the field of training, research, protection, security, diversity, equality and inclusion for places of worship:

Center for Social Innovation (CSI) - Cyprus (Project Leader)

Akademie Klausenhof (AK) – Germany

Universidade Lusofona (COFAC) – Portugal

Research and Education in Social Empowerment and Transformation (RESET) – Cyprus

Center of Ecumenical, Missiological and Environmental Studies - Metropolitan Panteleimon Papageorgiou (CEMES) – Greece

Find out more about the project by visiting the official PROSECUW website at www.prosecuwproject.eu and the official PROSECUW social media on Facebook @prosecuw and on Instagram @prosecuw, and join us for a potential collaboration on protection, security, inclusion and equality in places of worship!

The participants touched on key issues regarding the importance of healthy integration of executives with different characteristics in the work environment in Greece, while also examining the progress made in terms of acceptance of diversity and equal opportunities in Greek companies.

Among the distinguished speakers were Dr. Domna Michailidou, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Representative of the Prime Minister of the Greek Government, George Patoulis, Attica Regional Governor, that is also co-organized the Conference, and

the Ambassador of the United States, Geoffrey Pyatt, underlined: "President Biden has expressed his personal commitment to work with the Greeks to pursue sustainable economic growth, in the aftermath of the pandemic. "A very important part of accelerating growth is to ensure a work culture in which all workers, including women and minorities, feel safe and supported."

With their presence, Maria Syregela, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, in charge of Demographic and Family Policy, Equality and Equality, George A. Stamatis, Secretary General Of Social Solidarity & Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Petros Mastakas, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Color Youth, gave the mark of the value of defending diversity through strategic panels, targeting important pillars of diversity. At the same time, representatives of large companies that support the Diversity Charter for Greek companies, such as the OTE Group, Pfizer, Teleperformance, Papastratos and Delloite presented the good practices in matters of diversity management, in their daily operation.

For the 3rd Diversity Conference for Greek companies, the President of KEAN, which implements the Diversity Charter for Greek companies, Stavros Milionis, noted: “For the last three years, Diversity Charter Greece has been constantly striving to inform companies, institutions and society about the need to respect Diversity and its integration. We feel very lucky because there is a response. Large and smaller developing companies adopt and sign the Charter, political parties and institutions support and institutions are assisting in this effort from the first minute. The strong and substantial participation of all in this, the 3rd Conference for Diversity, fills us with additional optimism and renews our commitment for an even more efficient event next year, with ever-increasing achievements regarding Diversity and the healthy integration of different people. in the Greek working environment ".

In our country, the Diversity Charter is implemented by KEAN - Cell Alternative Youth Search. Currently, in Greece, more than 160 companies and organizations, with more than 50,000 employees, have signed the Charter of Diversity, incorporating into their daily operation practices of efficient integration of different employees. Characteristically we mention the Founding Member OTE Group, AB Vassilopoulos, Pfizer, PAPASTRATOS, Teleperformance Greece, Deloitte, Schneider Electric, Hemmersbach Hellas, METRO, Accenture, Coca Cola 3E, KOTSOVOLOS, ZARA-Inditex, VODAFONE, Coca Cola Hellas Generation Y, Astra Zeneca and many others. At the same time, the Diversity Charter Greece is supported by the Attica Region, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Municipality of Athens, SEV, KEDE, the General Secretariat for Demographic and Family Policy and Gender Equality, etc.

The local Council Boards will play an important role in advancing the Workplace Inclusion Championprogram in Croatia, Romania and Slovenia.

Also the preliminary findings & report of the ongoing programme “Workplace Inclusion Champion” were published. The main aim of the report was to explore the needs of Charters’ signatory organisations in Croatia, Romania and Slovenia regarding training and mentorship programmes, already existing D&I trainings and their formats. It also explored how the changes caused by pandemic affected different vulnerable groups, the best ways of learning for a successful D&I training & learning programme, as well as valuable EU resources to be considered in the future training modules. Download full report here

Under the hashtag #ThursdaysWithDiversity, we met for 3 consecutive Thursdays, virtually, with the participation of 3 guest speakers and panel discussions.

The first session, held on Thursday, October 28, focused on science and innovation as levers of competitiveness and business sustainability. It addressed issues such as the relationship between diversity, innovation and science; why diversity is a lever for innovation; and what strategies are being implemented to promote women in the field of science. Speakers included Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence; María Eugenia Girón, President of Fundación Diversidad; Sergio Rodríguez, CEO of Pfizer Spain; Nuria Oliver, Academic-Director of Women and Engineering; and Salvador Aragón, Director of Innovation at IE University.

The second session, held on Thursday, November 4, discussed diversity as a lever for digital transformation and business sustainability. Specifically, aspects such as why the impact of diversity is important in terms of innovation and digital transformation; how we can use diversity management as an opportunity to develop business strategies with a positive impact and at the same time profitable; and how to turn diversity into a lever to increase business innovation and sustainability. For this purpose, we counted with the participation of Celia de Anca, Vice Dean of IE University; Gemma Galdon-Clavell, Founder of Eticas Counsulting; Teresa María Alarcos, Independent Director of several companies and President of the W Startup Community; and Jorge Cagigas, Founding Partner of Epicteles and Trustee of Fundación para la Diversidad.

Finally, the third session, which took place on November 11, focused on technology and innovation as a lever for business competitiveness and sustainability. Questions were addressed, such as the challenges and opportunities that arise when betting on diverse workforces in the technology sectors, how diversity impacts in terms of technology and innovation, and how we put diversity at the service of technology and innovation. Felipe Romera, General Manager of the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía (Málaga Tech Park); Silvia Leal, International Expert in Technology and Future Trends; Iñigo Merino, Solutions and Innovation Engineer, Leader of the HR Innovation Hub and Head of Early Talent at SAP; and Carlota Mateos, Cofounder at RUSTICAE and PlentEat and trustee of Fundación Diversidad, participated as speakers in the session.

In connection with these sessions, on July 8, 2021, Fundación para la Diversidad presented the second Innodiversidad Index, a study that measures how companies jointly manage diversity and innovation to increase their competitiveness and efficiency in times of crisis. From the study we can see data such as: 8 out of 10 companies have paid special attention to gender diversity management during the pandemic; senior talent is the one that has advanced the most in interest by companies by more than 6 points (the evolution stands at 65% in the 2019 report to 71.4% in this second report of 2021); and the company multiplies its innovation in business model as a response to the new crisis environment. Therefore, through the presentation of best practices and examples, the cycle of webinars responds to the need to continue to deepen this topic.

The survey is designed according to internationally recognized standards and guidelines, including SDGs, ISO 26000, GRI Standards, and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The survey questions are arranged into five thematic areas: Governance fundamentals, Programmes and Measures, Building Engagement, Performance Indicators, and additional questions related to COVID-19. Based on its results, we announced the list of the best employers for Diversity and Inclusion in Poland >>.

We are preparing for the 2nd edition of DINC in 2022.

It is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do. It has been proven that diverse thinking improves entrepreneurship and creativity. Bringing together employees with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives allows businesses to produce more innovative ideas and better solutions for their clients. To learn more about the Awards visit LGBT+ Diamonds Awards official website >>.

Susanna Romantsova, Equality, Diversity&Inclusion Leader at IKEA, was presented on the Forbes 30 under 30, a list of the brightest young entrepreneurs, leaders and stars. To learn more visit Susanna’s LinkedIn profile>>.

Also CCC S.A. made it to the 2021 D&I Index of top 100 most Diverse and Inclusive organizations published by Refinitiv, a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider, a part of LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group). Diversity and Inclusion Index is designed to measure the relative performance of companies against factors that define diverse and inclusive workplaces. Full list available here>>.

The Diverse and Ative Project, promoted in partnership with the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN-Portugal), the European Intercultural Club and the Likestillinggsenteret KUN – Center for Equality and Diversity, arises within the scope of the Cidadãos Ativ@s Program, created by the consortium formed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Bissaya Barreto Foundation, within the framework of the Active Citizens Fund.

It aims to develop a set of transforming tools and instruments to promote diversity and tolerance, combating discrimination in the workplace. Its target are professionals from Human Resources (HR) departments and Social Entities, and it intends to involve 100 organizations and 180 professionals from various sectors of activity nationwide.

In July, the initial study took place, with the collaboration of 30 organizations for the elaboration of 2 guides to train HR and labor inclusion professionals in the prevention of discrimination and unconscious bias. A survey of the global perception of discrimination was carried out through questionnaires with HR professionals and social entities and, subsequently, 9 focus groups to analyze the perception of discrimination, stereotypes, and common prejudices in the work environment.

If you want to know more about this project, click here.

The Engineers For One Day Program began its 5^th edition in October 2021 and will resume on-site experimentation and mentoring activities for professions and jobs in the fields of science, engineering and technology (STEM). Currently, it has 72 partner entities (9 of which are municipalities), 43 basic and high schools and 15 higher education institutions.

This Program is an initiative of the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, and its mission is to promote, among non-higher education female students, the option for engineering and technology, deconstructing the idea that these are male domains.

Since its creation, in 2017, it has reached 10,411 young students from 12 to 18 years-old, in 460 activities, including laboratory practices, role model sessions and mentoring.

Although girls and women make up half of the people in secondary or higher education in Portugal, they represent only 12.8% among ICT students and 22.8% among engineering students. Giving women and girls equal opportunities to choose and thrive in STEM careers can help reduce the gender pay gap, increase women's economic security, ensure a diverse and talented STEM workforce, and avoid bias in these areas, products and services produced.

The training took place online and was successfully completed with the participation of various members of the CyHRMA, from multiple companies from the private and public sector, including corporate, legal, tourism and industry companies and organisations. The training covered important aspects of the subject, such as theories, concepts, challenges, benefits, risks, tools, strategies, recommendations, policies, best practices and case studies of the D&I in the Cypriot workplace.

The training is offered for free to all the members of the Diversity Charter Cyprus, and is accompanied by additional info packs, practical guides and tools for an effective introduction of the D&I management in the workplaces of Cyprus.

Find out more at Diversity Charter Cyprus (EU Official Representative Center for Social Innovation) or contact us at panayiota.constanti@csicy.com (Ms. Panayiota Constanti, Coordinator of Diversity Charter Cyprus)

25th May we kicked- off event of the 4th HBLF International X Mentor Program, awarded at Open Spotlight Award in 2020. Half of the top 20 most influential Hungarian women business leaders have joined our X Mentor Program as mentors this year.

On the he top of all these, participants were able to choose from other events of our Charter signatories and partners.

Diversity Month Partners&Signatories: Shell Hungary zRt., Praktiker Magyarország Kft., LHH Hungary, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, E.ON Hungária Zrt., Citi Hungary, Queritius, Women’s Health Foundation, KPMG Hungary, Erste Bank Hungary Zrt., IBM Hungary Kft., Invisible Exhibition

Our events were hosted in two languages: Hungarian and English.

The event will offer an excellent line-up of competent and knowledgeable speakers who will focus on concrete and practical aspects of reducing the gender gap in IT professions, such as the benefits of diverse teams for businesses, improving company culture, (the importance of) unconscious bias training, and best practices in recruitment to increase the rate of female applicants for tech roles. This event will also feature a few best practices as an inspiration and will also explain how the DiversIT Charter can help organizations to work towards achieving gender equality in your workplace.

Companies and organizations signatories of Italian Diversity Charter, after having completed the Sodalitas D&I Self Assessment and if certain scores are achieved, may use one or more claims together with the Italian Charter logo.