Our commitment to diversity ranks highly in our priorities.
We have spent the past few months gathering information on diversity in our sector, hearing experiences from BAME IEMA members and working with organisation leaders to create a plan of action.
We are now pleased to launch the Diversity Sustainability Initiative, a sector-wide initiative that aims to transform diversity within our profession. It will do this through education, connection and transparency in order to support current professionals and increase appeal and access for future professionals. The initial focus will be on racial diversity, before expanding into LGBTQ+, gender and physical ability.
We invite organisations to make a public commitment to diversity. This will outline your objectives that directly impact diversity and will be presented on a new Diverse Sustainability Initiative website, to launch at the end of February. The website will feature case studies and blogs, showcasing individual experiences and shining a spotlight on diversity in sustainability projects.
Further plans for 2021 include the launch of a BAME professionals network and the development of an education programme for professionals that will explore topics such as unconscious bias, being an ally, and anti-racism. We will continue to conduct research into challenges faced by BAME members, and hold member and CEO roundtables accountable for our actions.
Improving diversity will take a generation, as it requires a wholesale mindset and system change to engage a new generation. However, we hope our approach will ensure that consistent, iterative solutions are enacted, and progress made at different milestones.
Are you interested in making a public commitment to diversity, becoming a funding partner, or sharing a blog or case study about your experiences? Contact Lisa Pool at [email protected] for more information.
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