On 28 November, Diversity contacts points from 8 international organisations and embassies joined Europol Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group for a day of reflexion and exchange.
Following a networking lunch, participants joined an awareness session on Diversity in the Workplace organised for Europol staff. In this session, Ms Ersilla Vaudo Scarpetta, Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency presented the diversity challenges facing the space industry and the efforts undertaken by her agency and the private sector to remedy those problems.
In the afternoon, the participants reconvened for further exchanges on how to foster Diversity & Inclusion in our respective organisations.
Discussions focussed on 3 topics:
- Diversity 1.0.1: How to define and scope the action on Diversity & Inclusion? How are our organisations performing on the matter?
- Promoting Diversity internally: How to promote and encourage Diversity & Inclusion within our organisations? How might we overcome internal resistance? What can we learn from previous initiatives?
- Communicating externally on Diversity issues: Is there added value to promoting Diversity & Inclusion externally and what are the best strategies to do so?
Lot of ideas were put forward within the groups. Participants shared concrete examples from their experience as Diversity advocates and reflected on strategies to foster Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace.
Thank you very much to the Canadian Embassy, European Space Agency, International Commission on Missing Persons, NATO Communications and Information Agency, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, United Nations International Residual Mechanisms for Criminal Tribunals and to the Swiss Embassy for a very fruitful day!