Companies: Key in Cultivating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Around the world, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are some of the biggest hot-button issues for businesses. The workplace needs to become a diverse and inclusive space where workers can feel like they belong, but companies must heighten their efforts to make this happen, said experts from the UN.

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability network, born in 1999 when a call was made to companies to build common values and move the global DEI agenda forward. Since then, major adjustments have been made, including the incorporation of the UN Global Compact Government Group. In 2020 the organization blended this agenda with the 2020 Global Strategy and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The agenda incorporates the participation of more than 17,000 companies in over 160 countries around the world. “There are more than 20,000 organizations committed to the UN Global Compact, focused on corporate sustainability,” said Kermith Morales, Impact Coordinator, UN Global Compact Mexico.

The UN Global Compact’s Mexico Network includes over 900 organizations, 700 companies of all sizes, 2.4 million employees and has seen the investment of over US$55 billion flowing from the opportunities that come with being part of this agenda.

Morales highlighted the importance of companies to join the Mexico Network: “We offer training and connect UN agencies with multinational leaders in topics such as gender,” he said.

Mexico Network bases business strategies on four pillars of the Global Compact agenda: human rights, labor standards, environmental sustainability and anti-corruption standards. In addition, the affiliated companies get access to benefits such as the Academy, tone-setting business content regarding sustainability, as well as accelerator programs concerning human rights and business, young entrepreneurs and SDGs, gender equality and climate ambitions.

Role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

Businesses also have clear obligations as they must commit to aligning their operations with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN Global Compact. The SDGs are part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Here, 193 member states adopted 17 strategies, aiming to reach a more sustainable world.

The agenda consists of 17 interconnected objectives, 169 targets and 232 indicators that were built on the back of decades of work by the UN and its member states. The UN presents an annual SDG Progress report, while every four years a Global Sustainable Development Report is produced by independent scientists. 

The world still has a long road ahead to achieve these goals: As many as 150 years are needed to close the global economic gender gap. Global warming is projected to increase by 3ºC by 2100, while the annual cost of bribery may reach 2 percent of the world’s GDP, which is between US$1.5 and US$2 trillion. 

Refugees, an Overlooked Talent Pool

Morales says that Mexico’s outlook is similarly challenging, as two out of three women have experienced gender-based violence in their lifetime. In 2020, the UN observed a 9.2 percent gender wage gap was, while the country also has the third-largest number of asylum applications worldwide. Companies play a key role in these situations. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is working closely with the private sector to protect and assist refugees around the world while fostering inclusion in the labor market. “UNHCR is working closely with the private sector to create opportunities and facilitate the hiring of refugees as employees,” said Pamela Soría, Durable Solutions Associate, UNCHR. 

Soría explained that the UNHCR aims to provide a route for employment for the refugee population, from their arrival to Mexico until when they receive the humanitarian visitor’s card, the document refugees need to be eligible for work. She also highlighted the advantages that refugees bring to businesses, “Refugees have many different profiles, from manual workers to university graduates.”

She furthermore highlighted that companies must loosen their procedures to become more inclusive. There are already success stories such as Soriana, which has hired over 250 refugees in the past six months.