"Warsaw is for everyone". Polish capital city signs Diversity Charter

"Not only do we sign the Diversity Charter, but we also want to become its ambassadors. This way we underscore that Warsaw is for everyone. Residents of Warsaw are not only equal, but also diverse," Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said after he had signed the document. "It's not only about the symbol itself, but also concrete actions we will be taking," he added.

The Diversity Charter is an international initiative under the patronage of the European Commission, joined by organisations from the following sectors: business, NGO, public administration and local government, and academia. Warsaw City Hall added in a statement published on its website that the initiative was being implemented in 26 EU member states, and it was signed by 12,000 employers across Europe, who employ over 16 million people. In Poland, the Diversity Charter in coordinated by the Responsible Business Forum, and the country's Ombudsperson serves as its patron.

"We've waited for our city to sign the Diversity Charter. It happened on the 10th anniversary of the Charter. It promotes European values, thanks to which each person can feel safe and free from fear of discrimination or unequal treatment," said chairperson of the Responsible Business Forum Marzena Strzelczak.

More than 250 Polish companies and institutions which have signed the Diversity Charter so far. Among them are public instututions, universities, private businesses, as well as associations and foundations.

The Diversity Charter was officially inaugurated in Poland in 2012, during a conference organised by the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, and the Responsible Business Forum. This year, Poland celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Charter.

"We are happy to be joining the Diversity Charter a month after the Warsaw City Council adopted a social diversity policy. This is another step in making the city follow the standards of equal treatment. The Charter sets the direction of our actions. Warsaw has yet again demonstrated that it is an open city promoting dialogue and communication," said Warsaw City Hall Director-Coordinator for Social Dialogue and Entrepreneurship Karolina Zdrodowska.

Warsaw joins the Diversity Charter initiative in May, which is European Diversity Month.

According to the text of the Charter, the signatories of the document pledge:

- to create a corporate culture and atmosphere which ensures respect for diversity, by means of mainstreaming diversity management, age management and equal opportunities in policies and procedures applied in our organizations;

- to introduce internal institutional solutions in order to promote the development of equal rights, including the appointment of a person or team to coordinate all efforts meant to combat discrimination and mobbing in the workplace;

- to develop and implement equal rights and diversity management policies in the workplace, with special emphasis placed on recruitment, access to training programmes and promotion opportunities, remuneration, reconciliation of professional and family obligations, protection from mobbing and unjustified dismissal;

- to introduce anti-discrimination and anti-mobbing monitoring, as well as cyclical educational schemes focusing on combating discrimination and mobbing, in order to build awareness and enhance relevant knowledge through training sessions, workshops and activities for all employees, especially including the management team;

- to engage in dialogue with employees as regards the adopted diversity management policy and to notify the organization’s stakeholders – especially its employees, but also its clients, business partners, associates, shareholders, vendors and subcontractors – of the introduction of a diversity management model and the results of such an approach;

- to draft annual reports on relevant activities and their practical results;

- to promote and disseminate diversity management in Poland.