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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are key components of UNDP’s identity.
As a development organisation working to achieve greater equality for everyone, everywhere, our workforce must reflect the full diversity of nations and cultures in which we operate and be empowered to fully contribute to our mission.
That’s why we made DEI a core part of the People for 2030 Strategy which is supported by additional policies, frameworks and initiatives, with the commitment to ensuring a workplace free from all forms of discrimination and supported by an effective speak-up and response system. As a result of these efforts, UNDP is a gender balanced organisation (with a workforce of 47% women and 53% men).
With a workforce of over 20,000 people from 191 nationalities working in over 170 countries and territories, we consider multiple aspects of identity in our DEI Strategy. This means that our employee surveys, which are all part of our #UNDPlistens framework, are all analysed to highlight overlapping forms of exclusion or marginalisation based on key dimensions such as race, gender identity, disability status and more. This allows us to take targeted actions to close inclusion gaps and live up to our commitment to leave no one behind in our workplace culture.
Within UNDP, diversity is a catalyst for policy innovation and for stronger, more sustainable development for everyone, everywhere. Our talent programmes provide UNDP with a diverse pool of outstanding professionals ready to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Examples of such programmes include:
We are making gender equity a reality
UNDP is dedicated to ensuring equitable opportunities in the workplace. At UNDP, gender parity goes beyond representation. We aim to create an inclusive work environment of respect, care and flexibility for everyone, where bias and exclusion are actively challenged, and which is free from discrimination and harassment.
As such we have a set of family-friendly policies, including flexible working arrangements and an inclusive parental leave policy, which provides 16 weeks of paid parental leave for staff who become parents, and an additional 10 weeks for those who are birth parents.
Additionally, our policy on harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of authority helps creating an inclusive, respectful and safe workplace for everyone. This includes zero-tolerance to all forms of homophobia and transphobia, and we actively promote the safety, health and well-being of our LGBTQI+ personnel.
These policies have enabled us to achieve full gender parity among UNDP staff and close to parity among UNDP wider workforce. (Visit the UN System-wide Gender Parity dashboard for more information).
UNDP has been recognized for its overall commitment to gender equality:
- UNDP scores above average - met or surpassed 94% of UN SWAP indicators - on the UN System-Wide Action Plan (SWAP) Gender Equality report card, which measures each UN organisation against 17 indicators related to gender equality.
- UNDP was assessed against the EDGE (Equity, Diversity and Gender Equality) standard, a leading global standard for workplace DEI, resulting in the renewal of its EDGE Move Certification and the award of an EDGEplus Certification for gender identity for the first time. UNDP is one of only two UN bodies to receive this certification.
UNDP’s disability-inclusive philosophy is rooted in our workplace culture
Promoting an inclusive development agenda that fosters equal opportunities for persons with disabilities is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this work, UNDP is striving to eliminate barriers and advance equitable opportunities in the workplace for persons with disabilities through the following initiatives:
- UNDP has a centrally managed funding facility and a Guidance Note on Reasonable Accommodation to provide equitable employment and career opportunities for personnel with disabilities throughout the employment cycle, including the recruitment phase.
- UNDP offers learning materials to increase the understanding and promote disability inclusive practices.
- Since 2019, UNDP has worked with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) to deploy more than 50 young professionals with disabilities to UNDP country, regional and headquarter offices through the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities.
Outreach activities to encourage persons with disabilities to apply for UNDP jobs are conducted regularly.
Anti-racism: How UNDP advances racial equity
As the UN’s development agency, UNDP is committed to advancing racial equity through sustainable development and through our mandate to Leave No One Behind. This commitment begins with an inclusive organisation that protects the dignity of all personnel and promotes anti-racism through our culture and programmes.
- UNDP’s policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Abuse of Authority prohibits all forms of discrimination or harassment based on any grounds including race, nationality, colour, ethnic origin and language.
- UNDP provides resources and guidance to enable all personnel to improve self-awareness and practice inclusive behaviours.
- UNDP continues to advance action to further strengthen the overall organisation culture including promoting civility in the workplace, transparency, respect, and freedom from fear. As part of these efforts, UNDP has launched a Speak Up Culture initiative and is piloting a Safe Space program. These initiatives aim to foster a culture where employees feel empowered to speak up, shaping their experiences and creating an inclusive environment. They focus on preventing and dismantling workplace discrimination, encouraging our personnel not to silently endure discrimination.
- UNDP has conducted an anti-racism assessment of its programmes and policies and is dedicated to advancing anti-racism in its development programming. An organisation-wide Anti-Racism Action Plan is currently being considered.