Let's keep building diversity!
Published 21.5.2024
May 21st was declared by the UN as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Convinced of the value it brings, Techint Engineering & Construction respects and promotes the characteristics that differentiate each collaborator.
In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly declared May 21st as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The date emphasizes not only the richness of the world's cultures but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue in achieving peace and sustainable development.
According to the UN, it is a day to delve into the great values of cultural diversity:
- Raise awareness about the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity, and inclusion.
- Encourage all individuals to commit to and support diversity through real gestures in our daily lives.
- Combat polarization and stereotypes to enhance understanding and cooperation among people from different cultures.
According to the organization, protecting our cultural diversity is more important than ever. Since 89% of current conflicts in the world occur in countries with limited intercultural dialogue, prioritizing and reinforcing it is essential for effective cooperation and peace maintenance.
Techint E&C in action
The company values and promotes diversity. In 2023, we created the Diversity and Inclusion Governance to foster initiatives towards equal opportunities across various locations and projects.
In the first diversity survey conducted in October 2023, the main areas for improvement identified were equity in recognizing women and barriers in professional development where individuals believe their origin, age, and gender are primary obstacles.
One of the initiatives that has been implemented since February this year is the Unconscious Bias Workshop. Conducted in around 190 in-person and virtual sessions globally, the workshop provides a space for reflection and self-reflection, fostering collective commitment to these issues. Its aim is to enhance diversity and inclusion actions and help us discover how we perceive the world around us and how those perceptions influence our decision-making, enabling self-awareness, learning, and recognizing biases as a key process to open up to diversity, dialogue, and development. We have trained over 900 individuals in more than 2,700 hours in an unprecedented simultaneous effort, and we are aiming for more!
While the current focus is on gender and sexual orientation, in the future, the work axis will expand to multiculturalism and two other themes.
Techint E&C understands the need to comprehend diversity and inclusion in a broader and deeper way. In this sense, the company is commited to creating an inclusive environment that recognizes and values the richness of each collaborator's differences, promoting diversity as a fundamental asset.