The World Economic Forum (WEF) announced in its annual meeting that it is in collaboration with large corporations in launching a platform to expedite inclusion of LGBTI demographic in the workplace, thanks to the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. WEF also called on companies to operationalize the conducts set out by the United Nations regarding the elimination of discrimination against LGBTI community by 2020.
The initiative establishes a framework under which businesses devise and assess the effectiveness of anti-discriminatory policies. Moreover, the platform is a repository of best practices and case studies of various industries to enable corporates share insights and strategies, in hopes of helping companies make better decisions in all facets of human resource management, ranging from recruitment to retaining talents as well as promotion.
WEF suggested that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is in breach of human rights and brings adverse impacts on the economic prospect of individuals, businesses, and countries. WEF also acknowledges the indispensable role of commercial institutions in uprooting gender discrimination and achieving gender equality in the workplace. This initiative enjoys support from various large-scale enterprises such as Deutsche Bank, EY and Microsoft.
