Global Inclusion Week

What is Global Inclusion Week?

It is an annual week of learning events and discussions celebrating inclusion through a global lens. The week brings Inclusion & Diversity specialists together to discuss opportunities and challenges that are relevant for businesses operating internationally.

You can join the 2024 celebrations by registering for the toolkit and campaign here.

When is Global Inclusion Week?

This event takes place annually in June.

Why do we need Global Inclusion Week (GIW)?

Global Inclusion Week will provide a week of learning to give you the foundational knowledge necessary to either start or take global inclusion in your organisation to the next level.

It is about acknowledging the evolution of our conversation on Inclusion & Diversity, acknowledging the increasingly complex and interconnected environments in which we operate. While it may feel that inclusion and diversity as a practice has grown due to social and political events, mainly in Europe and North America, it is essential that we expand our view beyond the Western world to address the needs of the global employee workforce.

As the experiences of different cultures around the world become more visible, many global organisations now wish to create inclusion and diversity practices and strategies that resonate and work around the world, wherever they operate. We understand that global inclusion is a very complex area and significant knowledge gaps exist in this space. Some organisations may lead the way in some areas but fall entirely behind in others. The reality is that most leaders and organisations are not prepared to face the challenges of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous global marketplace, which requires different skills and a completely different mindset.

Why global inclusion?

Global inclusion is more than just about expanding the outreach of the environment and the people we support – it’s about expanding our mindset as organisations. It is about how organisations provide inclusive environments where their workforce can flourish, regardless of where they are from. This requires for organisations to acknowledge the interconnected nature of the world we live in, where consumers more than ever expect businesses to be engaged in social justice and commitment to change. It’s a world where an organisation’s commitment to inclusion and diversity will have an impact on their brand not only at a regional or local level but also impact at a global level.

From access to information and career opportunities to the search for talent and the displacement of people, very few businesses can afford to remain immune to the global context. Looking at global inclusion provides organisations with the tools to succeed in an ever-changing, increasingly complex and competitive environment.

Keeping up with the times

When Inclusive Employers started National Inclusion Week in 2012, the world and conversations around Inclusion & Diversity were very different. Then, the Equality Act was barely two years old, and much of the conversation focused mainly on the Protected Characteristics and the experience of those different groups in the UK (over ten years later, we are still a long way towards ensuring the conversation about all groups are had in an equitable way in the UK… but that’s a topic for a different blog!). We saw many organisations trying to catch up to the law so as not to be exposed or face legal consequences.

Over ten years later, much has changed in the country and globally. In the UK, shifts in society and politics have triggered moments of soul searching around Britain’s legacy around the globe and, and the treatment of the diverse communities that have done much to contribute to this country’s society and culture but who have not (and still are not) given their due.

The impacts of globalisation, which have been discussed for decades, finally caught up with the conversation around Inclusion & Diversity. This has been accelerated thanks to events such as a global pandemic, the international momentum gained by movements such as Black Lives Matter, the cross-border discussions around the rights of different marginalised groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, international conflicts which increase hate speech against different faith and religious groups, and the displacement of people as a result of conflict, wars and natural disasters. Unsurprisingly, more than ever, businesses cannot remain oblivious to global events that impact their supply chains, consumers, service users – and ultimately, the people that work for them.

The human element

Inclusive Employer’s Director of Global Services and lead on Global Inclusion Week, Matheus Carvalho, comments:

“One of the most gratifying aspects of doing work on global inclusion here at Inclusive Employers has been hearing from those voices that don’t always feel represented in the conversation around inclusion – those with a ‘different’ accent, those whose families live in a completely different part of the globe, those who had to learn how to assimilate into a culture that doesn’t always represent them or align with their core values—and hearing from voices of those who, even if they have been born and brought up in this country, can still identify with much of the same experience.

Celebrating Global Inclusion Week gives us a platform to enhance or celebrate different voices and multicultural voices within our organisations – whether these voices are or aren’t from the UK and whether your organisation does or doesn’t operate outside the UK.”

How can I take part in Global Inclusion Week?

Find out more on our official Global Inclusion Week Page.

Contact us

If you have any questions about Global Inclusion Week, fill out the general enquiry form to get in touch with our team.