Introduction
The values of the British Council underpin our commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. Our values are based on mutuality, professionalism, integrity, creativity and valuing people. We are committed to representing the full diversity of the United Kingdom in our work. Everything published on our websites must be consistent with these values.

Our customer base is global. We operate in many societies with a rich diversity of values and cultural sensitivities. Our reputation and our ability to build meaningful relationships are built on our recognition of and respect for this diversity and our commitment to intercultural understanding.

Mandatory standards

			We show by our language, our attitudes, the images we use and the views we express that we are committed to inclusion and that we value people irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or belief, or any other personal characteristic.
			We recognise that to be effective in cultural relations we may need to facilitate dialogues that some people may find challenging. We are committed to exploring a wide range of ideas and points of view on potentially controversial issues but, in doing so, we will make our commitment to equality and diversity explicit. We will communicate our position with sensitivity and respect; and will expect others who use our websites to do likewise.
			We do not promote discrimination or use discriminatory language on our websites.
			We are committed to ensuring that everyone is able to use our websites; and that our websites comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Our websites make information accessible in a range of formats.
			The British Council uses the following accessibility checklist: http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html
			We use plain English and clear language in our communications.

These standards are also mandatory for material published by third parties in online, print or broadcast communications by the British Council.  For further guidance on the British Council’s policy on equal opportunities and diversity, go to http://www.britishcouncil.org/diversity.