As the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, equal opportunities and diversity are at the heart of who we are, what we do and how we work. We have an Equal Opportunity and Diversity agenda across the organisation and a Diversity Unit based in the UK responsible for its implementation. Equal opportunities and diversity are central to our values .
Equality of opportunity is about treating people fairly and without bias and about creating conditions in the workplace and wider society that encourage and value diversity and promote dignity. It is also about trying to redress past imbalances and ensuring that dealings with clients, customers and suppliers are conducted in a constructive way which does not give rise to unjustified discrimination and supports appropriate inclusion.
Diversity is concerned with creating an inclusive environment and practices which benefit the organisation and those who work in and with it. It takes account of the fact that people differ from one another in many ways. Understanding, valuing and effectively managing these differences can result in greater participation that can be leveraged for success at an individual, team and organisational level.
When we talk about equal opportunity and diversity, we focus on seven main areas:
 |
 |
|
Age |
|
|
|
Disability |
|
|
|
Race/Ethnicity |
|
|
|
Gender (which includes transgender) |
|
|
|
Religion/Belief and culture |
|
|
|
Sexual orientation |
|
|
|
Work-life balance |
We have developed policies and tools to help us reach our goals
Equality Commissions - Third annual conference
15 February, Tel Aviv: Matthew Gould, the British Ambassador to Israel, and Evelyn Collins, CEO of the ECNI (Equality Commission Northern Ireland) will be among the speakers at the Equality Commission's third annual conference. The British Council has been supporting the work of The Equality Commision with their counterpart in Northern Ireland for the last two years. More details here
Visit our Intercultural Dialogue pages to see how we promote equal opportunities and diversity in Israel.
If you wish to develop your Equal Opportunities and Diversity agenda in your organisation and you wish to consult with the British Council, please contact us .
| 
