Mainstreaming diversity describes the way government laws and policies ensure that equal opportunities are available to all sectors of society, in particular women, minorities and the disabled. It also relates to the way that we represent the UK as a diverse modern society, including its ethnicity and regions.

British Council Israel demonstrates UK diversity policies and practices in Israel through tailored and structured programmes on specific diversity issues.

We demonstrate diversity values in the way we work with local partners, ensuring that our activities reflect local ethnic and gender balance and work to promote the UK’s achievements in equal opportunities and diversity, and to showcase relevant British Council work in this area.

Check out the following websites:

			The Women’s Unit – The Cabinet Office. It works to ensure that women’s issues are at the heart of government.
			Family Friendly Policies – Government Policy
			Parents at work, NGO to promote the work-life balance in the workplace
			Gateway to information on the voluntary sector in the UK
			The Race Equality Unit at the UK Home Office
			Employers' Forum on Disability
			The UK Women's Budget Group

Mainstreaming Equality

Promoting Equality Between Jews and Arabs in Israel

The British Council has been working with The Abraham Fund Initiatives on various projects to promote equality between Jews and Arabs in Israel. As part of this cooperation we hosted Mr. Drew Haire, Head of the Community Relations Unit at the Office of the First Minister in Northern Ireland who presented Northern Ireland's model for government actions towards inclusion and equality between Catholics and Protestants. Mr. Haire participated in the session on Governmental Responsibility for Inclusion and Jewish-Arab Equality in the State of Israel that took place at the Herzeliya Conference.

For more information on the session and for press clippings click here.

Community-Police Initiative – Visit to Northern Ireland
Delegates from the Israeli police force, headed by the deputy police commissioner traveled to Northern Ireland to meet with representatives of the Police Service in Northern Ireland and other organisations. The visit is part of the Abraham Fund’s Police Community Initiative which is a national program aimed at transforming the culture of Israel’s Police, enhancing the scope and quality of services delivered to Arab citizens, and equipping the Police with the multicultural skills and awareness required to serve a diverse population. The visit enhanced this programme by sharing experience and models for building confidence and shared work between the police and the community taking into account the issues of working across communities in conflict.

Mainstreaming Equality at the Workplace

We have been working in cooperation with the Israel Women’s Network, the leading advocacy organisation for Women’s Rights in Israel, working across all sectors of Israeli society.

One of the results of our cooperation with them has been the recent establishment of the first Israeli Commission for Equality in the Workplace, led by IWN’s former Executive Director, Adv Tziona Yair-Koenig.

In addition, we have sent  Advocate Sigal Katz of the Israel Women’s Network to the UK to learn from UK organisations about mainstreaming divesrity. These organisations include:

• The Work Foundation is a not for profit organisation which exists to campaign for Good Work. They have expertise in research and practical consultancy and leadership interventions and run a website designed to be a "one stop shop” on work-life balance.
• Opportunity Now  Opportunity Now is the leading organisation promoting diversity within the workplace; it develops, shares and celebrates best practice in overcoming the challenges employers face in the recruitment, retention and development of women, with awardsheld each year that are recognised as amongst the most prestigious of their kind. Various events - ranging from Equal Pay workshops to the Equality Academy series provide both members and non members a chance to network and increase their knowledge of diversity issues.
• British Telecom is acclaimed as an employer that is making great strides in the field of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.  Sigal will be meeting with Caroline Waters, Head of Diversity and then with Jenny Arwas, Head of Human Resources.  Jenny will be travelling to Israel at the end of March top deliver the keynote speech at the IWN’s conference of Family Friendly Policies in the Workplace.

Sigal also be attended a special event that brought together leaders and practitioners from organisations around the world to discuss the challenges impacting the equality and diversity agenda in international organizations. 26 February, London

In addition, we are cooperating with the  Israel Women’s Network on a conference that will launch a new campaign to raise awareness in Israel about work-life balance. Special guest Jenny Arwas, Head of Human Resources at British Telecom will speak about their universally acknowledged success in integrating family friendly policies in the workplace. The conference will target employers and employees as well as policy makers. 31 March, 14:30, Tel Aviv University, Naftali Building, Room 101

Read more

Disability Rights

Inclusive Design

Inclusive design is a process whereby designers ensure that environments, products, services and interfaces address the needs of the widest possible audience and  work for people of all ages and abilities. It is increasingly recognised by the UK government as a potentially important driver of change. There is also growing recognition in industry itself that design that ignores the needs of the wider user base can have serious repercussions on profitability.
The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre was set up at the Royal College of Art in January 1999 to alert designers and industry to the far-reaching implications of a rapidly changing society. Endowed by the Helen Hamlyn Foundation, the Centre runs programmes with three design communities - RCA students, new graduates and professionals in business and industry - to examine the design implications of social change and promote a more socially inclusive approach to designing. As part of the 'Design for Thought' programme,  Jeremy Myerson and  Julia Cassim from the Centre  visited Israel. Jeremy and Julia  met with representatives of disability institutions, practitioners and NGOs in order to share their experience and expertise in the area of inclusive design.

Making the Connections: Human Rights and Mental Health

Mr. Avi Oren attended a British Council seminar in Edinburgh that looked at mental well-being in the rights and justice framework. It’s aim was to raise awareness in policy makers and influencers regarding policy and legislation and initiate dialogue through workshops and case studies for practitioners and advocates. Avi has been working in the psychiatric rehabilitation for the past 8 years as a consumer, social worker and manager. He is currently managing a project titled “consumers as providers”, which trains consumers in mental health services as rehabilitation workers. He is also a member of the Disabled Person’s Organisation in Israel and in 2005 was rewarded a prize for his work from the Disability Commission.

Disability Action Framework

The British Council’s Diversity Network monitors and promotes diversity issues across our organisation, both overseas and in the UK. The network will launch a Disability Action Framework (DAF), which sets out both a conceptual and practical framework for integrating equality for the disabled across our work.

Information on Disability Rights, including the Disability Commission, Disability Discrimination Act

Equality Commissions

In 2005, Evelyn Collins, Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, visited Israel. During her visit Evelyn gave keynote speeches at a series of conferences and met with politicians, policy makers, academics and equality NGOs. These discussions focused on Northern Ireland models for Equality Commissions and experiences in mainstreaming equality into society and have helped promote a similar commission in Israel .

At the beginning of 2006 a bill to establish a commission to enforce equal opportunity in the workplace was approved by the Knesset's Labor, Social Affairs and Health Committee. The bill, initiated by the Israel Women's Network and sponsored by MKs Eti Livni of Shinui and Yuli Tamir of Labor, proposes that the government-appointed commission investigate workers' complaints and sue employers who discriminate between employees or applicants for employment on the grounds of gender, personal status, status as parents, age, race, religion, nationality, national origin, and personal views. The Israeli commission has started its work and is headed by Advocate Tziona Koeing Yair.

			Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
			Equal Opportunities Commission,
			Commission for Racial Equality, the official body for monitoring and campaigning for racial equality in the UK.