Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs obtains Workplace Gender Equality and Diversity certification from AFNOR (10 november 2023)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna announced that the Ministry had obtained Diversity certification from AFNOR, the culmination of a process begun more than two years ago. This follows the Workplace Gender Equality certification it received in 2017, which was renewed in June 2023.

These two consecutive decisions acknowledge the work undertaken over the years to promote equality, and the effort by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to welcome all forms of diversity. With the assistance of the Senior Equality Officer and the Senior Disability Officer, the Minister would like to continue this effort in two areas whose importance she had stressed when taking up her duties.

Negotiations have just begun on drafting a new workplace gender equality action plan for the next three years. It will go even farther in reducing pay gaps between men and women, rebalancing talent pools, finding more creative solutions to work-life balance issues, bolstering support for families and parenting, and further improving the prevention and handling of discrimination, violence, psychological or sexual harassment, and sexist behavior.

The Ministry’s diversity policy has led to concrete actions on the ground, and these will be expanded. They relate to hiring, welcoming and integrating disabled colleagues, offering support for LGBTQ+ colleagues, and opening up to people with profiles that enable our diplomatic corps to more accurately reflect our complex society.

This development is part of the Ministry’s transformation agenda following our General Conference; it aims to reform our diplomatic corps to better serve France’s foreign policy and the French people.