Diversity, equity and inclusion
The adoption of the ECAC Charter on Diversity and Inclusion by Directors General of Civil Aviation in ECAC Member States in May 2023 represents a milestone in the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion in Europe. Under the leadership of the Focal Point for Diversity and Inclusion, activities have been organised by the newly established Network on Diversity and Inclusion in civil aviation and by the Secretariat.
The Charter highlights ECAC Member States’ commitment to creating and promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected, where diversity is not merely a goal, but a means to achieve resilient workplaces. The Charter notes that implementing diversity and inclusion strategies and policies in ECAC Member States contributes to open work environments for all industry actors, enhancing performance, attracting and retaining talent, promoting innovation, and ultimately contributing to organisational success.
The Network on Diversity and Inclusion in civil aviation (NETD&I) was created in December 2022, bringing together persons dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion topics in the civil aviation administrations across the ECAC Member States. The main role of this network is to:
- Promote the sharing of knowledge, experience and information between representatives in ECAC Member States, including through the development of guidelines and best practices.
- Identify challenges faced by ECAC Member States in their activities and propose possible actions to address them.
- Discuss other diversity issues relevant to the work of ECAC and/or of interest to ECAC Member States, as appropriate.
In 2023-2024, the scope of work continued to expand as the NETD&I members presented a variety of initiatives being undertaken by their respective national civil aviation administrations. Besides promoting D&I champions within ECAC Member States, the group discussed topics such as expanding civil aviation’s outreach to the public, assisting passengers with disabilities at airports, integrating newly arrived immigrants, and the relationship between innovation – such as artificial intelligence applications – and diversity-related topics, which the Network agreed would continue to be major topics of discussion.
The first survey was launched in July 2022 to gather data on the D&I activities and initiatives in ECAC Member States. Following the analysis of the replies received to this survey, and the overview it provided across the region, Directors General decided to repeat this survey in 2024 to evaluate the impact of the ECAC Charter on Diversity and Inclusion on D&I practices within the ECAC Member States, by comparing the results of the 2022 and 2024 surveys.
The Secretariat created an e-library dedicated to Directors General of Civil Aviation in ECAC Member States and their experts dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion matters. This e-library includes reference documents (such as national strategies, European policies, studies and articles) on diversity, equity, inclusion, and mentoring programmes and is regularly updated.
Training courses are regularly organised by the Secretariat for the benefit of ECAC Member States with the objective of promoting a better understanding of diversity good practices in the work environment.
