On 27 May, the Embassy of Belgium in Pretoria, the Belgian Chamber of Commerce for Southern Africa and the General Representation of Flanders organised a seminar on Sustainability and LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace.

The seminar, facilitated by Simphiwe Mabhele (Ilo Pretoria), included panellists Eva Declerck (Çavaria), Luke Andrews and Teveshan Kuni (The South African LGBT+ Management Forum). This panel discussed how the Sustainable Development Goals offer businesses an opportunity to work on sustainability and LGBT inclusion and thus boost their performance. More particularly, the case was made that LGBT inclusion should be a moral obligation for companies. As interactions in the workplace are by nature generally more diverse than in the personal sphere, LGBT inclusion in businesses can be a driver for societal change. Moreover, it was argued that businesses that focus on the SDG’s and LGBT inclusion improve their performance and outperform their peers.

To this effect, çavaria together with the LGBT+ Management Forum and FOS ngo has developed an e-learning tool for businesses (https://kliqacademy.be/e-learnings/bedrijven-en-de-inclusieve-sdgs/?lang=en). It focuses on the SDGs, in particular SDG 8 on decent work; sexual orientation and gender identity; and the impact of non-inclusive workplaces. To monitor corporate LGBT inclusion, The LGBT+ Management Forum has developed the South African Workplace Equality Index (SAWEI) (http://lgbtforum.org/index), which supports companies to objectively measure how LGBT+ inclusive their workplaces are against best practice and relative to peers. SAWEI also aims to recognise and celebrate employers that are leaders within this area in South Africa.

You can view the full seminar here: https://vimeo.com/event/1024920/videos/555192934/.

If you would like to know more about this topic, please consult:
www.cavaria.be
http://lgbtforum.org/
https://www.facebook.com/LGBTForum