As early as 2007, the International Bund signed the Diversity Charter and introduced diversity management in 2014. Since 29 January 2018, the IB is now a member of the Diversity Charter Association, as the first non-profit association in areas of youth, social and educational work. Among the currently 25 members are companies such as Volkswagen, Deutsche Bahn, Telekom, SAP and Siemens. This makes the IB part of a nationwide initiative and the largest network for diversity management in Germany.
„With its almost 14,000 employees from 89 nations and around 350,000 participants from all over the world every year, the IB lives and benefits daily from diversity," said Stefan Guffart, the IB Member of the Board responsible for personnel. "Hence, it was only logical that we had already signed the Charter very early and have now become a member of the association." Amongst others, the Charter of Diversity states that a company can only be successful in a globalized world if it recognizes the existing diversity and uses innovative and creative solutions as an opportunity.
The signatories of the Charter and even the members of the Association undertake to create a climate of acceptance, mutual trust and appreciation. The signatories and the members of the Association are convinced that promoting diversity has a positive effect on the company in Germany. "Already in our principles, in our mission statement and in our statutes, many of the objectives of the Charter have already been firmly anchored for decades. The acceptance of people regardless of their origin, religion, belief or sexual orientation is a matter of course for us. This applies to our employees as well as to the people we support in their professional and private life planning," says Guffart.
As a member of the Diversity Charter, we can now even better carry their goals and targets into our national and international networks," adds the IB Chairman Thiemo Fojkar. "We will not only promote the Charter in Germany, but also through our partners in Europe. The clear commitment to the objectives of the Charter is an explicit sign against the ever-resurgence of nationalism in many countries and the reservations towards people from other cultures or with other world views," Fojkar continues. "The IB is politically non-aligned and non-denominational. This opens up new opportunities for us to continue our commitment to equal opportunities for all," says Thiemo Fojkar.
The IB accepts the diversity of society and is ready to use it for its success in a globalised world. The other members of the Association of the Diversity Charter are convinced of this."We appreciate the trust of the other companies in us. We live diversity – and we will also prove that in the future,” affirms Member of the Board of Management responsible for Human Resources Stefan Guffart.
