Diversity management: OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities supports development of training tool for the civil service in Ukraine

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities announced on 5 August 2019 that it is supporting diversity training courses for civil servants in Ukraine over the coming years, as part of its commitment to assist OSCE states working to manage diversity.

Integration is a process that requires all members of society to accept shared public institutions. They should feel that they belong to a common state and an inclusive society. This does not exclude the possibility of distinct identities, which are constantly evolving, multiple and contextual.

According to The Ljubljana Guidelines on the Integration of Diverse Societies, the civil service should reflect and accommodate the public it serves. State institutions should counteract and prevent discrimination, and work towards inclusion and effective participation.

This means that civil servants need opportunities to raise their awareness of the rich diversity in their society, and to develop the skills to manage diversity. This includes understanding the legal and policy frameworks, and learning practical skills to respond to the needs of persons belonging to minorities in their daily work.

In co-operation with Ukraine’s Culture Ministry, National Agency on Civil Service and Center for Independent Political Research, the High Commissioner on National Minorities has developed a training course on diversity management for civil servants and public sector employees. The course was piloted in June 2019. The objective of the project is to produce a training handbook and train future trainers, so that the course can be offered more widely on the national, regional and local levels from 2020 onwards.

All participants will be officially certified by Ukraine’s National Agency on Civil Service and the Ukrainian School of Governance.

Watch a short video about the training here.