Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: CIArb’s Strategy for 2021

For CIArb to flourish as a professional body, our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion needs to underpin everything we do. From our engagement with our global membership community of dispute resolution practitioners to our policy influencing activities; from the courses we provide to the events we host and participate in; we want to be an organisation that allows professionals to thrive regardless of their background. We want to be an equal opportunities organisation - the long-term health and vibrancy of CIArb and the disputes profession depends on our ability to draw from as wide a talent pool as possible. More fundamentally, this commitment is a vital manifestation of our values and a core expression of who we are as an organisation.

Our aim for 2021 is to take clear, practical actions to deliver on this commitment and make genuine, tangible changes. At the first-ever CIArb Virtual Congress Conference in November, our Head of Policy, Lewis Johnston ACIArb hosted a panel discussion on exactly this point: how can organisations move ‘beyond the mission statement’ for diversity? The panel discussed numerous examples of success stories from the disputes professions, from the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge to initiatives to improve minority representation in the rail industry. We took a number of lessons from these discussions, but the most important point is that a commitment to diversity and inclusion needs to be backed up with sustained action if it is to be credible.

That is why we have developed a new strategy for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across CIArb. We are developing a new mentoring programme to provide additional support to members at the start of their careers, especially those from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. We are analysing the data we have on our member profile so we can better understand which groups may be under-represented and the barriers they may be facing. The events and other engagements we host are being assessed to identify where they can be made more inclusive for all, and we are exploring ways in which all of these initiatives can be fully embedded in the structure of CIArb so that we continue to deliver on our commitments for the long-term.

This is an important part of CIArb’s corporate plan, and we want it to be as open and responsive as possible. As such, we actively welcome any ideas or suggestions from our members, so that we can ensure the actions we take are as effective as possible. For more information please contact Lewis Johnston at ljohnston@ciarb.org.