Complaints were received recently from (former) international colleagues from the UK and Canada who dealt with racism and discrimination within the organization. Also referred to as prof Internal search Racism and unequal treatment at the International Secretariat, headquarters of Amnesty International, which posted this on the website in November 2020.
Obviously, it’s terrible that these kinds of things are happening in our organization and we are so sorry for that. Amnesty International fights for human rights and equality, and wants to create a safe environment for everyone who wants to work for human rights, regardless of their background or origin.
“Although the results are not directly related to Amnesty Dutch, we take this very seriously,” says Dagmar Odschorn, director of Amnesty Netherlands. We are convinced that our organization benefits greatly from combining diverse ways of thinking, skills and traits. That is why we strive our best to be an inclusive and open organization, where people feel safe, differences are accepted and everyone is encouraged, valued and respected.
Although there are no indications that colleagues at Amnesty Dutch have experienced or experienced racism in recent years, we realize that we cannot rule out existing problems. Additionally, we are convinced that striving to be an inclusive organization requires effort every day.
Amnesty Netherlands has been actively promoting diversity and inclusion in its organization since 2017. This was partly on the initiative of our staff and inspired by more of our work against racial profiling. The staff was closely involved in the design of the process, which included internal culture, external communication, recruitment, selection, and management structure.
We know that work is underway and that we will have to make continuous efforts to prevent racism and discrimination. After the first years more emphasis was placed on diversity, the focus is now more on promoting inclusive leadership and overall cooperation. We strive to create and maintain a situation where the core values of our work – freedom, equality and justice – are fully felt and experienced by everyone who comes into contact with us or works with us.
