The European Network Against Racism Shannon Pfohman Transnational Thematic Workshop Brussels, 12 June 2013

ENAR established in 1998 after the 1997 European Year Against Racism With the aim to:  Establish an NGO partnership to interact with EU institutions  Provide an European dimension to the fight against racism

ENAR’s members Non-profit, grassroots organisations Migrant organisations Advocacy organisations Faith-based organisations Friends of ENAR Trade unions Universities, academics, think tanks Any organisation involved in the fight against racism!

ENAR Secretariat Based in Brussels Coordination and organisation of the EU network Oversee implementation of the annual work programme Funding European Commission Foundations Business partners Donations and sponsors

Vision ENAR believes in a Europe free of racism ENAR initated coordinated cooperation between NGOs to fight against ethnic and religious discrimination in Europe and to promote diversity and create conditions for equal participation in a community characterised by a plurality of values

Main activities Influence the European political agenda (while members influence national policies) Liaise with EU institutions Carry out conferences Produce and disseminate publications, fact sheets, policy papers, webzines, weekly mail Networking with stakeholders and capaciy buiding Exchange of best practices Media work and campaigning

ENAR’s positive narrative on equality and diversity

Progressive narrative Overall Goal Articulate and promote a whole-society vision guaranteeing security, equality and prosperity for all, thus fostering societal change and progressive political debates about equality, solidarity and redistribution in Europe.

Hidden Talents, Wasted Talents

Hidden Talents concept Goals  Promote ENAR’s progressive narrative  Delegitimise racist and xenophobic discourses in the political and media arena  Provide qualitative data on the “migrant contribution factor” in all walks of life  Give a human face to positive migration discourses

Hidden Talents concept Need to promote the “positive side of the story”, a “progressive narrative”: necessity of equality and diversity and benefits of a racism-free Europe for a vibrant European society and economy Development of a ‘Hidden Talents’ website : gathers individual migrants’ and ethnic minorities’ testimonies on diversity and their contribution to Europe. Download Publication: cations/20068_Publication_HiddenTalents_web.pdf

Labour market incorporation of migrants

Labor market incorporation of migrants Supply and demand influence labor market incorporation policies Migrants signify the supply side in both sending and receiving countries Demand side constitutes employers, trade unions, and state policy makers

1st lesson to draw Attitudes influence the labor market incorporation policies of migrants If employers request more highly skilled migrants, policies are set up to ease their labor market access. If policy makers decide they do not want migrants, regulations are put into place to create entry restrictions, labor market obstacles, language and qualifications tests

2nd lesson to draw Negative attitudes contribute to structural discrimination prevents equal access to the labor market leads to lower wages, lower-skilled jobs, and glass ceiling effects for migrants failure to recognize previous qualifications of migrants contributes to fostering negative societal attitudes about migrants costs states more money by preventing abled migrants from earning an income (refugees)

3rd lesson to draw Managing diversity helps! But diversity managment policies (DM) must not gloss over discrimination. Discrimination must be tackled too in combination with DM

Good Practice ENAR’s initiative Partnership with private companies – multistakeholder dialogue

Good Practice ENAR’s initiative We provide advice on: Fair hiring practices (job postings, anonymous application, no pictures) Reasonable accommodation in work place (prayer rooms, dietary needs) Benchmarking: setting targets and monitoring equality

Good Practice ENAR’s initiative Covering topics on: Data collecting disaggregated on ethnicity, religion, country of birth, migration history, etc. On the job training Employment agreement contracts with trade unions Complaints’ contact point in company

Why leverage diversity management? To improve standards of professionalism and effectiveness and cost-efficiency To guarantee a broader customer and client basis To improve the work environment, lead to fewer intercultural conflicts and more effectiveness

Why leverage diversity management? To improve output supply and lower administrative costs To improve communication between colleagues and clients and other organizations To avoid problems with litigation related to anti-discrimination protection

How to deepen understanding of diversity Find out about the initiatives taking place already in your country! Become involved in Diversity Charters (new in Finland & Ireland) Comit to leveraging diversity and countering discrimination Join in the initiative:

Thank you!