PUBLISHED: 3 Jun 2024 at 18: 13
A new initiative is being spearheaded by the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ) to assist businesses in creating safe workplaces for Thai LGBTQ people, in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy, Chulalongkorn University’s Sasin School of Management, and Workplace Pride.
The so- called” Inclusion Toolkit for Organisations and Business: LGBTQI Insights to Raise Addition for All” includes data from Thai LGBTQ activists, civil society organisations, and local and international companies to develop guidelines on how to best make an inclusive workplace.
Renaud Meyer, the UNDP native member, said that while Thai culture has been working on the legal rights of LGBTQ individuals, it is also important to argue for their financial freedom.
The LGBTQ group is generally prone to bias in offices, he said, citing a study conducted for the planning of the kit.
He claimed that 46 % of the LGBTQ interviewees had to conceal their gender identity at work, and that 53 % of them were subjected to jokes and comments due to their sexual orientations and gender identity, and that 45 % of LGBTQ people who participated in the initiative said they faced job rejections because of their gender identity.
” So we can observe that behind the glitter of Thailand being the mecca of the world for the LGBTQ area, there is another fact that has never made a headline”, he said.
” Safe workplaces for LGBTQ people is a delicate global issue. The kit can be mobilised and adapted to various social circumstances”, he added.
The embassy of Canada, Ping Kitnikone, stated that Canada has long been committed to promoting diversity and supporting the deployment of an inclusive approach that allows everyone to participate fully and meaningfully.
She said,” Managing diversity at work requires more than just acknowledging our variations.”
It involves more than just putting together plans, putting together a program, or releasing a toolbox.
” To make it function, the framework has assimilate into institutional cultures. I do so urge everyone to use the advice in the kit as a starting point for putting it into practice in an organization. I’d like to ask you to periodically review the progress and work harder to offer your business and your employees by incorporating these principles, she continued.
Jiraporn Sindhuprai, the minister attached to the Thai PM’s office, said that the government is committed to addressing these challenges through the five regional human rights plan that prioritises certain groups, including LGBTQ individuals, but to reduce discrimination and raise awareness.
This toolkit is a significant step toward an inclusive Thailand, starting with guidelines for inclusive workplaces and how to stop unconsciously prejudiced LGBTQ people in Thailand, she continued.