EDP is the main sponsor of the 1st National Forum for Diversity, a meeting taking place today at the ISCTE Grand Auditorium in Lisbon and bringing together dozens of Portuguese companies to discuss the topic of Diversity and Inclusiveness.

The aim of the event is not only to celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May) by sharing knowledge and good practice, but also to promote the signature of the Portuguese Charter for Diversity by new national institutions.

This Charter is a European Union initiative aimed at encouraging businesses to develop and implement diversity promotion policies. It was launched in Portugal in early 2016, and currently has more than 100 signatory companies, including EDP.

The company took its first steps in this area in 2008 when it created the Conciliar programme, an in-house initiative that brings together a number of benefits and promotes various measures to help achieve a better work/family balance.

With the set-up of the Group’s Diversity Policy in 2013, EDP strengthened its positioning in this field. An area dedicated to the topic was created in 2015, whose mission is “to ensure the promotion and incorporation of a culture of diversity and inclusiveness based on respect for the human being, which cuts across the Group’s identity and the management of its employees, serving as a reference for the organisation’s internal and external action.” In this regard, the organisation implements measures as part of a three-year action plan focusing on four key action strands: Gender, Generations, Disabilities and Nationalities.

The initiatives and measures include a partnership with Associação Salvador aimed at promoting inclusive recruitment at EDP and the Tagga o Teu Futuro project, a joint initiative with the musician Jimmy P and the association Inspiring Future, designed for 12-18 year old students, involving about 1,000 Portuguese schools, to help young students make career choices free of barriers and prejudice. 

With regard to Gender, EDP has encouraged the implementation of measures that seek a greater balance between women and men at various levels. One example is the last edition of the Trainee Programme to capture new talent, in which gender equality was ensured. Overall, the presence of women has been increasing within the Group over the last few years.

In line with this position, the EDP Group recently embraced the commitment of the United Nations on Gender Equality – WEP (Women Empowerment Principles), thus endorsing the international principles defined to provide tools for women’s empowerment not only in the labour market, but also in the communities where the organisation operates.

In 2017, EDP saw its Diversity and Inclusiveness strategic plan recognised when it won the European Excellence Awards in HR in the Diversity Management category. The company has also published its manifesto on its outlook on diversity and inclusiveness, where “adding up differences is to win the future”.