TORONTO, May 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, Scotiabank announced
its signing of both the UN LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bi, trans and
intersex) Standards for Business Conduct and the UN Women's
Empowerment Principles (WEPs), further demonstrating the Bank's
continued commitment to Diversity and Inclusion and the
alignment to the Bank's Sustainable Business strategy, launched in
its 2018 Sustainable Business report.
"Scotiabank is committed to being an inclusive employer and an
advocate for women and members of the LGBTI community. We aspire to
be the employer of choice for a globally diverse workforce," says
Brian Porter, President and CEO,
Scotiabank. "We are pleased to endorse these two initiatives."
The signing of these two UN initiatives provides Scotiabank the
opportunity to showcase the great work already underway in
Diversity and Inclusion. The UN LGBTI Standards, complements the
efforts of Scotiabank Proud, our employee led group dedicated to
ensuring everyone feels safe and open to be their true selves, free
of discrimination. The principles outlined in the WEPs offer
businesses like Scotiabank guidance on how to empower women
throughout their daily lives, not only in the office, and aligns
well with the initiatives offered at Scotiabank through our
Employee Resource Groups and The Scotiabank Women Initiative.
In 2016, Scotiabank was the first Canadian bank to adopt its own
Human Rights Statement at the highest level of our
organization. Respect for human rights is fundamental to the way
Scotiabank operates, and is part of our core values across all of
our business activities. Consistent with that commitment, the
signing of the UN WEPs and being the first Canadian bank to sign
the UN Global LGBTI Standards for Business allows
Scotiabank to continue our work around human rights, where we
stand against violence, discrimination and harassment, and
ultimately promote equality for LGBTI people.
"Scotiabank becomes the first Canadian Bank to join 253
early supporters of the UN Global LGBTI Standards for Business,
showcasing its leadership role on human rights of LGBIT people,"
says Fabrice Houdart, United Nations
Human Rights Officer and co-author of the Standards. "The private
sector has a key role to play in respecting and protecting the
human rights of LGBTI people and, as one of the leading global
banks, Scotiabank's support sends a powerful signal."
The five standards of conduct that make up the UN Global LGBTI
Standards for Business as well as the seven principles
that make up WEPs, align well to Scotiabank's own Human Rights
Statement and the efforts currently under way at the Bank:
UN Global LGBTI Standards for Business
- Respect Human Rights
- Eliminate discrimination
- Provide support
- Prevent other human rights violations
- Act in the public sphere
UN Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
Principle 1:
Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work — respect and
support human rights and non-discrimination
Principle 3: Ensure health, safety and well-being of all workers,
regardless of gender
Principle 4: Promote women's education, training and professional
development
Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and
marketing practices that empower women
Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and
advocacy
Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve
gender equality
"We wish to congratulate Scotiabank for signing onto the Women's
Empowerment Principles and for their commitment to gender equality
and women's empowerment in the workplace," says Anna Falth, Manager - Women's Empowerment
Principles Secretariat and WE EMPOWER programme of UN Women, the
European Union, and the International Labour Organization.
Learn more about Diversity and Inclusion at Scotiabank here.
About Scotiabank
Financial services support economic
progress, allow people to pursue ambitions and create more
widespread future opportunities. Scotiabank will deliver on this
through our focus on Sustainable Business. By paying careful
attention to the areas where we feel we can have the biggest
impact, we create economic, social and environmental value for our
customers, employees, communities and our planet, while also
delivering returns for our shareholders. Scotiabank's Sustainable
Business strategy highlights four areas where the Bank can make the
biggest difference: Trust, Climate Change, Economic Inclusion and
Young People. To read more about our Sustainable Business strategy
visit www.scotiabank.com/sustainability.
Scotiabank is Canada's
international bank and a leading financial services provider in the
Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million
customers become better off through a broad range of advice,
products and services, including personal and commercial banking,
wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment
banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 99,000
employees and assets of over $1
trillion (as at April 30,
2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank