The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog distanced himself from policies promoting diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace even as he sought to promote the agency’s successful efforts in hiring more women.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, a top candidate to become the next United Nations secretary general, achieved gender parity at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in record time, adding hundreds of female scientists and technicians to the payroll over the last five years. Women now slightly outnumber men for the first time at the agency, best known for monitoring nuclear activities in global trouble-spots, ranging from Iran to Ukraine.
Still, Grossi doesn’t want to attribute the success to DEI efforts.
“DEI is a more complex idea and I’m not sure I agree too much with it in any case,” he said on Monday at a press briefing. “I don’t have an active policy.
Grossi’s comments come as US President Donald Trump’s administration expands its crackdown on DEI on entities outside the US. In recent weeks, US embassies have sent letters to public bodies and companies that have contracts with the US government demanding that they guarantee they don’t have any DEI measures in place. Diplomats have also fanned out across the UN system, threatening programme cuts in organisations such as UNICEF, the children’s aid agency, if such efforts aren’t stopped.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies diminish the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services,” according to a US statement delivered to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the Rome-based body that jointly operates a biotechnology laboratory with the IAEA.
Just five years ago, businesses around the world made public statements saying they needed to do more to diversify their workforce. Pressure from Washington has forced companies and organisations around the world to reframe the global debate. A report published this week in London suggests focusing less on demographics and more on hiring people with diverse experiences.
Since Grossi became IAEA director general in 2019, he’s implemented high-profile fellowships to help women gain experiences to help move their careers forward. He’s also been an outspoken advocate for diversity, suggesting it drives forward innovation. Such policies could fall foul of criticism from Trump’s administration if such fellowships are not also open to men.
Grossi’s IAEA achieved the goal three years earlier than a target set by the UN, which aimed for parity across the organisation by 2028..
“I usually don’t talk about DEI,” said Grossi, noting there are now at least 51 percent women in IAEA. “What I try to look into is to have equal possibilities of work for qualified men and women.”
The career diplomat from Argentina said he isn’t concerned about the IAEA’s budget being cut because of his focus on gender equality. “I think the cuts, if they come, are driven by other considerations,” he said.
by Jonathan Thorne, Bloomberg
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