The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) launched its inclusion pledge. The pledge addresses the under-representation of women in the maritime industry via a series of statements to adopt diversity through individual action and personal responsibility.
Individuals are called to sign the pledge to support a diverse and inclusive maritime sector. Signatories of the pledge will commit to:
Embrace diversity of thought (including gender, race, ethnicity, and age) and contribute to a merit-based business environment within my organisation. I will be a champion of equal opportunity and equal pay. My behavior will reflect how I wish our industry to behave in the future. I will work – and encourage others to work – toward a diverse and inclusive maritime sector
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Speaking about the pledge, WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, said that diversity and inclusion are necessary in today’s global and competitive marketplace. She believes that leaders who encourage diversity of thought, including gender, age, race, and ethnicity, know that their teams will benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives.
Before this, in 2018, WISTA International appointed a Diversity Committee to focus on practical solutions to enhance opportunities for gender diversity in the maritime industry. Writing a pledge to challenge the community to advance diversity and inclusion was a mandate of the committee.
The Diversity Committee includes women from 14 National WISTA Associations, in acknowledgement of the global nature of the shipping industry.
We are very proud to promote this pledge to our industry. Our Diversity Committee members wrote this pledge to address the various challenges female professionals confront in our industry and the many ways men can champion and support inclusion and diversity in their workplace
Ms. Theodosiou added.
WISTA has been approved for consultative status with the IMO in July 2018, providing the organization with a formal voice for supporting IMO work in a range of areas. WISTA cooperates with various maritime and governmental bodies to support professional development, opportunities and networking for female executives in the maritime industry.
