Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

A Message from Martin Weiss, President & CEO, Salzburg Global

Over the past 76 years, Salzburg Global has been committed to peace, reconciliation, and renewal. To meet our aims, we have always sought to embrace diversity and allow for an "all-in" exchange. We believe that peace and reconciliation can only happen in an atmosphere of understanding, recognition and true appreciation of different perspectives and opinions. To this end, Salzburg Global has sought to embrace the principles of  diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout its history.

Needless to say, our understanding of DEI has expanded and deepened over time. It is a journey that unfolds day-by-day and step-by-step, as we continue to learn from our Fellows, our partners and our friends and supporters around the world.  

We want to learn, but we also want to share our history, vision, and our future aspirations.

We are therefore now creating a series of reports that describe both our history and our future ambitions. We have looked back to see how over the past 76 years the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging have been part of our institutional fabric. We are also trying to understand where we have been amiss, and how, as an organization, we can continue to incorporate DEI into our future work.

With these reports, we hope to achieve four goals:

1. To continue emphasizing DEI as a strategic priority for Salzburg Global.  
2. To foster a culture of communication, dialogue, and learning.  
3. To document to Fellows, partners, and supporters the commitments and milestones of Salzburg Global’s DEI journey and enable a vehicle for feedback.  
4. To always be a leader when it comes to the evolution of DEI policy and practice and to be an active partner of the global movement for DEI.

These reports could not have happened without considerable support. I want to thank and recognize those who have helped develop these reports and our work related to DEI. This includes our Chairman and Board of Directors, the Chair and members of our DEI Working Group and our and DEI Taskforce, as well as our Fellows and institutional partners who have shared their insights and feedback.

A special thanks goes to Litha Sokutu who serves as our DEI Strategic Specialist and has provided valuable leadership in authoring this report. We invite you as partners, Fellows and collaborators to provide feedback and commentary on our  journey. We shall continue to create opportunities for us to dialogue on these topics and we hope you can join us as we try to shape a better world together.

Download Our First Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

For further information or to provide feedback, please email DEI@salzburgglobal.org.

This first report represents both a commitment to DEI and the commencement of a larger journey, infusing DEI into the various operations of Salzburg Global. Below is an overview of the upcoming pillar-specific reports. In between these reports, a variety of communications will bring to the surface stories, initiatives, and conversations around DEI at Salzburg Global.

The desire to consistently communicate DEI-related developments at Salzburg Global is underpinned by the desire to invite partners, Fellows, and stakeholders to get involved in the journey and ‘speak back’ as a way to improve the efficacy of initiatives.