My fellow Rotarians,
One of Rotary’s top priorities is diversifying our membership to ensure that we more fully reflect the communities we serve. There has been an ongoing
conversation about the lack of diversity in Rotary’s leadership. We can do more, and in January, Rotary’s Board of Directors approved a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for Rotary International...........
There has been an ongoing conversation about the lack of diversity in Rotary’s leadership. For example, while 22 percent of Rotary’s members are women, that statistic is not reflected in our leadership. We can do more, and in January, Rotary’s Board of Directors approved a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for Rotary International:
As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Rotary will cultivate a diverse, equitable, inclusive culture in which people from underrepresented groups have greater opportunities to participate as members and leaders
This is a statement for everyone — from the club level to the Secretariat. All of Rotary needs to make diversity — of age, race, gender, culture, sexual orientation and identity, etc. — a priority.
The Board has also set a goal to increase the number of women both in Rotary and in Rotary leadership positions to 30 percent by June 2023. To achieve this goal, we all have work to do. We still need to bring in good people to our organization, so we should not lose sight of good men either; we want qualified individuals from all sectors.
We have made great strides this year by appointing more women to serve as International Assembly training leaders, regional leaders, and RI committee members. At the local level, clubs can encourage more women and those from other underrepresented groups to take on leadership roles. As more diverse candidates are elected, the pool of candidates who can serve at the senior leadership level increases too.
It is time for Rotary to create a new future for the organization, one that is more open and inclusive, fair to all, builds goodwill, and is beneficial to all of Rotary.
Barry Rassin
President , Rotary International