In 2000, at the turn of the millennium, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals: eight goals that were to be achieved by 2015 and which were to shape the 21st century. In addition to the global fight against poverty and hunger and the promotion of equality for women, educational equality was also a prominent aspect of these development goals. However, the protection of diverse cultures as essential in a pluralistic and diverse world was not set as one of these goals on the path to a fairer world.
In a later attempt to counteract this oversight, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 57/249 on 21 December 2002, which declared 21 May as the ‘International Day of Cultural Diversity’, with the goal of raising awareness on the importance of cultural diversity and strengthening dialogue between cultures.
It should be noted that, at the time, there was little understanding of how intersectional and multidimensional forms of cultural diversity can intertwine within a country. For the most part, cultures were still seen as self-contained ‘ethnic’ entities.
And yet, the United Nations recognised that cultural diversity is a part of the shared heritage of humankind and that the protection and promotion of this diversity is of crucial importance.
Although the United Nations declared 21 May the ‘International Day of Cultural Diversity’, there is no standardised date for this diversity day at national level. It therefore varies from country to country. In Germany, the day was first established in 2012 by the ‘Charta der Vielfalt’, or ‘Diversity Charter’. Since then, the date has changed from year to year, usually taking place in May or June. In 2023, the date was set for 23 May.
The ‘Diversity Charter’ is an initiative that encourages companies and organisations to promote diversity and equal opportunities on the job market. It was launched in 2006 under the patronage of the then Christian Democrat Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Despite the opportunities that such a public day brings with it, such as making the issue of diversity visible, it still leaves behind the vague aftertaste that it is merely symbolic and not enough to actually bring about change. This public staging of a celebration of social pluralism on a single day distorts the social and political reality that racism, antisemitism, and discrimination, for example, are a structural part of everyday life for many people in Germany and that measures to combat them are therefore needed throughout the year.
To emphasise the ambivalence of such a day, it may be necessary to look at the ‘Diversity Charter’ initiative itself.
As a non-profit organisation, in 2006 it published a volunteer self-commitment that organisations and employers could sign if they chose to. By signing the pledge, employers declared their willingness to promote equal opportunities for their employees. However, this does not oblige them to implement specific measures to promote diversity and equal opportunities. Furthermore, the initiative completely lacks monitoring mechanisms to ensure that companies fulfil their voluntary commitments. Thus, like the ‘Diversity Day’, the ‘Diversity Charter’ initiative also harbours the risk of being nothing more into an image campaign for business and politics – one that fails to bring about any sustainable change.
Thus, despite positive intentions, it might be necessary to conclude that a truly sustainable and complex strategy for an equal, diverse society is still lacking.
