The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action programme for people, the planet and prosperity. It incorporates 17 Sustainable Development Goals – Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs – into a broad action programme comprising a total of 169 targets.
Among the goals to be achieved by 2030 is Gender Equality (Goal No. 5), thereby encouraging the adoption of policies capable of reducing disparities and promoting the professional, human and social development of women around the world.
It is within this context that the Gender Equality Certification is placed, and in particular the Reference Practice UNI/PdR 125:2022, published on 16 March 2022 by the Italian standardisation body UNI, with the aim of assessing gender-related data in organisations and closing the gaps that currently exist, with a view to continuously improving performance.
The adoption and pursuit of a certified gender equality management system is intended to promote and protect diversity and equal opportunities in the workplace, measuring progress and results through the preparation of specific KPIs.
This commitment is not limited to certification, but also translates into concrete practices, such as access to certain tender procedures and an improvement of the corporate welfare plan in order to adapt in time to business models that will soon become essential for operating from a European perspective.
It should also be borne in mind that, with the entry into force of the new Public Contracts Code (Legislative Decree No. 36 of 31 March 2023), contracting authorities will indicate a higher score linked to possession of gender certification. Lastly, Article 106, paragraph 8 of the new Public Contracts Code provides, for any type of contract, for a 20% reduction in the guarantee for participation in the tender procedure (and any renewal thereof) in the event of possession of certifications attesting specific qualities, including gender equality certification.
The path to obtaining certification requires an initial verification of the possession of the requirements and the development of preparatory activities to align the company with the provisions of the reference standard.
The UNI/PdR 125:2022 Reference Practice provides a list of indicators on which to base the implementation of changes to companies’ gender equality policies. In this regard, six strategic assessment areas have been identified to determine the characteristics that distinguish an inclusive organisation that respects gender equality:
- Culture and strategy;
- Governance;
- Human resources (HR) management processes;
- Growth opportunities and inclusion of women in the company;
- Pay equity by gender;
- Protection of parenthood and work-life balance.
Once issued by the accredited body, the certification is valid for three years and is subject to  annual monitoring.
