One ocean for everyone
Our ocean is in poor health because of human activity. Only by working together can we achieve our vision of a sea full of life, where nature flourishes and people thrive. We should all have equal opportunity to benefit from our ocean and to take responsibility to protect it for the future.
Whoever and wherever we are, we share one ocean and all its wonders and benefits.
However, while some benefit greatly from everything our sea has to give, others are unfairly excluded. While some can play their part in protecting our ocean, others are unrepresented and disrespected.
At the Marine Conservation Society, we have not been doing enough to change this. We must, and will, do better. Only when all aspects of our work are fair and inclusive will we be able to fight for the future of our ocean, together, through people-powered action.
Fairness, inclusion, representation and respect are a vital part of our everyday work to protect our ocean, not an add-on. To be successful, we must make sure everyone can enjoy the benefits and fulfil their responsibilities to our ocean, so it and we can thrive.
As staff members we will nurture a welcoming culture where everyone can be their authentic self. We all have a responsibility to put fairness, inclusion, representation and respect at the heart of our work.
As an organisation we will develop a more representative and inclusive workforce and Board. Externally, we will increase the diversity of our members and supporters across all geographies and backgrounds. And we will make our projects, campaigns and events more accessible and inclusive.
As part of the wider environmental movement we will drive, share and learn from best practice and advocate fairness, inclusion, representation and respect in both the sector and governance of the ocean.
We have started some of this work already and know it will never be ‘done’. It is a way of living and working together, rather than a time-bound set of actions. We will follow a continuous cycle of action, reflection, learning and planning. And we will change to keep our approach current, learning from other organisations and contexts as well as our own experiences and those of others.
This statement will evolve as we move forwards. Below, we outline our starting point – our Fairness, Inclusion, Representation and Respect (FaIRR) Plan of Action.
Organisational learning
We have…
- established a cross-organisational working group to focus on FaIRR, keep up the momentum and share what we learn.
In future we will…
carry out an internal audit of our current position. What are we doing well? What needs to improve?
develop and implement a learning plan and get help from individuals and organisations with the necessary knowledge and experience to mentor and support us through our learning journey.
participate in external groups and coalitions to improve fairness, inclusion, representation and respect in the wider sector.
report on our organisational learning path as part of our Annual Impact Report.
Governance and accountability
We have…
had Board-level commitment to delivering FaIRR goals across all aspects of our operations and appointed a Board FaIRR Champion.
established accountability and reporting responsibilities with the CEO and the Board FaIRR Champion.
reviewed and updated our equality & diversity policy.
In future we will…
carry out FaIRR impact assessments for all our policies.
set clear organisational FaIRR goals.
report against our organisational FaIRR goals in our Annual Impact Report.
Strategy and policy review
We have…
- asked staff to ensure FaIRR goals are included in all our strategy and policy development.
In future we will…
embed FaIRR as core principles within our organisational strategy and planning.
identify a set of FaIRR key indicators against which we will report progress.
If you have questions about our FaIRR goals and Plan of Action, contact info@mcsuk.org