ICONIC DAVOS PROMENADE LIGHTS IN RAINBOW DURING THE PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL LGBTIQ+ EQUALITY’S ‘PRIDE ON THE PROMENADE’

ACCENTURE, AWS, AXIOS, CIRCLE.COM, CISCO, CNBC, DELOITTE, EY, FEMALE QUOTIENT, GOOGLE, IBM, META, MICROSOFT, SALESFORCE, SAP, WORKDAY, ZOOM LIGHT DAVOS VENUES IN RAINBOW AS A HISTORIC SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL LGBTIQ+ COMMUNITY

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROVIDES REMARKS AT RECEPTION HOSTED BY ACCENTURE

18 JANUARY 2023, Davos, Switzerland – The Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality (PGLE) tonight launched ‘Pride on the Promenade,’ a united show of support for LGBTIQ+ people through a rainbow light-up of multiple venues and signs across the Promenade in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. The initiative, organized by Accenture, GLAAD and PGLE, celebrates the progress of LGBTIQ+ human rights and serves as a call to action for necessary advances in global LGBTIQ+ acceptance and equality. PGLE is a project of BSR, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Economic Forum.

For photos of the rainbow light-up click here (courtesy of GLAAD except where noted in file name) and follow #PrideonthePromenade

Accenture, AWS, Axios, Circle.com, Cisco, Deloitte, EY, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, Workday, and Zoom participated in ‘Pride on the Promenade’ tonight by displaying rainbows and LGBTIQ+ messages on screens and signage in exterior and interior hosted spaces located on and around the Promenade in Davos. Venues hosted by CNBC, The Female Quotient and Hub Culture also participated.

Accenture converted its “Greater Than” logo to rainbow and shared rainbow themes across its interior screens.

The rainbow light-up was marked by a reception tonight hosted by Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer at Accenture. Shook also serves as an executive co-chair of PGLE. Speakers at the reception included Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as LGBTIQ+ advocates Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO, and Jay Brown, Senior Vice President of Programs, Research and Training, Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

During Accenture’s reception, LGBTIQ+ advocates called attention to current issues facing the global LGBTIQ+ community including the continued criminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in nearly 70 countries, rising rates of global anti-LGBTIQ+ violence and discrimination, and the urgent need for global business to join LGBTIQ+ organizations in advancing visibility and equality for transgender and intersex communities.

“Pride on the Promenade is a strong and visible message of solidarity and affirmation to LGBTIQ+ people everywhere,” said Ellyn Shook, Accenture Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, and an executive co-chair of PGLE. “Business leaders today recognize the importance of equality for all, and that creating inclusive workplaces and opportunities for LGBTIQ+ individuals is not only essential to access and create top talent, but to fully unlock people’s potential which accelerates change within our companies, and collectively in our communities.”

“The United Nations is calling on companies worldwide to help make LGBTIQ+ equality a reality,” said Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “The UN Standards of Conduct for Business on Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI people provide a clear roadmap for meaningful business action to respect and support the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people in workplaces, supply chains & communities where they operate, in partnership with civil society.”

“This historic show of solidarity with LGBTIQ+ people at a convening like Davos is an opportunity not only for our community around the world, but for the global leaders in politics and business who attend the Annual Meeting,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Creating safe, equitable, and inclusive societies is not just the right thing to do; as the evidence shows, it’s what’s best for business and economies across the globe.”

“This visible commitment to LGBTIQ+ people at Davos is a powerful reminder to world leaders that inclusion is an essential element of doing good business globally,” said the Human Rights Campaign’s Jay Brown, Senior Vice President for Programs, Research and Training. “In addition to being a core part of a company’s commitment to basic human rights principles, business leaders who work to advance LGBTIQ+ equality in the workplace and in communities where they operate are future-proofing their company’s success. As more and more workers and customers identify as LGBTIQ+ and allied, expectations will continue to rise for companies to play an active role in advancing equality.”

“The increase in representation and visibility of the LGBTIQ+ community among the business world, and at landmark global events such as the World Economic Forum, is remarkable,” said Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR, the parent organization of PGLE.  “It’s a vibrant symbol of the growing consensus among companies that the creation of inclusive, respectful, and safe work environments is good for business, and good for society. The events addressing LGBTIQ+ inclusivity at Davos provide us with an important opportunity, and a prominent platform, to reflect on the progress we’ve made while also acknowledging that true success demands we reach people in all corners of the globe, and particularly those most vulnerable.”

Additional LGBTIQ+ programming in Davos this year includes:

• Beyond the Rainbow: Advancing LGBTIQ+ Rights: an official panel hosted by the World Economic Forum. The panel can be livestreamed on weforum.org Thursday 19 January, 13:15-14:00.
• Coming Out as a Public LGBTIQ+ Corporate Ally: an affiliate session hosted by Accenture, Edelman, GLAAD, and PGLE on Thursday 19 January.

About the Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality (PGLE)
Launched during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in 2019, the Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality (PGLE) is a coalition of organizations committed to leveraging their individual and collective advocacy to accelerate LGBTIQ+ equality and inclusion globally and drive positive change, through raising awareness and advancing implementation of the UN Standards of Conduct for Business on Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI people. The Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality (PGLE) is a coalition of organizations committed to leveraging their individual and collective advocacy to accelerate LGBTIQ+ equality and inclusion globally and drive positive change.

PGLE is an initiative of BSR, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Economic Forum, and is comprised of the following companies and civil society organizations:

Companies: Accenture, BCG, Cisco, The Coca-Cola Company, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Edelman, EY, Johnson & Johnson, Kerry, Mastercard, McKinsey, Medtronic, Microsoft, Nestle, Novartis, P&G, PepsiCo, PWC, Randstad, Salesforce, Scotiabank, WPP

Civil Society: GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, ILGA World, Outright International, Stonewall