UL Standards & Engagement Signs UNECE Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development

Dr. David Steel, executive director of UL Standards & Engagement, recently signed the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) at the 71st SES Annual Conference hosted by SES, The Society for Standards Professionals. 

As a part of the UNECE Gender Responsive Standards Initiative, the Declaration for Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development aims to provide “a practical framework for standards bodies seeking to make the standards they develop, and the standards development process they follow, gender responsive.” 

"I am very proud to sign the UNECE Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development, and to affirm our ongoing commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion." - Dr. David Steel, executive director, UL Standards & Engagement

By signing the declaration, UL Standards & Engagement highlights its commitment to creating gender-responsive standards and achieving greater gender balance, representation, and inclusion in its standards development process. The organization pledges to work toward this commitment by creating and proactively implementing a gender action plan, and by tracking progress through collecting and sharing data, success stories and good practices. In the first horizon of its gender action plan, UL Standards & Engagement, aims to identify opportunities for improved gender representation on its standards technical panels (STPs) and technical committees (TCs), improve understanding and technical applicability of standards requirements across genders, develop education on gender responsiveness and applicability in UL standards development, and develop guidance information for standards authors in the development of gender responsive technical requirements. 

“On behalf of UL Standards & Engagement, I am very proud to sign the UNECE Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development, and to affirm our ongoing commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization, and through our standards,” Dr. Steel said.

UL Standards & Engagement’s commitment to the declaration aligns with its Modern Standards Program (MSP), an initiative through which the organization is optimizing its approach to operations, technology, and stakeholder engagement, as well as its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 5: To achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Sonya Bird, director of international standards at UL Standards & Engagement, serves as a member of the Joint Strategic Advisory Group (JSAG) created by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to focus on the development of gender-responsive standards. Both the ISO and the IEC are among more than 75 organizations that have already committed to the UNECE declaration. Read more about the JSAG and our commitment to developing gender-responsive standards here.