Addressing systemic discrimination (2020/23)

At the e-AGM in June 2020, GYA members discussed a number of topics and decided on three focus areas as priority topics for the GYA in 2020/21. In May 2021, the decision was made to continue with this group for the 2021/22 year, and in June 2022, GYA members at the 2022 General Assembly voted to continue the group for a third year.

This GYA Focus Area starts from the commitment that the GYA should work against all systemic bias that results in discrimination (be it due to race, caste, gender, sexuality, culture, age, etc.), and should look into best practices to combat systemic bias. This GYA group will work to reiterate trust in fundamental human rights, in the self-respect and worth of the human in academia and other places without discrepancy in any of the above. A compilation of resources to actively combat racism and discrimination in academia could be created.

Despite legal protections of fundamental human rights all over the world, discrimination in various forms remains pervasive, including in academia.

The group will look into how systemic bias, which manifests in institutional practices as well as individual behaviour (i.e., microaggression) can be addressed by the GYA as an organisation internally, but also when interacting with our partner organisations.

The GYA Anti-discrimination Statement is the first output of the group.

Suggestions for further activities are under development, and include:

• Working towards increasing awareness within the GYA about unconscious bias, how it affects decisions and actions, and what practices GYA members and the global research community can adopt to reduce its impact
• Developing guidelines for the GYA (and NYAs and others) to use to eliminate racism and systemic bias through language
• Creating partnerships with international organisations working along similar lines