US state department suspends diversity and inclusion training materials
US state department suspends diversity and inclusion training materials
Share:
Sweeping review affects more than 1,200 courses used to train US diplomats and other foreign service personnel. The US state department’s Foreign Service Institute has suspended access to over a thousand training materials and courses, including the removal of over 2,100 items related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to an internal department announcement issued on Monday and seen by the Guardian.
The sweeping review, which took effect on 22 January, affects more than 1,200 courses used to train American diplomats and other foreign service personnel and stems from recent executive orders. The Foreign Service Institute, based in Arlington, Virginia, acts as the federal government’s main training institution for diplomatic personnel and other government employees involved in foreign affairs.
Since returning to the White House Donald Trump and his Republican allies have cracked down on DEI initiatives in government and also in corporate America. This sudden overhaul of diplomatic training materials marks one of the most significant changes to state department educational policy in recent years.
Sixteen courses were immediately unpublished for “evaluation”, while over a thousand materials relating to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) have been removed from the department’s on-demand learning platform, making them inaccessible to state department employees.
