Best Practice Deutsche Bundesbank

Best Practice: Deutsche Bundesbank, EZB and EIOPA celebrate diversity

A model for diversity in action in Europe: By participating together in Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Frankfurt am Main, the Deutsche Bundesbank, the European Central Bank (ECB), and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) are sending an important signal in support of queer diversity.

Embedding diversity in strategy and practice

“Together for diversity” is the motto of the Deutsche Bundesbank’s diversity team, making diversity work an integral part of the working culture. As a result, the Deutsche Bundesbank’s diversity concept clearly anchors the shared responsibility of all employees for respectful, open, and inclusive cooperation – at all hierarchical levels.

An important component of diversity work is close cooperation with various partners, such as the bank’s own employee network “Vielfalt leben – Rainbow and Friends.” Through internal and external campaigns around the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), Coming Out Day, and participation in the CSD in Frankfurt am Main, the Deutsche Bundesbank demonstrates appreciation, respect, and equal participation for all employees in the workplace.

A genuine unique selling point at European level

With its annual participation in the CSD in Frankfurt am Main, the Deutsche Bundesbank is sending an important signal for queer diversity in the workplace. Since 2023, this campaign has been continued jointly with the ECB and EIOPA with a shared truck. This cross-organizational cooperation is still a rarity in the public sector – and that is precisely why it is so remarkable. The cooperation shows how diversity can be conceived and promoted across organizations. Instead of competition: community. Instead of fighting alone: solidarity. The joint truck symbolizes an attitude that should set a precedent – not only in the public sector, but everywhere.

The participation of the Deutsche Bundesbank, together with the ECB and EIOPA, in the CSD is more than just symbolic: it represents an actively lived work culture that understands and promotes diversity as a strength. This partnership brings around 200 employees onto the streets every year – queer employees, allies, and senior executives who stand together to show their support. The organization around the truck is alternated with the ECB. In 2025, the Deutsche Bundesbank will once again take over the coordination and provide the truck. The cooperation between the three institutions for joint participation is a unique selling point and promotes European cooperation. This cooperation is also reflected in the joint signing of the “Charta for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion” by the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM).

The Deutsche Bundesbank shows how public institutions can work together to take joint responsibility for diversity, an inclusive working environment, and a society in which queer life can take place naturally in the workplace.