November 28th 2025
JewishERGs was represented at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, held 24–26 November 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Our participation marked a first-of-its-kind moment in bringing the experiences of Jewish employees and ERGs into the conversation at this major global human rights and business forum.
Asking the Question of Jewish Jewish Inclusion
During a session on Human Rights Compliance which contained an update on the changes to DEI programs in the US, our Executive Director, Steven Phillips asked a question to the panel:
“We Regularly find or found that Jews were consistently not included in Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs even though we only make up 0.2% of the world population, face discrimination and racism every day in the workplace so really should have been included. As we move through these changes and the changes to the way DEI is handled, how do we work to improve the quality of the output of these programs to ensure that as we move forward, we include everybody to avoid another heavy pendulum swing in the future?”
Recomitting to and defending DEI
During the opening session “Recommit and Defend Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)…” attendees heard that an estimated 50% of organizations made adjustments to public disclosures on DEI. Many businesses have taken one of the following three actions:
- Fight (i.e. leave things as they are and continue)
- Flee (i.e. cancel all DEI programs)
- Finesse (i.e. changing wording to ‘belonging’ in place of ‘DEI’)
It was noted that the most common adjustment was 3 – finesse with many organizations adopting this approach – some of which simply removing the public “DEI” pages from their websites but continuing the programming, or moving programming to be run from outside of the US.
Regardless of the action or inaction of businesses JewishERGs believes there continues to be an importance in the creation and sustenance of workplace Jewish communities and continues to advocate for them.
Accountability in conflict-affected contexts
As part of the session on Investigation, Information and Accountability in Conflict-Affected Contexts, it was noted that there are currently 60-70 conflict areas considered “high or severe”. In these areas, companies should be partnering with multiple sources to perform human rights due diligence. Having seen an increase in workplace disruptions and antisemitism relating to Israel, JewishERGs will be working with our members to ensure that companies are not simply focussing on Israel applying a double standard, but are performing the appropriate Human Rights Due Diligence in all markets being operated.
Advancing Jewish Workplace Rights
By engaging directly with global policymakers, business leaders, and civil society at the UN’s flagship business and human rights gathering, JewishERGs reinforced its role as a key advocate body for Jewish employees in corporate spaces.
Steven added: “It’s hard to state the importance of being present in the room, but most importantly being present and visible in hallway conversations and side conversations. Attending events such as this is important to continue to spread the word that Jewish people should be allowed to form a Jewish ERG and to encourage Jewish ERGs to grow and flourish ensuring equitable representation of the Jewish people at work”
JewishERGs will continue using insights from the Forum such as the emphasis on stakeholder engagement, stronger human rights due diligence, and renewed commitments to inclusion to support ERG leaders and workplaces seeking to better protect and empower Jewish staff.