Equity

The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights coordinates with the Office of Policy Analysis and across the Department of the Interior to promote equity and justice for all Americans.

Equity

“Advancing our diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals is valuable in every corner of government. I’m proud of the work we are doing to respond to President Biden’s strong leadership on this at the Department of the Interior. In three years, we’ve made big, challenging and transformative accomplishments in addressing barriers to equity across the Department’s jurisdiction. Our Equity Action Plan represents a commitment to ensuring all Americans, regardless of background or circumstance, have equitable access to the resources and opportunities we manage.”

— Secretary Deb Haaland 

Executive Order 14091: Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government

Executive Order (EO) 14091, builds upon EO 13985 to provide a foundation to achieve outcomes that remove barriers to equal opportunity and deliver resources and benefits equitably to all.

The Department’s updated Equity Action Plan establishes five focus areas that support its mission and have strong potential for equity impact. These five foundational focus areas are distinctively linked to equity objectives, including civil rights, criminal justice, economic justice and environmental justice. The five focus areas are:

  1. Strengthen external civil rights enforcement and proactive engagement activities to increase equitable access to federally conducted and assisted programs and activities for members of the public;
  2. Increase public trust in DOI Law Enforcement by evaluating its workforce, increasing transparency and accountability, and providing mental health and wellness support to law enforcement;
  3. Advance equity in contracting practices to include businesses with characteristics that align with the definition of underserved communities, taking incremental steps to ensure the Department’s obligated dollars are equitably distributed to underserved communities;
  4. Increase opportunities for members of the public to access public lands, prioritizing access to recreation areas and services in underserved communities; and
  5. Institutionalize environmental justice and increase the proportion of benefits of the Justice40 initiative covered programs reaching disadvantaged communities to work toward the goal of 40 percent and progress environmental justice further.

Focusing on these critical areas, coupled with improved data analytics and continuous feedback will posture the Department to track the progress on addressing systemic racism and advancing equity for all, including communities that have long been underserved. 

Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government 

On April 14, 2022, the Department of the Interior published its 2022 Equity Action Plan, which lays the foundation for removing barriers to equal opportunity and delivering resources and benefits equitably to all Americans.

EO 13985 calls on agencies to advance equity through identifying and addressing barriers to equal opportunity that underserved communities may face due to government policies and programs.

The Department has focused its implementation of EO 13985 on assessing three focus areas that support the agency mission and have high potential for equity impact:

  1. Contracts for Businesses with Characteristics that Align with the Definition of Underserved Community
  2. Recreation Access to DOI-managed Lands for Underserved Communities, and
  3. Applying For and Accessing Tribal Discretionary Grants

As part of its implementation of EO 13985, the Department of the Interior conducted virtual listening sessions and invited public comments to obtain input on barriers that underserved communities and individuals may face related to these three focus areas.

Learn more about the Department of the Interior's implementation of EO 13985, including summaries of virtual listening sessions.

Executive Order 13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation 

EO 13988 establishes a new government-wide policy against discrimination:
"Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love...All persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
"It is the policy of my Administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. It is also the policy of my Administration to address overlapping forms of discrimination."
To implement this policy, EO 13988 requires all federal agencies to review all existing agency actions implemented under Title VII or other anti-sex discrimination laws, as well as all actions which may be inconsistent with the policy, and consider whether to revise, suspend or rescind them, or to take new actions. Agencies must also consider whether there are additional actions needed to fully implement the policy.
 
The Office of Policy Analysis is supporting the coordination of the Department's process of reviewing and updating agency actions. This process is being carried out in four phases over two years, concluding in 2023. 

Executive Order 14020: Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council

EO 14020 calls on the Federal Government to advance gender equity and equality: 
"Advancing gender equity and equality is a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness...The full participation of all people—including women and girls—across all aspects of our society is essential to the economic well-being, health, and security of our Nation and of the world.
 
"This order is intended to advance gender equity and equality, with sensitivity to the experiences of those who suffer discrimination based on multiple factors, including membership in an underserved community."
In pursuit of that goal, EO 14020 establishes the White House Gender Policy Council to coordinate a Federal Government-wide strategy to improve gender equity and equality, and directs Federal agencies to implement that strategy.
 
The Office of Policy Analysis is supporting DOI's implementation of EO 14020 by conducting data-driven analyses on several topics related to gender equity at DOI, including:
  • Gender equity and representation in the Senior Executive Service (SES)
  • Gender equity and representation among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers
  • Intersections between gender, race, and ethnicity in the STEM workforce
  • Trends in gender equity and representation in the STEM workforce over time

Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce

EO 14035 is intended to strengthen the Federal workforce by ensuring that it is fair and accessible to Americans of all backgrounds:
"As the Nation's largest employer, the Federal Government must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. Accordingly, the Federal Government must strengthen its ability to recruit, hire, develop, promote, and retain our Nation's talent and remove barriers to equal opportunity...The Federal Government should have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the American people."
To achieve this goal, EO 14035 calls for the Federal Government to strengthen its ability to recruit, hire, develop, promote, and retain talent and remove barriers to equal opportunity, establishing a Government-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan. It also calls on agencies to provide resources and opportunities to strengthen and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the Federal Government​. The Office of Policy Analysis is supporting DOI's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights and the Office of Human Capital by conducting data-driven analyses for DOI's implementation of EO 14035.
 
If you have questions about the Department's implementation of any of these executive orders, please contact DEIA@ios.doi.gov.

Resources

To learn more about Equity in the Federal Government, we invite you to review the following sites below: 

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