Office of Civil Rights

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) principles and diversity management are at the core of any successful agency. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is an independent office that reports to USAID’s Administrator. OCR’s goal is to promote and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, free of discrimination, where all employees are valued and can contribute to their fullest potential.

OCR consists of two sections: the Dispute, Intake, and Resolution (DIR) section and the Diversity Management and Outreach (DMO) section. OCR’s DIR section addresses allegations of discrimination in the workplace. DIR manages the EEO complaint process, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, the Reasonable Accommodation process, and the Anti-harassment Program. If you believe you have been discriminated against, please contact OCR within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory act. If you are interested in viewing USAID’s most recent Notification and Federal Employee Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation (No FEAR) Act Report, click here.

OCR’s DMO section has overall responsibility for among other things the following: providing diversity and inclusion training to USAID’s workforce; managing the special emphasis programs; and reviewing and analyzing race, sex, national origin, and disability workforce demographics.

OCR recognizes that EEO principles and diversity management are not only critical to employees; both are also vital to drive innovation and forge strong relationships with stakeholders, which is fundamental to the success of USAID’s mission and initiatives.

OCR also publishes the

Management Directive 715 Report

on the efforts and accomplishments of the Agency for maintaining a Model EEO Program. The report is developed from the following actions:

• Assessing the agency’s EEO performance against EEOC’s Six Essential Elements of a Model EEO Program;
• Analyzing workforce data related to the employment cycle and identifying the triggers leading up to potential barriers of employment; and
• Developing effective strategies to properly address the potential barriers of employment with the appropriate subject matter expert.