GENDER EQUALITY CERTIFICATION: CONSORTIA AND NETWORK CONTRACTS CAN ALSO ACCESS IT
Certification under UNI/PdR 125:2022 can be requested by any type of organization, regardless of size and legal form, operating in the public or private sector.
With the new UNI/ACCREDIA FAQs of November 4, 2024, it has been clarified that network contracts and consortia can also aim to achieve gender equality certification.
This requirement can be verified through the chamber of commerce records of the participating companies, and the contract itself must explicitly include, among its objectives, the achievement of certification. Additionally, network contracts can include the establishment of a capital fund; in this case, the network can register as an autonomous entity in the ordinary section of the business register of the territory where it is based. According to current regulations, with this registration, the network acquires legal personality, making it eligible for certification.
Regarding consortia, it has been clarified that a consortium can be certified if it has legal personality. This means it must carry out external activities, enter into contracts in its own name, and assume the entrepreneurial risk associated with managing activities. Conversely, a consortium without legal personality is limited to internal activities. The statute of a consortium, like that of any collective entity, can stipulate that new members must possess certain characteristics. Therefore, if the statute requires all members to be certified, this rule becomes binding for joining the consortium. Otherwise, each organization is free to decide independently, provided it meets the UNI/PdR 125 requirements to demonstrate its suitability and obtain the certification required by the consortium.
