WUNRN
Equality Means Business
The Women's Empowerment Principles are a set of Principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They are the result of a collaboration between the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, part of UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact. The development of the Principles included an international multi-stakeholder consultation process, which was launched in March 2009.
Sub-titled Equality Means Business, the Principles emphasize the business case
for corporate action to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and are
informed by real-life business practices and input gathered from across the
globe. Rather than being prescriptive or a new initiative to which business is
asked to subscribe, the Women's Empowerment Principles seek to point the way to
best practice by elaborating the gender dimension of good corporate
citizenship, the UN Global Compact, and business' role in sustainable
development. As well as being a useful guide for business, it is hoped that
Principles will inform other stakeholders, including governments, in their
engagement with business.
Equality Means
Business: Putting Principles into Practice, 9 – 10 March 2011
One year after the launch of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), the
Global Compact and UN Women will convene representatives from the private
sector, Government, civil society and the UN. The event, held on the occasion
of the 100th Annual International Women’s Day, will take stock of how the WEPs
have been operationalized to advance company efforts to empower women in the
workplace, marketplace and community and identify areas for improvement. The
event will be held at the Levin Institute in
A live webcast of the first day of the event (9 March) will be made available. The UN Secretary-General will open the event at 8:50am EST on 9 March 2011. Access the live webcast.
CEO Statement of
Support
In an effort to bolster high-level corporate leadership for gender equality, top executives of Global Compact companies are invited to sign a CEO Statement of support for the Women's Empowerment Principles – Equality Means Business. The Women’s Empowerment Principles were launched by the UN Global Compact and UNIFEM on 8 March 2010 after a year long multi-stakeholder consultation. Sub-titled Equality Means Business, the Principles offer guidance to companies on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community and emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality. By signing the Statement, CEOs will demonstrate leadership on gender equality and women’s empowerment and will encourage fellow business leaders to do the same.
- CEO
Statement of Support for the Women's Empowerment Principles
- What
Leaders are Saying about the Women's Empowerment Principle
- Press
Release: Chief Executives Worldwide Support Women’s Empowerment Principles
For more information please contact Lauren Gula (gulal@un.org)
Key Documents
Guidance Material
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