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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.
Companies that have signed the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles, as well as other businesses and stakeholders, will convene to discuss how corporate behaviour and practices are being transformed to align with the WEPs. As in previous years, participants will share their experiences in implementing the WEPs, including best practices, challenges and lessons-learned. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for discussion on key topics and themes, including how gender equality fits into the agendas of corporate sustainability and sustainable development.
Participation at this event is by invitation only. Priority will be given to companies that have signed the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles.
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.
For more information please contact Lauren Gula (gulal@un.org)
Key Documents
Guidance Material |
Lauren Gula
Human Rights & Labour Consultant
UN Global Compact
gulal@unglobalcompact.org
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The Women's Empowerment Principles — a product of a collaboration between UNIFEM, part of UN Women, and the UN Global Compact informed by an international multi-stakeholder consultation — are adapted from the Calvert Women's Principles®. The Calvert Women's Principles were originally developed in partnership with UNIFEM and launched in 2004 as the first global corporate code of conduct focused exclusively on empowering, advancing and investing in women worldwide.