10.5 Adopt international standards and endorse international commitments for gender equality
Content
Description of Best Practices
Become a signatory of international commitments to increase gender equality such as Women’s Empowerment Principles or Equal by 2030 and report on progress and related indicators
Join a global network of private sector companies to receive guidance on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
Benefits include:
- Gain access to resources such as learning and research material and best practice examples
- Benefit from a global network of change agents
- Gain access to an online discussion forum, webinars as well as online and offline events
- Send clear signal to various stakeholders that gender equality and women’s empowerment is important to the company as demonstrated by top leadership involvement and CEO commitment
Challenges of Implementation
Lack of awareness of initiatives
Lack of resources to join and follow up on commitments (e.g., needs clear allocation of budget and responsibilities for progressing)
Statement of support for the initiative often needs to be signed by the CEO, which could result in difficulties if there is a lack of commitment
Participation in some initiatives costs money
Lack of time to be an active member of the network
Lack of resources to report on progress
What Success Looks Like
Company has joined/endorsed relevant gender equality/women’s empowerment initiatives such as the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) or Equal by 2030
Company benefits from network and exchange with global change agents
Being a member of a global initiative increases the company’s image and commitment to gender equality
Resources and Tools
Tool: CEO Statement of Support for Women’s Empowerment Principles (United Nations Global Compact and UN Women)
Guide: Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) (United Nations Global Compact & UN Women)
Example: Equal by 30 (Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative)
Video: Equality=Business(Empower Women)