Transparency and Reporting

UN Global Compact Communication on Progress (COP)

In an effort to help companies implement Principle 7 and report on gender, WEPs signers that are also UN Global Compact business participants will, as of 1 October 2014, have the benefit of sharing their progress by answering four gender-specific questions ( 日本語 ) as part of their self-assessment when submitting their annual Communication on Progress (COP). These questions are aligned with the WEPs and encourage participants to use sex disaggregated data when disclosing policies, practices and initiatives aimed at empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Learn more 日本語 ).

To listen to a webinar on the process for submitting a COP and the gender specific questions, please Download Recording and Presentation

For guidance on how to report on gender equality and women's empowerment, please see the WEPs Reporting Guidance.

 

COP Reporting Trends: Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment

How are companies integrating gender equality into their corporate sustainability reports? Check out the key findings of a new baseline study conducted by the Women's Empowerment Principles Secretariat to identify trends, gaps and good practices. The study involved review of the latest Communications on Progress (COPs) of over 185 companies that signed the CEO Statement of Support for the Women's Empowerment Principles.

The WEPs Secretariat encourages WEPs signers that are currently not UN Global Compact participants, to join the UN Global Compact as an opportunity to showcase their progress on advancing gender equality, women's empowerment and sustainability more broadly. Learn more.

 

Gender-Specific COP Self-Assessment Questions

The following four gender related COP Self-Assessment questions ( 日本語 ) encourage and support companies to report on their progress towards implementing the Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Women’s Empowerment Principle 7 highlights the importance of using sex-disaggregated data to measure and report on progress. The final question on sex-disaggregated data refers to data that is collected and presented separately on women and men. It is quantitative statistical information on the differences and inequalities between men and women.

 

1.     The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women’s empowerment and advancing gender equality in the workplace:

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in senior management and board positions

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in middle management positions

  • Equal pay for work of equal value

  • Flexible work options

  • Access to child and dependent care

  • Support for pregnant women and those returning from maternity leave

  • Recruitment and retention, including training and development, of female employees

  • Gender-specific health and safety issues

  • Gender-based violence and harassment

  • Education and training opportunities for women workers

  • Creating and maintaining workplace awareness of gender equality and, inclusion and non-discrimination for all workers

  • Mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for women workers

  • No practice for this criterion have been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

*** Specify in under 255 characters, including spaces. Alternatively, indicate if your COP does not address this but explains the reason for omission (e.g., topic deemed immaterial, legal prohibitions, privacy, competitive advantage). If “other” is selected, they must explain in the box in order to complete the questionnaire.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

*** This option is for companies that have not yet begun to implement, but transparently and thoroughly disclose future plans to progress in this area in their COP.

 

2.     The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women’s empowerment and advancing gender equality in the marketplace:

  • Supplier diversity programme

  • Composition of supplier base by sex

  • Support for women business owners and women entrepreneurs

  • Supplier monitoring and engagement on women’s empowerment and gender equality including promotion of the Women’s Empowerment Principles to suppliers

  • Gender-sensitive marketing

  • Gender-sensitive product and service development

  • No practice for this criterion have been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

*** Specify in under 255 characters, including spaces. Alternatively, indicate if your COP does not address this but explains the reason for omission (e.g., topic deemed immaterial, legal prohibitions, privacy, competitive advantage). If “other” is selected, they must explain in the box in order to complete the questionnaire. If “other” is selected, they must explain in the box in order to complete the questionnaire.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

*** This option is for companies that have not yet begun to implement, but transparently and thoroughly disclose future plans to progress in this area in their COP.

 

3.     The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women’s empowerment and advancing gender equality in the community:

  • Designing community stakeholder engagements that are free of gender discrimination/stereotyping and sensitive to gender issues

  • Gender impact assessments or consideration of gender-related impacts as part of its social and/or human rights impact assessments

  • Ensuring female beneficiaries of community programmes

  • Community initiatives specifically targeted at the empowerment of women and girls

  • Strategies to ensure that community investment projects and programmes (including economic, social and environmental) positively impact women and girls.

  • Strategies to ensure that community investment projects and programmes (including economic, social and environmental) include the full participation of women and girls. 

  • No practice for this criterion have been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

*** Specify in under 255 characters, including spaces. Alternatively, indicate if your COP does not address this but explains the reason for omission (e.g., topic deemed immaterial, legal prohibitions, privacy, competitive advantage). If “other” is selected, they must explain in the box in order to complete the questionnaire.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

*** This option is for companies that have not yet begun to implement, but transparently and thoroughly disclose future plans to progress in this area in their COP.

 

4.     The COP contains or refers to sex-disaggregated data:  

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in senior management and board positions

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in middle management positions

  • Equal pay for work of equal value

  • Flexible work options

  • Access to child and dependent care

  • Support for pregnant women and those returning from maternity leave

  • Recruitment and retention, including training and development, of female employees

  • Gender-specific health and safety issues

  • Gender-based violence and harassment

  • Education and training opportunities for women workers

  • Creating and maintaining workplace awareness of gender equality and, inclusion and non-discrimination for all workers

  • Mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for women workers

  • No practice for this criterion have been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

*** Specify in under 255 characters, including spaces. Alternatively, indicate if your COP does not address this but explains the reason for omission (e.g., topic deemed immaterial, legal prohibitions, privacy, competitive advantage). If “other” is selected, they must explain in the box in order to complete the questionnaire.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

*** This option is for companies that have not yet begun to implement, but transparently and thoroughly disclose future plans to progress in this area in their COP.

 

For more information, kindly contact Danielle Leavy ([email protected]). If you are not the contact point for your company’s COP Submission, but would like to inform them of this change, please feel free to share this information or pass along Danielle’s email.