Engagement Opportunities

Not a Global Compact Signatory?

Consider Joining the World’s Largest Voluntary Corporate Sustainability Initiative!

Companies that are not yet part of the UN Global Compact are invited to participate. Joining the UN Global Compact is an opportunity to be part of a larger movement to uphold the common good, linking business with enduring universal values of the United Nations in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. With over 8,000 business participants and 4,000 non-business participants, companies join the UN Global Compact because they share the conviction that business practices rooted in universal principles contribute to a more stable and inclusive global market, and help build prosperous societies. The WEPs elaborate the gender dimension of good corporate citizenship, the UN Global Compact, and business' role in sustainable development. Learn more.

Calls to Action

WEPs Calls to Action provide succinct guidance on advancing the seven principles by focusing in on particular challenges, opportunities and WEPs-related topics. They offer relevant facts and figures, good practices, the business case for action, and further resources that may be of assistance to companies seeking to implement the WEPs. All Calls to Action are working documents and the WEPs Secretariat welcomes the feedback from WEPs stakeholders. To view Calls to Action, please click here.

New Tool to Identify and Increase Awareness of Unconscious Bias

Is it possible that unconscious bias is hindering efforts within your company to advance gender equality and implement the Women's Empowerment Principles? The first step to addressing unconscious bias is to uncover implicit associations that may be hindering efforts to advance gender equality in your organization. Check out the Implicit Association Tests developed by Diverseo in support of the WEPs to help companies uncover unconscious bias. Take these free and confidential tests yourself and challenge your colleagues to do the same.

The WEPs Secretariat appreciates the support of Diverseo and welcomes other partners working on this and other critical issues to align with and support the WEPs.

Seeking Company Examples

Sharing good practices is a key to the WEPs growth. Help us spread your good practices: what steps has your business taken to advance and empower women in the workplace, marketplace and/or community?

The WEPs Secretariat invites companies to share concrete examples of efforts to empower women and advance the goals of the WEPs. Please send a 150-250 word description to the WEPs team at [email protected]. Examples submitted will be added to the Business Practice section.

Topics of particular interest at this time include the following:

Climate: With the recent historic global agreement on climate change at COP21, governments, business and other stakeholders are looking to scale-up and invest in new climate-resilient strategies. Share how your company is taking action to meet the climate goals and targets.
SDGs: The WEPs offer an established platform to scale up corporate action and catalyze partnerships and collaborations to help in achieving the newly launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Share what your company is doing to advance gender equality and the SDGs.
Peace: Conflict and instability not only impact people and the environment, but also pose risks to all parts of the business sector. Share how your company is working to advance peace for employees and communities around the world.
Youth: The WEPs Secretariat is exploring the role of business in advancing youth employment, and calling for companies to submit examples of efforts they are taking to promote jobs for young women. Share how your company is investing in opportunities that economically empower young women and girls.

In an effort to promote good practices and raise awareness of the importance of measuring and reporting on gender, the WEPs team is also collecting examples of how companies are integrating gender into existing reporting or communications to stakeholders. Examples will be featured on the official WEPs website. WEPs Principle 7 encourages all WEPs signers to incorporate gender markers into ongoing reporting obligations and a gender specific reporting guidance, The Women’s Empowerment Principles: Reporting on Progress, has been developed by the WEPs Secretariat to assist. To learn more or submit your example, please contact the WEPs Secretariat.

Global Consultation on Addressing Inequalities

This multi-stakeholder consultation, co-convened by UNICEF and UN Women and sponsored by the Governments of Denmark and Ghana, is an open and inclusive conversation for represenatives of civil society, academia, governments, business and the UN to discuss what the Post-2015 development agenda should look like. The Women's Empowerment Principles community is encouraged to contribute to this important dialogue and help highlight the important role of the private sector in advancing women's empowerment and achieving gender equality. Learn more here.

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