GC (Global Compact):
Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business – UN Women and UN Global Compact
Mission: The Women’s Empowerment Principles are a set of seven principles offering practical guidance to business on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. A joint initiative of UNIFEM and the UN Global Compact, the Principles are informed by real-life business practices and input gathered from across the globe. The Principles seek to point the way to best practice by elaborating the gender dimension of good corporate citizenship and business’ role in sustainable development. They also aim to support business’ interaction with government, civil society and other stakeholders in their work on gender equality.
Companies can engage in a number of ways, including by:
• Demonstrating high-level commitment through a CEO statement of support.
• Using the Principles to promote gender equality goals within the company and its sphere of influence.
• Sharing examples of business efforts to promote gender equality and empower women.
• Offering financial support and corporate sponsorship.
• Using gender disaggregated data in the Communication on Progress.
Introduced on International Women’s Day 2010, the Women’s Empowerment Principles are adapted from the Calvert Women’s Principles®, which were 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.
Partnership types of interest
Advocacy of global issues
Women's Empowerment Principles - download
Women's Empowerment Principles information
Global issuesGender issues; Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)