Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
UN Women/UN Global Compact
Equality Means Business
The Women’s Empowerment Principles offer guidance to companies on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They are the result of a collaboration between the the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and are adapted from the Calvert Women’s Princples®. The development of the Women’s Empowerment Principles included an international multi-stakeholder consultation process, which began in March 2009 and culminated in a launch on International Women’s Day in March 2010.
Subtitled Equality Means Business, the Principles emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and are informed by actual business practices and input gathered from across the globe. The Women’s Empowerment Principles seek to point the way toward best practice by elaborating the gender dimension of corporate responsibility, the UN Global Compact, and business’ role in sustainable development. As well as being a useful guide for business, the Principles seek to inform other stakeholders, including governments, regarding their engagement with business.
In an effort to bolster high-level corporate leadership for gender equality, in June 2010, the UN Women/UN Global Compact WEPs partnership launched a CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles. By signing the Statement, CEOs demonstrate leadership on gender equality and women’s empowerment and encourage fellow business leaders to do the same.
Over 2,500 learning and research materials > Resources
Women’s Empowerment Principles › empowerwomen.org/en/weps/about
UN Women › unwomen.org
UN Global Compact › unglobalcompact.org