Women’s Empowerment Principles Gain Strength as 800 Companies Commit to Gender Equality at the Highest Level

New York — More than 800 CEOs representing a global group of leading corporations from all sectors and regions have made a public commitment to support the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a joint initiative of the UN Global Compact and UN Women, which is now the largest voluntary corporate platform to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Building on this momentum, the two partner organizations have appointed new co-chairs of the WEPs Leadership Group. As longtime champions of the WEPs and gender equality globally, Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission, and Joe Keefe, Chief Executive Officer of Pax World Funds, will provide high-level strategic advice to the initiative, which has grown enormously from the 39 original CEO signers of the WEPs CEO Statement of Support in 2010.

Speaking about the new appointments, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said, "Strong alliance with the private sector for women’s empowerment is a top priority for me. Elizabeth Broderick and Joe Keefe know so well how the business community, as employers and thought leaders, are on the front line of making the changes that will count in culture, recruitment, training and career structures for women.” She added, “The Women’s Empowerment Principles are the essential platform that will help us to tackle inequality and discrimination and drive inclusion and innovation.”

Read the full press release at The UN Global Compact: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/news/1211-09-02-2014