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39 CEO's sign agreement to promote women empowerment
By siliconindia
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Wednesday, 23 June 2010, 00:09 IST
Bangalore: Chief executives around the globe expressed their commitment to advancing equality between men and women through a joint Statement of Support for the Women's Empowerment Principles. This was initiated by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the United Nations Global Compact where 39 chief executives of global and national companies signed the statement. The statement on Women's Empowerment Principles was centered on the point 'Equality Means Business.' It urges the global leaders to make gender equality a top priority.
Ines Alberdi, UNIFEM Executive Director said that the initial signers of the CEO Statement are practicing the very first Women's Empowerment Principle that leadership promotes gender equality and they are constantly trying to gain traction in individual companies and their cultures. The CEO Statement of Support encourages business leaders to use the seven Women's Empowerment Principles to advance and empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community, and communicate progress through the use of sex-disaggregated data and other benchmarks. The Principles offer a practical approach to advance women and point the way to a business and social environment that is both fairer and more prosperous for everyone.
This initiative offers the business community a new tool to work with the United Nations to advance the Millennium Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 - Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. The leading signatories will make an official call to the other leaders across the global business community to join them during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit on 24-25 June, when more than 1,000 CEOs, ministers, heads of civil society and the UN will convene in New York.
The statement consisted of many major business giants across the world. Some of them are: Symantec, US; Eskom Holdings Limited, South Africa; Infosys Technologies Limited, India; Total, France; Levi Strauss & Co., US; The Westpac Group, Australia; Sunjgoo Group/MCM, South Korea; Copel-Companhia Paranaense de Energia, Brazil and Olympic Group, Egypt. CEOs from consulting and investment companies including Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst and Young, Calvert Group, Ltd. and Pax World Management LLC also have added their support for the cause.
The President and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. John Anderson said "Women comprise a significant portion of apparel sector workers. By investing in access to proper health care, a safe and non-discriminatory work environment and opportunities for asset building targeted to women, we are not only investing in our workers, we are investing in a healthy and sustainable workplace for all." The signers underscore that equal treatment of women and men is not just the right thing to do - it is also good for business and needs to be a priority.