Leading companies join the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business
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UN Women hosted the annual conference promoting the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in Tbilisi. The conference was organized by UN Women in partnership with the Civil Development Agency (CiDA), the Secretariat of the Local Network of the UN Global Compact.
As in the previous two years, the event was attended by representatives from the business sector, government, NGOs and international development organizations. “Georgia is a country committed to positive changes,” noted Erika Kvapilova, UN Women Country Representative in Georgia. “Without the active contribution of women, their talents and experiences, progress would be much slower. The private sector in Georgia is increasingly aware of this fact.”
Seven businesses that had signed the WEPs last year reported back on the achievements and lessons learned during 2017. For example, the largest construction company in Georgia, M2, has promoted women in traditionally male dominated jobs. “All of our building managers are now women, while a year ago all of them were men,” reported David Gorgiladze, M2’s Head of Public Relations and CSR.
Seven new companies joined the WEP’s CEO Statement, pledging to actively promote gender equality and non-discrimination in the workplace starting in 2018. The list of pledged companies now includes Accor Group, Adjara Group, BIG, Dio, Geocell, Georgian-American University, GEPRA, Impact Hub, M2, MFO Crystal, Orient Logic, PMO Business Consulting, Profit Lab, and Translation Equipment Plus - the leading companies in Georgia’s industrial, construction, business consulting, education, telecommunications, microfinance and hospitality sectors.
UN Women and CiDA will continue supporting the private sector in Georgia in promoting gender equality inside and outside their companies. The initiatives ahead will be carried out in partnership with the Government of Norway and with their generous financial support.