Private Sector commits to Women’s Empowerment Principles to advance gender equality  

Several private sector companies recently announced their commitments to the United Nations (UN) Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) during its launch under the European Union (EU)-funded Spotlight Initiative that aims to increase awareness of the role of the private sector.
This UN Women and UN Global Compact initiative offers guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

A number of private sector companies, including 17 WEPs signatories, made this commitment to implementing several principles.
These are: establishing high-level corporate leadership for gender equality; treating all women and men fairly at work, respecting and supporting human rights and non-discrimination; ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all female and male workers; promoting education, training and professional development for women; implementing enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women; promoting equality through community initiatives and advocacy; and measuring and publicly reporting on progress to achieve gender equality.
As a first step, the companies are intending to implement workplace policies for domestic violence victims and survivors as well as paternity leave and advocate for more members of the private sector in Guyana to endorse and action the WEPs.
Eight private sector companies have also created Gender Action Plans and are implementing policies that align with the WEPs.
“Societies and communities with higher levels of gender equality exhibit lower levels of violence and greater social cohesion.  Recent research conducted by UN Women on the economic cost of violence against women and girls in another Caribbean country in the Region demonstrated that gender-based violence contributes to significant annual output loss to the private sector. This violence affects staff members’ health and their performance,” said UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean Representative Tonni Brodber.
Brodber noted that if Guyana and other Caribbean countries are to realise their development goals, eliminating gender-based violence should be part of a comprehensive approach that centres on gender equality in the development agenda, addressing the health of the people and economic and social growth.
Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Suriname, and with responsibility for Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Barthelemy, St Eustatius, and St Maarten, Evelina Melbarzde commended the UN and Government on the collaboration with a wide group of stakeholders towards preventing and eliminating violence against women.
“I am very happy here today to see that we are no longer just focusing on one cause, but we are also looking at preventative measures. It is with great gratitude that I am here today to thank particularly the UN partners but also the Government who have so far been very successful and to congratulate all of you for your involvement. It is very important to create a safe environment to empower women and to fight gender-based violence,” Melbarzde said.