Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)

Did you know that today is World Sustainable Procurement Day? Every contract, every supplier decision, every purchasing choice is an opportunity to change lives of women. 190 million women work in global supply chains and are more likely, than male colleagues, to face unequal pay, unsafe conditions, and limited opportunity. When organizations commit to gender-responsive procurement, they don't just build more resilient supply chains. They advance human rights. They create opportunity. They drive change at scale. That's the ambition of the Global Supply Chain Coalition: to bring together countries, companies, and civil society to make gender equality a fundamental pillar of sustainable procurement. No single company can do this alone. But together, we can ensure that supply chains don't just move goods – they move the needle on gender equality. Because when supply chains work for women, they work better for everyone. 

Today we are proud to share the UN Women Transparency & Accountability Roadmap, developed by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Secretariat in collaboration with the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 and ESG Book. Explore the Roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/e5FRTDXS Want to know more? Register for the Introductory Webinar here:  https://lnkd.in/eXT5M4jN Discussions at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), which focused on strengthening legal systems and eliminating discriminatory laws, attention is turning to how these commitments translate into real change. This Roadmap provides companies with practical guidance to measure, track and report their progress on gender equality, helping move from commitments to accountability. The Roadmap updates the 2021 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Transparency and Accountability Framework, to reflect the evolving reporting landscape. While climate-related disclosures have become increasingly sophisticated,  metrics  related to gender equality  remain largely confined to workplace reporting, rarely extending to the marketplace and community impacts that businesses create. At the same time, expectations for corporate transparency have shifted significantly. New sustainability reporting requirements and global standards increasingly call for companies to demonstrate measurable outcomes, impacts and accountability over time. The new Transparency & Accountability Roadmap responds to this need. Developed by WEPs in collaboration with Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 and ESG Book, following extensive cross-sector consultations with banking, food and beverage, watch and jewellery, fashion, and leading data rating agencies, the Roadmap provides a practical, maturity-based approach to support companies measure, manage and disclose their gender equality impacts across the full scope of the Women’s Empowerment Principles: governance and leadership, workplace, marketplace, and community. #GenderEquality #Transparency #Accountability #Inclusiveness #WEPs

In 2026, women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights that men hold worldwide. At current rates of reform, full legal equality could take centuries. An unacceptable wait. This is one of many reasons stock exchanges around the world will Ring the Bell for #IWD2026. Ring the Bell is a moment for markets to advocate for inclusive laws and practices.

This morning we brought together companies, countries and civil society on the sidelines of #CSW70 to try and answer one question: how do we make rights, justice and equality a reality for the 190 million women working in global supply chains? Today's conversation offered both inspiration and guidance for the future of the Global Supply Chain Coalition (https://lnkd.in/eGRPSZm3). The Coalition builds on the Women's Empowerment Principles framework, which already guides over 12,000 companies worldwide, and provides a clear pathway for organizations to address gender equality in supply chain practices. Thank you to all our speakers: Susanne Friedrich, Head of the German Agency for Business and Economic Development (Agentur für Wirtschaft und Entwicklung) Inken Denker, Head, Division for Feminist Development Policy, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation Diana van Maasdijk, CEO, Equileap - A Denominator Company Isabella Tonaco, Chief Sustainability Officer, Symrise AG Iris Maria Alexis Van der Veken, Executive Director & Secretary General of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 Megan Gilgan, Director of Strategic Partnerships, UN Women

For International Women’s Day, the Global Supply Chain Coalition (GSCC) partnered with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for a high level event focused on advancing gender equality across global value chains. The event highlighted the growing recognition and understanding that gender equality is not a ’nice to have' add on but a core ‘need to have’ element of supply chain risk management, competitiveness and resilience. In her keynote address, Dr. Bärbel Kofler highlighted the structural gender gaps embedded in sourcing and governance systems and emphasized the need for coordinated action among governments, businesses, and development partners. Anna Falth joined a panel discussion on “Advancing Gender Equality: A Competitive Advantage for Business and Society”, which explored how gender specific risks such as labor shortages, safety incidents and attrition directly affect operational performance. Speakers emphasized that companies integrating gender responsive practices see measurable improvements in workforce stability, supplier diversification and trust. These outcomes align closely with GSCC’s mission to scale gender responsive supply chain practices worldwide. The event concluded with a strong call to deepen collaboration. The GSCC team stands ready to partner with companies to drive this work forward. Women in supply chains deserve better working conditions, but no single company can fix these issues alone. Through Corporate engagement, cross-sector cooperation and public-private partnerships the Global Supply Chain Coalition can make rights, justice and equality a reality for the 190 million women working in global supply chains. Find out more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eGRPSZm3

International Women’s Day 2026 is a collective moment for rights, justice and action for ALL women and girls. The private sector has a role and a responsibility to advance women’s rights across workplaces, marketplaces, and supply chains. This International Women’s Day, WEPs is mobilizing the private sector to: ✅ Establish just and transparent processes ✅ Support human rights, end discrimination ✅ Ensure safety, rights and legal protections for employees and... ✍️ Become a WEPs signatory and mainstream gender equality into every aspect of their business empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community

Ahead of International Women's Day Anna Falth, Head of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Secretariat was in Antwerp for a roundtable with industry leaders at the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC)   The event – From Activation to Acceleration: Advancing Gender Equality in the Diamond Industry – highlighted opportunities for companies to take action in practical, measurable and impactful ways and heard the challenges companies, especially smaller ones, can face when addressing gender equality.   The Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) offer companies – large and small – pathways to meaningful action.   Together, the roundtable explored why gender equality is not only a social imperative, but also better business, strengthening governance, talent attraction, innovation, and long-term resilience.   Anna Falth empashaised how inequality, unaddressed, is passed from one generation to the next.   And leaders, supported by WEPs, have the chance to break that cycle. This important event was co-organized by Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.

To advance women’s and girls’ rights, we must commit to ending all forms of violence, discrimination and exploitation. The private sector has a key role to play in ensuring safe and inclusive workplaces. On March 9 over 100 stock exchanges will #RingTheBellForGenderEquality - a call to action that will be heard around the world. #WEPs can help companies turn their commitment to #GenderEquality into action. #IWD2026

190 million women work in global supply chains. That is 190 million opportunities to advance gender equality. Protect rights. Ensure legal protection. Women working in these supply chains, are more likely than men to: - be in lower-paid or informal jobs - face unsafe working conditions - carry the extra burden of unpaid care work in the household Women in supply chains deserve better working conditions, but no single company can fix these issues alone. That’s why we have launched the Global Supply Chain Coalition: to make rights, justice and equality a reality for the 190 million women working in global supply chains - https://lnkd.in/eGRPSZm3

The theme for International Women's Day 2026 is Rights. Justice. Action. A global call to dismantle the structural barriers that deny women and girls equal justice. Through disclosure guidance and reporting standards, exchanges guide how companies measure and act on gender equality. On 9 March 2026 stock exchanges around the world will Ring the Bell for gender equality and to promote concrete standards and accountability. #IWD2026 #RingTheBellForGenderEquality