Firms told to help gender equality

Business, Normal
Source:

The National,Wednesday March 9th, 2016

 BUSINESSES have a role to help advance and address gender equality in the country, a women’s advocate says.

Business and Professional Women (BPW) Asia-Pacific regional coordinator Susan Jones said involvement of business and corporate bodies was essential as it provides a pathway for equal participation from both men and women and benefits everyone.

Jones was in Port Moresby yesterday to celebrate International Women’s day with the Papua New Guinea Business and Professional Women association.

She said empowering women in the work place would lead to business success. She said the women’s empowerment principles focused on high level corporate leadership for gender equality.

The women’s empowerment principles is a set of principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community.

They are the result of collaboration between the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact.

Jones said the CEO (chief executive officer) Statement, as part of the principles, allowed business leaders to show support for women empowerment through the business’s policies in driving forward gender equality.

She said the full participation of women and men in business and by signing the statement of support there would be leadership in promoting gender parity and women empowerment and would also encourage businesses.

Jones said women needed to have a chance for economic social and political empowerment and needed support from everyone including the government, business and community.