Global Compact Network Jordan calls on companies to set ambitious corporate targets for women’s leadership in business with the launch of the new ‘Target Gender Equality’ initiative
Date:
The Global Compact Network Jordan launched ‘Target Gender Equality’ (TGE), a new initiative to mobilize and support companies in setting and meeting ambitious corporate targets for women’s representation and leadership in business.
Open to all participating companies of the Global Compact Network Jordan, Target Gender Equality will drive business’s action in support of the Sustainable Development Goal 5.5, which promotes women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels, including in the economic sphere, by 2030.
The initiative was launched in collaboration with UN Women during a dedicated webinar where participating companies were introduced to the TGE program and its performance analysis tool.
“The Gender Equality program brings great value to the Jordanian society. We are thrilled to launch this program in collaboration with UN Women.” said Mr. Samer AlMadhoun, Board Member of the Global Compact Network Jordan.
The program builds on the work of UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact (UNCG) in developing and promoting the Women’s Empowerment Principles, a set of concrete targets designed to support businesses in advancing women’s leadership in their organizations, starting with the Board and Executive Management levels. Participating companies will benefit from facilitated performance analysis, capacity building , peer-to-peer learning, and opportunities to engage in multi-stakeholder dialogues.
Within this framework, 8 companies and 1 NGO were selected and included in the TGE accelerator programme in Jordan. From the 8 companies, 4 are current signatories to the Women’s Empowerments Principles (WEPs), namely: the Arab center for engineering studies (ACES), IRIS Technology ME, Bank al Etihad, and Thaka Jordan. Other participants include: Aramex International Limited, Ishraq Energy, Naouri Group, SAJDI- Consulting Engineering Center, and INJAZ as the only NGO selected by the UNGC.
The WEPs network currently includes more than 5,300 companies around the world, 63 of which are based in Jordan. The WEPs are informed by international labour and human rights standards and are considered the primary vehicle for corporate delivery on the gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
About Target Gender Equality
Target Gender Equality is a gender equality accelerator program for participating companies of the UN Global Compact. Through facilitated performance analysis, capacity building, peer-to-peer learning and multi-stakeholder dialogues at the country-level, Target Gender Equality will support companies engaged with the UN Global Compact in setting and reaching ambitious corporate targets for women’s representation and leadership, starting with the Board and Executive Management levels.
About Global Compact Network Jordan
The Global Compact Network Jordan was established to provide direct local support to UN Global Compact participants based in Jordan with direct communication and guidance from UN Global Compact HQ.
Global Compact Network Jordan (GCNJ) works closely with the UN Global Compact headquarters to provide opportunities for learning, policy dialogue, and partnerships on the Ten Principles of responsible conduct and the 17 SDGs.
The Global Compact Local Network in Jordan was launched in February 2007 by UNDP and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation together with representatives from the private sector with the aim to increase the role of the private sector and civil society organizations in collectively addressing issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility.
About UN Women and WEPs
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. The WEPs, the product of a partnership between UN Women and the UN Global Compact, provide a strong framework to support companies when striving for gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community. UN Women works with companies in Jordan in order to tailor existing policies and programmes —or establish needed new ones— to realize women’s empowerment in the labor market with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).