JAKARTA-kanalsembilan.com
17 Indonesian companies have been honored in the 2024 Indonesia Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards for their exceptional efforts in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Launched by UN Women in 2020, the WEPs Awards recognize private sector action that promotes gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.
This year’s Indonesia WEPs Awards received 125 applications from 76 companies across seven categories, including the new innovative financing for gender equality category and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Champions. Among the applicants are major corporations, state-owned enterprises, and SMEs across different sectors. All awardees were determined by a panel of expert judges assembled from various sectors, including government, UN agencies, civil society, business support organizations, and academia.
Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia in her opening speech said, “Achieving gender equality cannot be done partially; it involves all stakeholders, including the government, businesses, media, and society. This is called Pentahelix collaboration and should be carried out in the implementation of the sustainable development.”
The private sector plays a vital role in Indonesia’s economic development. Recent data from the World Bank shows the private sector accounts for over 90 per cent of employment in Indonesia, driving the nation’s workforce.
Dwi Faiz, Officer in Charge for Country Representative of UN Women Indonesia said, ”It is indeed encouraging to witness the private sector embracing gender equality as values beyond profit. This is a commendable move, but as we know, gender equality should become a lived reality. For that to happen, we hope this award will inspire more companies to be part of Women’s Empowerment Principles signatories as it is also a call to all of us to step up and take action for a gender-equal world”.
The winners for the Indonesia WEPs Awards announced were:
For Leadership Commitment: Parwati Surjaudaja, President Director and CEO of PT. Bank OCBC NISP Tbk.
For Gender-Inclusive Workplace: PT. Pertamina (Persero) Tbk.
For Gender-Responsive Marketplace: Evermos.
For Community Engagement and Partnership: PT. Schneider Indonesia.
For Transparency and Reporting: PT. Amarta Mikro Fintek.
For Innovative Financing: PT. Amartha Mikro Fintek.
SME (Small Medium Enterprise) Champion: PT. Karya Kreasi Teknology.
In 2024, the UN Women Indonesia WEPs Awards were organized as part of the new initiative ‘UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific,’ which is supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The WEPs Awards also received continued support from the European Union.
“Congratulations to the winning companies, and thank you for being agents of positive change. The Australian Government is committed to advancing gender equality in Australia and around the world. We work closely with Indonesia and other partners to support gender equality and women’s empowerment in our region. We are proud to support this initiative by UN Women,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams PSM.
“Integrating gender equality into business practices is not only a matter of fairness, it constitutes a strategic advantage. Companies have a powerful opportunity to enhance their policies – whether in hiring, promotion, or work-life balance – so they fully reflect a strong commitment to equal opportunities and create a positive, inclusive environment where every employee is valued and respected,” stated H.E. Denis Chaibi, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia.
The National WEPs Awards Winners will advance to the next phase of the awards and compete with other companies across the Asia and the Pacific region. The regional winners will be announced on December 3, 2024.
The WEPs is a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact aimed at empowering women to fully participate in economic life across all sectors. It outlines seven steps for businesses to achieve this goal in the workplace, marketplace, and community. To date, more than 10,000 companies around the world are signatories to the WEPs, including 193 companies from Indonesia.
