We are pleased to share with you that the application deadline for the 2021 UN Women Asia-Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards has been extended to August 9th 2021. The WEPs Awards honour Asia-Pacific private businesses that champion gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community in alignment with the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Established by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the WEPs are a set of 7 principles guiding businesses to become more gender-responsive across their value chain. Support for the seven Principles has gathered global momentum, with more than 5,000 companies of all size and sector signing on to become WEPs champions and therefore also contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards is organized by UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia programme funded by and in partnership with the European Union, which seeks to enhance gender-inclusive business cultures and promote women’s economic empowerment in Asia-Pacific and Europe. We are excited to announce that this year’s awards are also supported by Investing in Women (IW), an initiative of the Australian Government supporting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Southeast Asia.
Applications are accepted from all Asia-Pacific countries, and the 2021 WEPs Awards will recognize initiatives in 5 Main Categories - Leadership Commitment; Gender-inclusive Workplace; Gender-responsive Marketplace; Community Engagement and Partnerships; Transparency and Reporting – and the 2021 Highlighted Category Youth Leadership for Generation Equality. In addition to a Winner, 1st and 2nd Runner Up for each category, there will also be three SME Champion awards given to small and medium-sized enterprises.
WeEmpowerAsia will hold National WEPs Awards throughout October in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Winners from these countries will also have the opportunity to be selected as Asia-Pacific regional winners, and all nominees will be eligible to be awarded at the 2021 Regional WEPS Awards Ceremony which will take place on November 18th , 2021.
The WEPs Awards present a unique opportunity for business leaders and companies to be recognized and showcase their efforts to advance gender equality visible amongst their customers, employees and partners, as well as inspire others to take action for wider impact. Visit www.asiapacificwepsawards.org to start your application process today!