POST EVENT:
WEPs are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By joining the WEPs community, the CEO signals commitment to this agenda at the highest levels of the company and to work collaboratively in multistakeholder networks to foster business practices that empower women.
These include equal pay for work of equal value, gender-responsive supply chain practices and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace. to assist all private sector employers and businesses to realize the business potential from improved gender equality. Currently, 3,788 business globally have committed to the WEPs community.
In this session, the participants learned about the WEPs and how to implement them.
SPEAKERS
- Opening remarks: Caroline Rusten, Director, Nordic Liaison Office, UN Women
- Presentation I: Anna Fälth, Manager, WE EMPOWER - G7 Programme and Head of WEPs Secretariat, UN Women
- Presentation II: Lauren Bartley, Head of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility, Ganni
- Closing Remarks: Sara Krüger Falk, Executive Director, UN Global Compact in Denmark.
- Moderation: Diana Rusu, Policy Specialist, UN Women
ABOUT GANNI
Based in Copenhagen and owned and run since 2009 by wife-and-husband team Creative Director Ditte Reffstrup and Founder Nicolaj Reffstrup, GANNI has developed exponentially over recent years with its Scandi 2.0 sense of style full of personality and contrasts. From what started out in 2000 as an idea and desire to create the perfect cashmere knit, GANNI is now represented in more than 400 of the world’s finest retailers as well as through 29 stores across Europe and the United States.
Ditte Reffstrup, Creative Director at GANNI said: “With GANNI we wanted to do something different than the typical stereotypes of scandinavian fashion, which when we started were either high-concept Scandi-style or girly-boho. Aiming to create a third alternative, we sought after a more playful and effortless approach to design, that represents how I want to dress and look. Without strict dogmas or rules, but with room for personality, contrasts and experimentation.”
A spokesperson for the company said: "The GANNI mission is simple: To fill a gap in the advanced contemporary market for effortless, easy-to-wear pieces that people instinctively reach for, day in, day out. Copenhagen is home and where our heart is. As Danes we were taught to appreciate beautiful aesthetics simply by being brought up surrounded by quality design. It’s a premise we work very seriously with, and we are proud of our Nordic design heritage, but not limited by its traditional minimalist expression."
In December 2017 GANNI partnered with the LVMH funded global leader in consumer brand investments L. Catterton to support GANNI in fully achieving its international potential.
THE EVENT:
The Nordic countries are leaders on gender equality. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are well reflected in domestic policies and in development and humanitarian strategies. However, the number of WEPs signatories in the Nordic countries is very low considering the placement gender equality has on the political agenda. Only eight Swedish companies have signed the WEPs while the number of signatories in both Denmark and Finland are nine, Norway has 14 signatories and Iceland ranks the highest with 19 signatories.
Global research has proven that improving gender equality and demonstrating gender diversity helps business perform better, both in terms of productivity and output, and in bettering the working conditions for employees. Investing in better working conditions for women and men reduces the costs of staff turnover and absenteeism. By introducing gender sensitive policies and monitoring mechanisms at the workplace aimed at tracing implementation and progress, companies will be able to increase the benefit from attracting and retaining talent as well as account properly for the costs and benefits from investing in human capital. Companies with a more equal representation of both women and men in both the workforce and in management positions have their customer base better represented and have better insights of their costumers needs and preferences. Having better relations and addressing better the needs of women and men in the local community leads to enhanced reputation and gains from expanding and accessing new markets. In brief, gender diversity is not only a matter of running a responsible business based on universal rights on inclusion and non-discrimination. Gender diversity is also a matter of running a healthy and profitable business.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of Principles offering guidance to business on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Established by UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs are informed by international labour and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment.
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE EVENT
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IN THE PROGRAMME
Caroline Rusten
Director, Nordic Liaison Office, UN Women
Caroline Rusten has served as the Director of UN Women’s Nordic Liaison Office since 2018. Previously, she has held positions as Chief of UN Women’s Humanitarian Unit in New York and as UN Women Country Programme Manager for Somalia. Prior to these positions, she served as a Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and as a Senior Social Development Specialist at The World Bank Group. Caroline Rusten has held various positions at the UNDP, the Nordic Consulting Group, and Roskilde University. She has a PhD in Political Geography from the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.
Lauren Bartley
Head of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Ganni
Lauren Bartley is Head of Sustainability & CSR at Danish fashion brand GANNI. Prior to GANNI, Lauren spent eight years at UK based brands Oasis and Warehouse fashion before moving into organic cosmetics and textiles at UK based Certification body Soil Association. Lauren was voted in the Top 25 personalities working in Organic cosmetics in 2016 and 2017. Lauren is now responsible for the inception, development and implementation of GANNI’s Sustainability & CSR strategy, latterly known as the Responsibility Gameplan, comprising of 44 goals across People, Planet, Product and Prosperity.
Anna Falth
WE EMPOWER-G7 Programme Manager, Head of WEPs Secretariat
Anna Fälth manages the EU-funded programme “WE EMPOWER through responsible business conduct in G7 countries” of WEPs is the key platform for private sector engagement. Anna provides policy advice, promotes online collaboration, learning and innovation to advance women’s economic empowerment across the world. An economist, Anna has more than 20 years of experience as economic advisor within the UN system, including UNCTAD, UN-DESA, UNDP and UN Women. She has a MSc in Economics from Lund University, Sweden, and a Masters in Law and Economic from Hamburg University, Germany.
Sara Krüger Falk
Executive Director at UN Global Compact in Denmark
Sara has more than 15 years’ experience working with partnerships, corporate responsibility and sustainability. She is the Executive Director of Global Compact Network Denmark and has previously worked with partnerships and sustainability for Confederation of Danish industry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark as well as for private sector and an NGO. She was part of the establishment of the Danish Global Compact Network Denmark and is currently Chair of the Danish 2030 Panel and member of the Council for Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals.
ORGANIZERS
The event is co-hosted by the UN Global Compact in Denmark and UN Women.
UN Women is the United Nations entity 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.
Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work through Responsible Business Conduct in G7 Countries (WE EMPOWER - G7 Programme) is a programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UN Women and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The WE EMPOWER G7 Programme convene multistakeholder dialogues in the EU, Canada, Japan and the US to exchange knowledge, experiences, good practices and lessons learned in the context of the changing world of work.
Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work through Responsible Business Conduct in G7 Countries (WE EMPOWER - G7 Programme) is a programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UN Women and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The WE EMPOWER G7 Programme convene multistakeholder dialogues in the EU, Canada, Japan and the US to exchange knowledge, experiences, good practices and lessons learned in the context of the changing world of work.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of Principles offering guidance to business on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Established by UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs are informed by international labour and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment.