What would happen if tomorrow, your company had to publicly explain its pay decisions?
This is no longer a hypothetical. Across the world, equal pay is moving from a principle companies support to a reality they must prove. And for many organizations, the shift is happening faster than expected.
When companies talk about gender equality, the conversation often starts inside their own walls—equal pay, leadership representation, workplace culture. But as one recent UN Women webinar revealed, the real test lies elsewhere: in the supply chain.
Launching the WEPs Gender-Responsive Procurement Toolbox, the discussion brought together companies and experts to answer one central question—how do you turn commitments into action?
Companies are increasingly expected to demonstrate real progress on gender equality. The WEPs Transparency & Accountability Roadmap is designed to help companies develop systems and structures to keep track of, drive and communicate their progress towards gender equality. In April 2026 the WEPs Secretariat and the Watch & Jewelry Initiatives 2030 organized sessions to introduce the WEPs Transparency & Accountability Roadmap so companies can start using the resource.
The first session of the Equal Pay webinar series, co-organized by the Women's Empowerment Principles Global Secretariat and EQUAL-SALARY Foundation brought together Anna Falth (WEPs), Aurélien Joly (EQUAL-SALARY Foundation), Janina Lukas (Bayer) and Jalal H. Curmally (EFU Life Insurance) to move the conversation from commitment to action on equal pay.
On 23 April 2026, IFC and UN Women convened private sector leaders, practitioners, and researchers for the second session in their joint data series on gender data gaps. The focus was clear and urgent: how can companies move from policies and commitments to effective prevention of gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH)—using data as a foundation for action?
International Women’s Day 2026 is a collective moment for rights, justice and action for ALL women and girls. Justice for women and girls must be delivered — in law, in budgets, in institutions, and in real life. As some rights face renewed pushback globally, IWD 2026 reaffirms a clear message: Rights. Justice. Action for ALL Women and Girls. The private sector has a responsibility to advance women’s rights across workplaces, markets, and supply chains.
On 4 February 2026, UN Women and the UN Global Compact co-hosted a global WEPs 101 webinars, introducing companies and interested parties to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and their practical application across leadership, workplace culture, supply chains, and community engagement.
The Global Supply Chain Coalition was officially launched at COP30. The Coalition is a partnership between UN Women and the German federal Government aimed at making global supply chains gender-inclusive and sustainable. The coalition builds on the Women's Empowerment Principles framework, which currently guides over 12,000 companies worldwide.
The sustainable, low-carbon and circular economy is expanding rapidly. As industries accelerate investments in decarbonization, circular business models and renewable energy, women remain critically underrepresented in technical and leadership roles.
2025 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). Beijing +30 calls on member states and other stakeholders, including the private sector, to act upon the unmet goals set thirty years ago.
