UN Women Philippines, in partnership with the Australian government, hosted the 2024 Philippines Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards and launched the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in the Asia-Pacific.
The WEPs Awards celebrates the actions of companies and leaders advancing gender equality within their organizations, value chains and communities.
Among the 20 awardees, this year’s winners included Ireen Catane of Schneider Electric (Leadership Commitment), Manila Water Company (Community Engagement and Partnerships), Schneider Electric (Gender-Inclusive Workplace), HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Transparency and Reporting), Pru Life UK (Gender-Responsive Marketplace) and The Spark Project (SME Champion) leading the private sector.
The awards also welcomed Villgro Philippines as the winner of the 2024 Highlighted category Innovative Financing, recognizing innovative approaches to funding women-led enterprises and gender lens investing.
“Achieving gender equality requires bold leadership and action from the private sector. Businesses hold a unique ability to disrupt inequalities and drive systemic change by embedding practices that promote gender equality into their operations, said Athena Denise Galao, officer-in-charge country program coordinator at UN Women Philippines.
“This year’s awards night celebrated trailblazers leading the way in closing gender gaps and promoting inclusive practices across industries,” said Galao.
