Webinar: The state of women’s empowerment in the Indian Ocean region, and how the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) can help

The first webinar under the IORA-UN Women partnership, supported by the Australian Government, took place on 27 March 2019 with a discussion on the status of women’s empowerment in the region and an overview of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

The first in a series of webinars, this discussion encouraged potential and actual WEPs signatory companies to develop and implement gender-responsive policies and practices in line with the WEPs. A detailed discussion took place on the status of women’s economic empowerment in IORA countries and the need for the WEPs; introduced the individual principles; and explored the guidelines for their implementation in the region.

In support of the IORA Action Plan for 2017-21, the Australian Government has engaged with UN Women to implement a three-year project on Promoting women’s economic empowerment in the Indian Ocean Rim with the collaboration of the IORA Secretariat. In addition to producing new research, the project will provide capacity-building activities, including a series of webinars on the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), to foster enabling environments for women’s economic empowerment both in the public and the private sectors.

The webinar series is ideally suited for IORA government counterparts and Working Group members, representatives of Chambers of Commerce, women’s business associations, private enterprises, non-government organisations, entrepreneurs and any other interested individuals in IORA Member States or Dialogue Partners.

For more information about IORA’s work on Women’s Economic Empowerment work read here, or contact hq@iora.int.

The full list of activities under the IORA-UN Women partnership, supported by the Government of Australia, is available here.