UN Women helping businesses teach employees about gender equality

UN Women has announced IWD@Work, a tool that businesses can purchase to educate employees and promote discussions of gender equality in the workplace.

The release of this product coincides with International Women’s Day (IWD), which is celebrated on 8 March. IWD is described as a day to “celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to drive gender parity”.

Simone Clarke, chief executive officer of UN Women Australia, said in a statement: “The only way we can truly accelerate gender equality is by engaging more people in the process. We simply can’t achieve that if these inspiring conversations and celebrations of breakthrough initiatives only happen behind closed doors.”

In a statement, UN Women listed the features of the package as:

• Company-wide access to UN Women Australia’s IWD 2023 virtual hub.
• IWD event streaming (live or on-demand) from Friday, 3 March to Sunday, 19 March 2023.
• IWD event showcase from Tuesday, 7 March to Sunday, 19 March 2023.
• IWD@Work Guide – business case, IWD theme context, stakeholder messaging, case studies, gender equality insights, workplace talking points, activation ideas, planning tools, goal setting and fundraising tips, promotional content and social assets.

This package is intended to help organisations celebrate International Women’s Day by providing learning opportunities, events, and resources that employers can use to engage employees.

UN Women’s theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, and UN Women Australia has announced the theme as ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future’.

“The resounding message across workplaces is a need for more genuine engagement on the topics that matter to employees – to not simply have policies in place, but to demonstrate accountability and provide spaces for learning and informed discussion,” said Ms Clarke.

“With our in-person events selling out every year – we saw this an opportunity to unlock the compelling content that’s happening on stage and make it more accessible to all workplaces.”

UN Women is the branch of the United Nations that pushes for gender equality and upholds women’s human rights through policy and programs. Operating in over 100 countries, UN Women works to help end women’s slavery, poverty, violence, and more, as well as empower women through leadership and equality.

Jack Campbell

Jack is the editor at HR Leader.