The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and Arizona State University Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and helped launch Target Gender Equality during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019. Target Gender Equality is a program for companies participating in the UN Global Compact that is designed to accelerate gender equality by setting and reaching corporate targets for women’s representation and leadership in business.
Actress and activist Jamila Jameel, who opened the launch event, noted, “I fully support the UN Global Compact's call for bolder action from business to advance gender equality and I’m excited to learn about the Target Gender Equality program. This is just what we need to create a multiplier impact for good. It is inspiring to Meet the WE Empower Challenge winners who represent women entrepreneurs from all over the world succeeding against the odds to support the UN SDGs.”
Research has proven that diversity in business, including gender equality, makes sound business sense. A study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics presents evidence that having more women in top management positions can significantly increase profits — by up to 15% in cases in which women in top roles went from 0% to 30%.
The UN Global Compact has a membership base of more than 13,000 worldwide. The ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management provides support for the U.S. Global Compact network. Amanda Ellis, co-chair of the WE Empower Challenge, said that it’s great to see “such a broad range of partners coming together in a true SDG 17 coalition to support women entrepreneurs as ‘solutionaries.’”
