Call for Applications: UN Women WEPs Corporate Action Lab Cambodia

UN Women, in partnership with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), is proud to launch Cambodia’s first Women’s Empowerment Principles Corporate Action Lab (WEPsCAL) — a cohort-based programme for companies ready to drive gender equality through peer learning, tailored support, and innovation.

Apply here!

WEPsCAL is a flagship initiative of the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in the Asia-Pacific. It supports a cohort of committed companies — WEPs Changemakers — to:

• Co-design and pilot solutions that address specific challenges to advancing gender equality.
• Learn, reflect, and connect with various experts and ‘solutions providers’ to foster innovation.
• Contribute to inclusive economic growth in Cambodia.

The first WEPs Corporate Action Lab in Cambodia

Cambodia has made gender equality a priority under the national Neary Ratanak VI Strategy (2024–2028), aiming for parity in six areas, including the promotion of Women’s Economic Empowerment. According to the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, the country has made some progress in the area of Women's Economic Participation and Opportunity, moving up in rank from 59^th in 2024 to 57^th in 2025. However, significant gender disparity remains overall, with the country ranking 106^th overall out of 148 economies[1]. Based on a rapid landscape study, it is clear that persistent barriers remain for women in advancing to leadership roles, driven by entrenched cultural norms, unequal care responsibilities, and workplace policies that do not fully support career progression. The private sector has a crucial role in closing these gaps and building a more inclusive economy. Importantly, inclusive leadership is a key entry point for addressing challenges women face in full and equal economic participation. To address these challenges, the thematic area focus in the WEPsCAL for the inaugural lab will be “Fostering Inclusive Leadership for Gender Equality in Business.”

The first lab will work with a cohort of 8-12 companies over 6-9 months to directly address the persistent barriers women and marginalized groups face in leadership. Participating companies will collaborate to ideate, develop and test innovative solutions, thereby strengthening the pipeline of women leaders and, in turn, unlocking economic growth. Examples of possible interventions may include the following:

• Succession planning that includes women and minority groups
• Flexible policies to support work–life balance
• Gender equality reporting and measurement tools
• The mid-career stage, where drop-out from senior management often occurs

What Support Do You Get?

• Use of WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool (GAT) Tool
• Customized action plan and KPIs
• 1-on-1 technical support and problem-solving
• Peer learning and cross-company collaboration
• Access to innovators, experts, and recognition platforms
• National, regional, and global recognition (for completers)

Companies’ participation is free, but companies must commit time and internal resources to implement their plans. Is Your Company Ready to Lead?

Join a transformative programme that empowers your business to lead by example.

📌 Applications open August 11, 2025, until October 2^nd, 2025. Apply now by completing the Application Form

Need more information?

To learn more about WEPsCAL, you can:

• Read our FAQs document (PDF)
• Watch the Information Session recording (YouTube)
• View the presentation slides (PDF)

[1] World Economic Forum (2025). Global Gender Gap Report 2025

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Leading the way for gender equality in Cambodian business! 💪