UN Women and the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK) have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on various strategic initiatives to empower Korean women in business and create an enabling environment for gender equality in workplaces.
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Lucinda Walker, Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (left), and Jeongshim Lee, Director of the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, hold the signed partnership agreement. Pho4to: UN Women/Chanyoung Park
Given the influential role and extensive network of chambers of commerce in the private sector, this collaboration will create a platform to achieve the mutual goals of UN Women and the private sector for sustainable development.
As the first step of this strategic partnership, BCCK joined the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in May. Launched by UN Women and the UN Global Compact in 2010, the WEPs provide businesses with guidance on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
BCCK will actively implement WEPs throughout their network, leveraging their significant convening power. Currently, 123 companies based in the Republic of Korea (ROK) are members of BCCK. BCCK Executive Director Lucinda Walker explained, “The UN Women’s WEPs give us the tools to empower ourselves and empower others. We are honored to partner with this prestigious and effective organization.”
Participating in the signing ceremony in Seoul, Jeongshim Lee, Director of the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, responded, “We appreciate the leadership and commitment from Ms. Walker, and the Centre is delighted to embark on the journey together with BCCK to make a positive influence on the private sector for gender equality.”
The BCCK and UN Women hold the “I_am_investing_in_future” panel in support of Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Photo: UN Women/Chanyoung Park
The partnership is founded upon the existing strong partnership between UN Women and the British Embassy in Seoul on the issue of gender Equality
In this context, UN Women jointly launched the second year of the EMPOWER programme, co-organized by the British Embassy and BCCK on 10 June. Starting from 2023, the programme has successfully provided mid-career women based in ROK with networking and capacity-building opportunities. UN Women and BCCK will collaborate this year to disseminate the key aspects of the WEPs framework to enable programme participants not only to empower themselves but also to transform their workplaces in ways that support other women to thrive.
Empower participants at the workshop. Photo: Courtesy of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea
At the launch ceremony for the second cohort, Colin Crooks, British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea stated, “I’m delighted to see UN Women joining the Empower programme as a partner. This relationship will bring great benefits and support greater economic empowerment for Korean businesswomen. I offer my congratulations to the British Chamber for joining the WEPs. We will continue to work closely together promoting gender equality and inclusion.”
One of the Empower participants speaks at the launch ceremony for the second cohort. Photo: UN Women/Ahjung Lee
In the coming months, UN Women and BCCK will undertake various activities to ensure that empowered women continue to thrive within their organizations. This involves influencing business leaders to support gender-inclusive initiatives. “It’s important to empower women. But it’s just as important, if not more, to ensure that the already empowered women remain empowered for their lifetime,” Ahjung Lee, External Relations Specialist at the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality.