UN Women Salutes 15 Companies in Indonesia with 2024 Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards

[PRESS RELEASE]

Winners of 2024 Indonesia Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards pose at the awards ceremony on 29 October 2024 in Jakarta. Photo: UN Women/Putra Djohan

Jakarta, Indonesia — UN Women presented 15 companies with the 2024 Indonesia Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards today for their exceptional efforts to promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. The awards, given annually since 2020, were presented at a ceremony in Jakarta.

This year the awards committee received 125 applications from 76 companies across seven categories, including two new categories — Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Champion. The applicants included major private and state-owned enterprises, and SMEs in various economic sectors. Winners were chosen by a panel of experts from the Government, United Nations agencies, civil society, business support organizations, and academia.

The categories and award winners:

• Leadership Commitment: Parwati Surjaudaja, President Director and CEO of PT. Bank OCBC NISP Tbk, a banking and financial services company.
• Gender-Inclusive Workplace: PT. Pertamina (Persero) Tbk, a state-owned oil and gas company.
• Gender-Responsive Marketplace: Evermos, a social commerce start-up.
• Community Engagement and Partnership: PT. Schneider Indonesia, an electrification, automation and digitization company.
• Transparency and Reporting: PT. Amarta Mikro Fintek, a fintech microfinance marketplace.
• Innovative Financing: PT. Amartha Mikro Fintek, a fintech microfinance marketplace.
• Small Medium Enterprise Champion: PT. Karya Kreasi Teknology, a digital ecosystem for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, said at the awards ceremony: “Achieving gender equality cannot be done partially; it involves all stakeholders, including the Government, businesses, media and society. This … should be carried out in the implementation of the sustainable development.”

Dwi Faiz, Officer in Charge for Country Representative of UN Women Indonesia, said, “It is indeed encouraging to witness the private sector embracing gender equality as values beyond profit.”

“Thank you for being agents of positive change,” Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams PSM, said to the awardees. 

Said Denis Chaibi, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia: “Integrating gender equality into business practices is not only a matter of fairness; it constitutes a strategic advantage. Companies have a powerful opportunity to enhance their policies — whether in hiring, promotion, or work-life balance — so they … create a positive, inclusive environment where every employee is valued and respected.”

This year’s awards were organized as part of a new initiative, UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific, which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The awards also received continued support from the European Union.

The Indonesia winners will compete with other companies across the Asia and the Pacific for the regional awards, to be announced on 3 December.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles is a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact.  More than 10,000 companies around the world have signed on to the principles including 193 companies from Indonesia.