UN Women Recognizes Corporate Leaders Driving Gender Equality at the 2024 WEPs India Awards and Launches the Transformative "Women Empower India" Initiative with the European Union
Date:
[Press release]
[For immediate release]
New Delhi, India — UN Women India honoured corporate leaders committed to gender equality at the 2024 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) India Awards. This prestigious annual event, now in its fourth year, celebrated organizations and leaders making exceptional strides in fostering inclusive workplaces, marketplaces, and communities, setting a benchmark for corporate excellence in India’s gender equality landscape.
The awards received 107 applications from 70 leading companies across diverse sectors. A jury comprising of Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); Franck VIAULT, Minister Counsellor - Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to India and Bhutan; Hari Menon, Country Director – India & Lead, South & South-East Asia, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary-General, The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI); Ratnesh, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI), Reshma Anand, Regional Director, Ford Foundation Office for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and Soumya Kapoor Mehta, Senior Social Specialist, World Bank, selected a total of 20 winners across six key categories, recognised for their innovative approaches and measurable impact:
- Leadership Commitment
- Winner: Anish Mukker, CEO, Teleperformance
- Gender-Inclusive Workplace
- Winner: Infosys Limited
- Gender-Responsive Marketplace
- Winner: Wipro Limited
- Community Engagement & Partnerships
- Winner: Zomato Ltd
- Transparency & Reporting
- Winner: Datamatics Global Services Limited
- Innovative Financing for Gender Equality
- Winner: Kinara Capital
Additionally, outstanding contributions by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were honoured, with winners including IVillage A Family, Aspire for Her Management and Consultancy Pvt Ltd, and AMBIRE Environmental Engineering Solutions S.A.S.
The awards were made possible through partnerships with the European Union (EU) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Government of Australia, reinforcing the shared vision of advancing gender equality through global and local action.
Susan Ferguson, Country Representative for UN Women India, highlighted the critical role of corporate leadership in advancing gender equality she said “The Women’s Empowerment Principles provide a clear roadmap for businesses to foster inclusive growth. It is inspiring to see over 400 WEPs signatories in India driving real change. The 2024 WEPs India Awards spotlight the incredible efforts of these corporate leaders, setting new benchmarks for others to follow.”
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) shared: “Being part of the jury for the 2024 WEPs India Awards has been insightful and affirming at the same point. These awards recognize companies committed to gender equality, setting a benchmark for others. It is encouraging to see so many companies take proactive actions to create inclusive workplaces and communities, proving gender equality is essential for sustainable growth. The Confederation of Indian Industry through its Centre for Women Leadership is dedicated to driving and promoting these changes in the private sector, promoting practices and disseminating knowledge that fosters inclusive growth and set new standards for corporate excellence.”
Launch of “Women Empower India” Initiative
Coinciding with the awards, UN Women and the European Union unveiled "Women Empower India" (WE India), a transformative 3.5-year initiative with a USD 2.78 million resource envelope. The programme aims to create an enabling environment for economic and social rights for women and girls across India by:
- Advancing gender responsive corporate action through Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
- Strengthening policies impacting women’s economic participation informed by gender statistics
- Addressing adverse social and gender norms impeding women’s economic participation
H.E. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, stated, "Promoting women’s rights is fundamentally the right thing to do. When one woman is empowered, she can lift an entire family; and when families are uplifted by women, this has the power to transform society and economy for good. The “Women Empower India" Initiative” will contribute to unlocking economic access and opportunities for women and girls in India in sectors such as Digital, Clean Energy, and STEM, alongside industries with high female representation like Textiles, contributing to India’s development objectives. Nari Shakti is the way to go!”
Susan Ferguson further emphasized, "Women's economic empowerment is a fundamental driver of sustainable development. Women Empower India will provide the essential skills, networks, and support that women and girls need to thrive in sectors shaping India’s future. We are proud to collaborate with the European Union on this initiative, which will not only uplift individual lives but also foster systemic change for gender equality."
This transformative programme aligns with the global WEPs framework and will harness corporate innovation to empower women, ensuring inclusive growth and meaningful progress toward gender equality.
Read more about this here: Women Empower India
About the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
Established in 2010 by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the WEPs offer a comprehensive framework for corporate action on gender equality. The seven principles focus on high-level corporate leadership, fair treatment, health and safety, education and training for women, gender-responsive supply chains, community engagement, and transparent reporting. Globally, more than 10,000 companies, including 418 in India, have committed to these principles, setting the standard for gender-responsive business practices. Their influence extends beyond corporate spaces, with governments and regional bodies increasingly adopting WEPs as a foundation for gender equality policymaking.
About UN Women
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes, and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide.
About the European Union (EU)
The EU, which consists of 27 countries, has the world's largest economy and its third largest population, after China and India. Though richly diverse, the countries that make up the EU (its 'Member States') are all committed to the same basic values: peace, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. They have set up common institutions so that decisions on matters of joint interest can be made democratically at the European level. By creating a frontier-free single market and a single currency (the euro) which has been adopted by 20 Member States, the EU has given a significant boost to trade and employment. It is also at the forefront of policies on sustainability.
EU-India relations
For over 60 years, the European Union and India have collaborated to reduce poverty, prevent disasters, protect human rights, expand trade, and promote joint research in areas such as energy, health, agriculture, and many other fields of mutual interest. More information at: eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india
For further information, please contact:
Sudeshna Mukherjee
Head of Communications
UN Women India | e: [ Click to reveal ]
Poonam Kapila
Press & Communications Officer
EU Delegation to India | e: [ Click to reveal ]