Women’s Empowerment Principles and the Business Case
The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – an initiative established by Global Compact and UN Women and addressed to companies and corporations – are seven steps to promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
All businesses stand to benefit from greater equality for women and, currently, 57 Dutch companies have already committed to WEPs and become Signatories.
In the Dutch context, WEPs enable women’s economic empowerment and gender equality by targeting women who work in supply chains, promoting safe and secure working environments and nondiscrimination, and, and as a consequence, aiming at gender equality on Dutch corporate boards, since the approval in January 2022 of the gender quota for large companies by the Senate.
GCNL – in our efforts to empower businesses targeting gender equality – guides the members and partners on the gender equality path by offering webinars, supporting the TARGET GENDER EQUALITY 2022 event, and running the Target Gender Equality program.
Webinar
In this webinar, Global Compact, Plan International Netherlands, UN Women Netherlands and WEP signatories will talk about the essence of WEPs and the concept of empowerment in the workplace.
The event will feature the following sections:
– Expert Introduction to the WEPs and their application to the Dutch context
– Business Cases of WEPs Signatories: a perspective of a non-profit organization and company perspective
– Gender Equality takeaways from the latest TARGET GENDER EQUALITY 2022 event.
This webinar is an open event, therefore, members and non-members interested in the topic are able to join. The webinar will be held in English.
Amalia Lopez Huix
Senior Gender Equality Advisor and TGE Programme Lead at Global Compact Network Netherlands
Chantal de Vaan
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion lead at Royal DSM N.V.
Chantal de Vaan is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion lead at Royal DSM N.V. Chantal began her career in Compensation & Benefits. With her relentless drive for equal opportunities for all, she decided to focus more on the business’ corporate responsibility to respect Human Rights. Passionate about driving the agenda for gender equality and further build an inclusive work environment free of harassment and bias.
Enid Molenaar
Consultant at UN Global Compact
Enid Molenaar is a consultant with the Strategic Events team of the United Nations Global Compact. She started at the UN Global Compact in New York in January 2020 as an intern and has stayed on the team since then.
She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Rotterdam Business School for which she completed an internship in Paris and a semester at the University of West Florida. She is currently located in Stockholm, Sweden.
Garance Reus-Deelder
Director of Plan International Netherlands
Since June 1st 2020, Garance Reus-Deelder has been director of Plan International Netherlands. She leads Plan’s more than 100 employees. From the Netherlands she works on the ambition to improve the living conditions of children worldwide and to give girls and boys equal opportunities. Garance Reus-Deelder has thirteen years of experience in business (marketing manager at Unilever and client partner at Agency.com / TBWA) and sixteen years at non-profit organizations. At Amnesty International Netherlands she was responsible for Marketing, Communication, Campaigns and the efforts of the many volunteers for nine years. As business director at the Anne Frank House, she was responsible for the overall business operations, fundraising, finances, the museum and a number of international partnerships.
Marije Cornelissen
Executive Director at UN Women Netherlands
Marije Cornelissen is Executive Director of UN Women National Committee the Netherlands. Formerly, she was a Member of the European Parliament, active in the fields of women’s rights, employment and enlargement, and she was the UN Women’s Representative of the Netherlands in 2016. Aside from her tasks for UN Women, she works as freelance consultant for international and national institutions and human rights organisations. She is also a speaker and moderator at diverse conferences within her fields of expertise, and teaches courses and workshops in EU lobbying at Leiden University, Clingendael and the College of Europe.
Linda van Beek
Executive Director at Global Compact Network Netherlands
Linda van Beek (1980, Breda) has managed the secretariat of Global Compact Network Netherlands since 2019. Global Compact Network Netherlands strives to mobilise a local movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders with the aim of improving the lives of future generations. Guided by the 10 UNGC Principles and the 17 SDGs the GCNL team supports companies and stakeholders in in what responsible business means and provide guidance to translate these commitments into action. Linda is also advisor SDGs and Social Responsibility to the Netherlands Employers Federation VNO-NCW and small-medium enterprises association MKB Nederland. Besides that she is member of the Supervisory Board of INOS (Foundation for Catholic Education Breda).
Linda was previously director international trade at VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland and advisor European Affairs at the Brussels office of these business associations. Prior to joining VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland she has been Policital Advisor to the Minister of International Trade and Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament. From 2010-2014 she was a member of the City Council of Breda.
Amalia Lopez Huix
Senior Gender Equality Advisor and TGE Programme Lead at Global Compact Network Netherlands
Amelia Lopez Huix (Spain, 1974) is a recognized high-level executive leader on the SDG5 for gender equality globally. Under her gender economic governance expertise and in the role as General Partner of MCI Partners, Amelia has delivered together with 160 senior partner-level consultants worldwide, an experienced, global-minded, local-oriented, and effective support to public and private sector organizations to address a range of challenges at the intersection of gender equality, organizational performance, corporate governance, and sustainability. As Senior Gender Equality Advisor and Lead of the UN Global Compact Target Gender Equality Programme for the Global Compact Network Netherlands, Amelia is conducting gender equality strategies at all business levels for companies participating in the 2021 Edition of the UN accelerator programme in The Netherlands.