The UN Women 2022 Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards, recognising leaders and business organisations promoting gender inclusivity and women empowerment, opened on 19 April 2022 with a callout for applications until June 30.
The WEPs Awards, now on their third year, are organised by UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia Programme, with the support of the European Union, and in partnership with the Australian Government.
The Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) and Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE) are supporting the 2022 WEPs Awards in their respective countries.
National awarding ceremonies will be held in October in select countries where WeEmpowerAsia is present, the Philippines and Indonesia included, and the regional awarding ceremony is set for November.
At the regional launch, Christine Clarke, Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls, underscored the role of business in advancing gender equality through catalytic actions that support women’s empowerment in the workplace, in their wider value chains and in the community.
Through the 2022 WEPs Awards, individuals and businesses across the region will be recognised for initiatives aligned with one or more of the Women’s Economic Principles (WEPs) under six award categories: Leadership Commitment; Gender-inclusive Workplace; Gender-responsive Marketplace; Community Engagement and Partnerships; Transparency and Reporting; and Youth Leadership for Generation Equality.
The launch included an informative panel discussion featuring past winners, which was moderated by Maya Juwita, Executive Director of IBCWE. IBCWE and its fellow coalition, PBCWE, number among their member firms WEPs Awardees. Both organisations are supported by Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government, and work with businesses to progress workplace gender equality.
WHAT APPLICANTS NEED TO KNOW
At the regional launch, the organisers announced a series of information sessions for those interested in learning more about the objectives of the awards, eligibility per category, and the application process, among other details.
PBCWE and IBCWE, together with UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia Programme, co-hosted separate sessions online on 28 April 2022. In the Philippine session, Investing in Women’s (IW) Business Partnerships Director Kathy Mulville spoke of the WEPs Awards being a powerful platform to make visible the good practices of gender equality champions in the business community.
“The coalitions and Investing in Women are delighted to work with like-minded organisations such as UN Women to amplify best practices for advancing gender equality in the workplace, and also to work together to further develop tools and resources that aid companies committed to workplace gender equality,” said Ms. Mulville.
In Indonesia, IBCWE Executive Director Maya Juwita provided opening remarks, with UN Women Indonesia Head of Programmes Dwi Yuliawati Faiz in Indonesia leading the discussion.
Interested parties may apply online at the 2022 Asia-Pacific WEPS Awards website using their language of choice (English, Thai, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Chinese) up to the June 30 deadline.
Winners from the country awards are eligible for the regional awards.
You may view the regional launch at UN Women Asia Pacific’s Facebook page and the live info session conducted on May 4 on their YouTube.
As added reference, the recording of the Philippine Info Session may be viewed on PBCWE’s YouTube.