EY and UN Women’s Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC) have joined forces to create innovation principles to help companies foster greater innovation by identifying specific improvements to accelerate gender equality.
The principles are designed to help companies deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals to reduce inequality and foster innovation, and improve female representation across the management level, as well as build a more inclusive society.
Together with the principles, EY developed the GICC Action Point Assessment in co-ordination with UN Women to help businesses benchmark themselves against the GICC principles and foundations. This tool helps businesses measure their innovation and engagement rates, identify decisions to accelerate gender parity through innovation and earn a UN Women endorsement.
The five GICC principles are:
1. Make a high-level corporate commitment to adopt a gender-responsive approach to innovation.
2. Design innovations that include women as end users.
3. Implement innovations with consideration of the broader ecosystems that women participate in.
4. Evaluate the impact of gender responsive innovations using a data-driven approach.
5. Scale innovations that provide sustainable solutions to meet the needs of women and girls.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, says:
“Today’s launch is about working with companies to ensure that women play a key role as both developers and consumers of technology and innovation. From mobile banking and blockchain technology, to artificial intelligence and the internet of things, it is vital that women’s ideas, concerns and experiences equally influence the design and implementation of the innovations that shape our future societies.”
The businesses from all sectors across the world can join GICC as members and adopt the principles. The members’ actions in promoting gender equality through innovation will be examined every 12 months, and members will receive annual progress reports alongside a UN Women badge corresponding to the rate of improvement.
Julie Hood, EY Global Deputy Vice Chair – Strategy and Transactions, says:
“At a time when innovation is accelerating the speed of change, we need to ensure diverse capabilities and thought are helping to address today’s toughest business questions. That is the only way to arrive at better answers. These five principles will help organizations realize sustainable results with measurable and actionable outcomes.”
Steve Krouskos, EY Global Vice Chair – Strategy and Transactions, says:
“EY is proud to be at the forefront of developing the gender innovation principles with UN Women to promote gender equality through innovation. Reducing inequality — especially at a time of turbo-charged technological disruption — is a business priority, and the principles provide a platform for businesses to benchmark themselves and work toward better outcomes. As a father and a business leader, I believe we all need to support ways to help build a better working world.”
The GICC principles will be unveiled at the NASDAQ stock market closing bell ceremony in New York on Friday, 7 September 2018 under the patronage of the UN’s Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and attended by EY professionals across the globe, UN officials, and business leaders from the GICC members and the press.
To find out more about the principles and the members of the GICC, please visit here.
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Notes to Editors
About EY
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About UN Women
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.
UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.
About the Global Innovation Coalition for Change
The Global Innovation Coalition for Change is a dynamic partnership between UN Women and key representatives from the private sector, academia and non-profit institutions focused on developing the innovation market to work better for women and to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment.