United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative’s Post

Harmonising the Discourse on Corporate Gender Equality We are thrilled to share that our esteemed Chair of the ESG Committee and Independent Non-Executive Director Dr Shefaly Yogendra Ph.D has published a thought-provoking piece in honour of International Women’s Day in ESG Investor. This piece explains the risks of overemphasising the business case for gender diversity in the workplace. The key takeaways are: 🧑💻 For years, surveys and academic papers have promoted findings about financial performance benefits from increased gender diversity in the workplace. ❓ This naturally begs the question: if the business case for women’s inclusion in business is so strong, then why is female representation in business not greater? ❕ Women make up over half the people on this planet. It is not a radical idea to suggest that a business case need no longer be made for greater gender equality and women’s inclusion. 🌍 Lets use this International Women's Day to reemphasise the moral case for gender equality and inspire inclusion in the workplace Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d9qZQgsK #IWD #IWD2024 #Sustainability #InternationalWomensDay #InspireInclusion

To mark International Women’s Day, the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, today launched a new #report #Women at Work: Chinese companies taking action on gender equality. The global publication, available in English and Chinese, provides insights and best practices for advancing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on gender equality in the workplace. "Women at Work" sheds light on the challenges and opportunities that Chinese companies face in promoting gender equality. It presents a series of case studies showcasing how companies across various sectors are implementing the #Women’sEmpowermentPrinciples (WEPs) and contributing to the SDGs. The report showcases the commitment of business leaders in China and around the world to integrate gender equality into corporate strategies, highlighting the essential role of women in driving sustainable business practices for a better world. 

Happy International Women’s Day! To mark the event, here are some details on a growing ESG disclosure within gender equality. The Gender Equality Index (GEI), run by Bloomberg, encourages companies to track key performance indicators (KPIs) that are material to committing to gender equality in the workplace year over year. Last August, Bloomberg announced some changes to their framework. For 2024, the GEI KPIs will replace the Gender Reporting Framework. This is a set of 30 KPIs that companies will publish in a table in their Sustainability Report, CSR report or Annual Report. The GEI KPIs include metrics that fall under four themes: 1. Leadership 2. Talent Pipeline 3. Pay 4. Inclusive Culture You can find the 30 KPIS here: https://lnkd.in/eq4jTe3M #internationalwomensday2024 #genderequality #gender #transparency #nossadata

Gender equality has a new ally in Europe...and it's not who you'd expect! #InternationalWomensDay♀   While it might sound like it’s all about green practices and the environment, and feel like a bunch of new rules, the #CSRD is gearing up to be a strong ally for gender equality. How?  The CSRD takes a holistic approach to sustainability ♻ It integrates environmental, social, and governance dimensions. It makes it clear that for your business to be fit for purpose going forward – you need to be taking care of both people and planet.  And in doing so it spotlights gender diversity and equality as a key parameter.   This is much more than just paperwork—it's a game changer 🙌 HR Departments are at the forefront of steering this transformative journey.   Through integrating gender-related metrics and initiatives into sustainability reporting, HR will not only ensure compliance they will be championing gender equality.  Have you started your CSRD journey? 💭 Click in the link in comments to learn more about the CSRD, discover resources, and find out how you can be part of this exciting change. 💪💜    #CSRD #GenderEquality #Sustainability #InclusiveWorkplace #BeTheChange 

2154: according to the Global #GenderGap Report 2023 published by the World Economic Forum, this will be the year when full #genderequity will be achieved globally. A goal strongly supported by #UN2030Agenda for Sustainable Development, which dedicates to it its fifth goal. This is a goal that Italy embraced by introducing in 2022 the gender equality certification regulation. After the transformation into a #BenefitCorporation last February 1st, Image Building has just achieved the Gender Equality Certification according to UNI Reference Practice PdR 125:2022, a tool designed to encourage Italian companies to adopt concrete measures to bridge the gender gap. The #GenderEqualityCertification has recognized the Company’s concrete commitment to enhancing gender equity internally, to continue promoting corporate policies and practices that ensure equal opportunities for all employees and the will to build an inclusive and balanced workplace. A long-term milestone and not an achieved goal to foster cultural change through concrete actions aimed at closing the gender gap and promoting inclusion and diversity in a daily journey made of choices and tangible initiatives, as well as a constant commitment to equal treatment and opportunities for all individuals, increasingly integrating ESG areas into business to create a fair and gender-neutral work environment.

Something for the weekend! World Benchmarking Alliance have published their investor guidance on gender equality. The 2023 Gender Benchmark is a pivotal tool for investors aiming to promote gender equality within the corporate sector. It provides a comprehensive analysis of how companies are performing on gender-related issues and offers practical guidance for investor engagement. Key findings highlight the need for companies to address gender equality more robustly, from ensuring women's representation and addressing unpaid care to preventing workplace violence and harassment. Investors have the power to influence corporate policies and practices. By using the insights from the Gender Benchmark, they can ask the right questions and drive meaningful change towards a more equitable business world. The full investor guidance can be found here: https://lnkd.in/d9YYsvnx

Translating evidence from our benchmarks into actions is as crucial for us as developing our benchmarks. Many rightsholders, particularly those vulnerable to negative impacts, lack the means to hold powerful corporations accountable for gaps in their commitments and actions on human rights and gender equality. Investors have a unique and very important role in addressing this power imbalance ⚖ that exists in our socioeconomic ecosystem. We have been privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with dedicated individuals and organizations in the financial sector who share our commitment to corporate accountability. We've recently released two investor guidance documents, shaped by key findings from our Gender Benchmark and Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. Our aim is to assist investors in their efforts to engage companies on these critical issues. Thanks to my colleagues Sanjini Jain Talya Swissa Jill van de Walle Nikki Gwilliam-Beeharee and others for their hard work to make this happen. Tell us how this supports your work, where we can improve, and if you're interested in collaborating with us.

Gender equality has critical interlinkages with other SDGs. Attended 7th Gender Equality Summit 2024 in New Delhi. The conference was ahead in its essence and led by trailblazing women. The event brought diverse stakeholders to engage in the dialogue to make a gender-equal future, where these inspiring speakers’ thought provoking discussions reaffirmed the importance of gender diversity, equality, and empowerment. The summit emphasised key strategies to combat gender disparities: - women driving corporate success - breaking barriers through technology, innovation, and inclusion - investing in women’s capacity - gender responsive approaches on climate change - policy recommendations aligned with core principles of human rights, environment, labor, and anti-corruption Redirecting finances including gender-responsive budgeting is not just necessary, it’s inevitable to achieve the goals of SDG 5. It was great to hear the brave voices of incredible leaders - Vaishali Nigam Sinha Susan Jane Ferguson, Veena Sinha, Anuradha Shankar, Shelley Zalis, and Juhi Gupta among others. #Act4GenderImpact #UNGCNI #7thGenderEqualitySummit2024 #CapgeminiInvent #SDG5 #ClimateAction

🏭Introducing our latest investor guidance on human rights and gender equality🤱🏾  Companies have a responsibility to ensure that human rights are respected and gender equality is promoted; both within their four walls and in their supply chains.     As public and political awareness of the need to hold companies accountable to this responsibility grows, so does the call for institutional investors to challenge companies on the speed of progress and decisions taken.     We are pleased to share two new guidance documents, designed to support investor action in this space:    📕Investor guidance that elaborates on the key findings of our 2023 Gender Benchmark: https://lnkd.in/d9YYsvnx     📕Investor guidance that elaborates on findings from our 2022 and 2023 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark: https://lnkd.in/dxuaGfE7   Both documents contain a series of assessment questions supported by our findings that investors can use to engage companies in meaningful discussion.     #bizhumanrights #SDG5 #genderequality #corporateaccountability #assetmanagers #humanrights #GenderBenchmark #CHRB #ESG The Generation Foundation

AGM season is all-consuming for many working in the investment industry at the moment and increasingly many are grappling with how to approach voting whilst considering systemic risks in their (or their manager's) portfolios. There are some great resources already out to support investor on this (such as Portfolio on the Ballot from our allies The Shareholder Commons and the Proxy Preview being delivered by As You Sow Sustainable Investments Institute and Proxy Impact). 📢 These two new short Investor Guides focus on gender and human rights, both catalytic topics that represent systemic risk. For example, according to WEF’s 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, gender parity is being increasingly recognized as critical for financial stability and economic performance (https://lnkd.in/d9Y2emhf). And the PRI's articulates here "why investors should act on human rights" (https://lnkd.in/dhptSjwH). 🔦 So, if you and/or others you are know are looking for practical guidance on: - which sectors/ companies/ topics to prioritise based on most risk/ impact; - on what questions to ask companies/ what to look for in company reporting; - best practice examples showing there are companies who are doing this already... then this is the place to look!