Winners in different categories awarded at the 2024 Philippines WEPs Awards held at the Marriott Hotel
Manila, Philippines – UN Women Philippines, in partnership with the Australian Government, proudly hosted the 2024 Philippines Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards and launched the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in the Asia-Pacific.
The WEPs Awards celebrates the actions of companies and leaders advancing gender equality within their organizations, value chains, and communities. Among the 20 Awardees, this year’s Winners included Ireen Catane of Schneider Electric (Leadership Commitment), Manila Water Company (Community Engagement and Partnerships), Schneider Electric (Gender-Inclusive Workplace), HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Transparency and Reporting), Pru Life UK (Gender-Responsive Marketplace) and The Spark Project (SME Champion) leading the private sector.
The Awards also welcomed Villgro Philippines as the Winner of the 2024 Highlighted category Innovative Financing, recognizing innovative approaches to funding women-led enterprises and gender lens investing.
“Achieving gender equality requires bold leadership and action from the private sector. Businesses hold a unique ability to disrupt inequalities and drive systemic change by embedding practices that promote gender equality into their operations, said Athena Denise Galao, OIC – Country Programme Coordinator, UN Women Philippines.
“This year’s Awards night celebrated trailblazers leading the way in closing gender gaps and promoting inclusive practices across industries,” added OIC Galao.
During the event, UN Women and Australia also launched the Philippines chapter of the Gender Action Lab – a dynamic regional platform that aims to drive innovation and action to advance gender equality, empower women, and build more inclusive economies across the Asia-Pacific.
In collaboration with the private sector, the Gender Action Lab will identify, pilot and scale up multi-stakeholder partnership initiatives, such as thematic innovation labs, hackathons, incubators and accelerators, policy labs, applied research initiatives, and other partnership programs.
“Gender equality is a key driver of economic progress and a core priority in Australia’s work in the Philippines. The Gender Action Lab will deliver tangible outcomes for women’s economic empowerment across the Philippines and the wider Asia-Pacific region, said H.E. HK Yu PSM, FCPA (Aust), Australian Ambassador to the Philippines.
The WEPs Awards, first established in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, emerged as an innovative approach to accelerate the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – a set of 7 principles that provide companies a roadmap to advance gender equality throughout their value chain. With 180 Philippine companies now signed onto the WEPs, the movement for inclusive workplaces, marketplaces and communities continues to gain momentum across the country. WEPs Awardees from the Philippines will have an exceptional opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and best practices at the upcoming 2025 Regional WEPs Forum. The event will bring together companies and business leaders who are driving significant impact and making remarkable strides in women’s economic empowerment.
The Awards night concluded with the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) signing the WEPs. “We celebrate the new WEPs signatories – this sends a strong signal that businesses of all sizes and sectors can contribute to creating more equitable workplaces and communities,” said Ambassador Yu.
WEPs Signing Ceremony with IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and other distinguished guests.
The Awards night was graced by key figures who played pivotal roles in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Philippines, including Matija Kovač, Head of the UN Philippines Resident Coordinator’s Office; Delia Albert, former Ambassador to Australia and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Ermelita Valdeavilla, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women; Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, UN Women Champion, author, and entrepreneur; and Bianca Gonzalez, UN Women Philippines Celebrity Champion.
