International Women's Day - Women Economic Empowerment in Kuwait

Gender equality is an essential aspect of “leaving no one behind,” one of the guiding principles of the 2030 Agenda, and it is reflected in the 45 targets and 54 indicators of the SDG. The economic empowerment of women is one of the most fundamental components of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment more broadly.

Women's meaningful economic participation is integral to achieving greater security and stability around in any country. When women are economically secure, they invest in their families and communities, spurring economic growth and creating more stable societies. Also, Women’s equal participation at every level lead to better financial performance and raises returns on investment.

The private sector has an important role to play to support and promote gender equality by investing in the economic empowerment of women in their workplaces and communities. The private sector in Kuwait has been leading and advancing in this area, where more than 40 companies in Kuwait have committed to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Globally, there are more than 7000 companies CEOs who signed up the WEPs https://www.weps.org/. WEP promotes empowerment of women and gender equality in various areas such as high-level corporate leadership; employees’ health and wellbeing; training for career advancement; enterprise development; no-discrimination at workplace; community initiatives and measurement/reporting.

Leading members of the Kuwait private sector launched the Women’s Economic Empowerment Platform Kuwait (WEEP Kuwait) on 6 June 2022, with a vision to foster a private sector that is gender-inclusive, and which will contribute to implementation of Agenda 2030 and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 and Kuwait’s national development priorities on growth and social protection.

1. Objectives

1. To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 to highlight the importance of Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) in contributing to the achievement of sustainable development.
2. To discuss the role of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as a set of principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
3. To share and promote achievements and initiatives undertaken by the private sector as well as UNDP and UN Women in promoting the economic empowerment of women in their workplaces and communities.