Companies and organizations are encouraged to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment as its advancement drives economic growth and boosts business and resilience.

Rosalyn Mesina, country programme manager at EU-UN Women WeEmpowerAsia PH, considered supporting women’s empowerment a “triple win” for business with improved performance, and wins to human rights and towards achieving the sustainable development goals.

She said it boosts business growth through innovation, cost savings and productivity, market growth, and trust and credibility with employees, consumers and stakeholders.

Mesina said innovation is six times higher in companies where men and women are treated equally.

“…Especially as now we are slowly opening up the economy, advancing gender equality and inclusion drives consumer loyalty, it enhances brand reputation. Imagine if your company could stand, could say, you will not be discriminatory, you will be providing facilities for those who are you support –women mothers, single mothers, the elderly, it drives and enhances brand reputation. You are able to access wider markets in the long term,” she added during the women’s empowerment principles (WEPs) awareness session.

Aside from these benefits, Mesina said maximizing women’s fullest potential can contribute to economic growth, not just a country but also the region.

Citing McKinsey & Company, Mesina said USD4.5 trillion could be added to Asia-Pacific economies by 2025 through advancing women’s equality.

Mesina said the WEPs provide a value chain approach to women’s empowerment starting with leadership.

Each principle addresses an area of value change across the workplace, marketplace, and community, she said.

“These offer a value chain approach to promote women’s empowerment where it would help raise your company’s understanding on how can you really make a transformational change not just in your business operations, but in how you manage your people, how would you would enhance your business operations, and how would you communicate that and expand that communication in such a way that you would be able to link to other bigger organizations and companies,” she added.