A spotlight on women's economic empowerment

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I was at the United Nations in New York to mark the publication of the first report by the UN Secretary General's High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The highlight of this momentous and inspiring event was a standing ovation for Ban Ki-moon after he passionately declared himself a feminist - the first Secretary-General to publicly do so.

The High-Level Panel report focuses on action - on what it will take to make economic equality a reality for billions of women across the globe. When it comes to the question of ‘what works?’, we have plenty to say. Below are just some of the stories of transformation we see every day in our work.

But we are determined to go even further. Which is why I made a pledge to the UN that will commit the Foundation to working even harder to transform the lives of more women entrepreneurs. We hope you will support our mission.

Best wishes,
Clare

Clare Twelvetrees
Interim CEO

Our work

Skilling for Change video

Take a look at our short film telling the stories of four women from our project with Accenture and CARE International in Rwanda. The project has trained over 16,000 women, 96% of whom have sustained or increased their business revenue as a result.

Watch the video

Sofia's story

Sofia runs a business which supports local artisans to supply their products to the Mexican tourist industry. With support from her mentor Katy, from Marsh & McLennan Companies, Sofia has grown her enterprise and is now helping over 100 artisans to secure a sustainable income.

Unleashing women's power

Stronger businesses. Better nutrition. Improved education. Find out more about the impact of our enterprise development project in Tanzania, in collaboration with the ExxonMobil Foundation and the Tanzania Gatsby Trust.

Learn more

Get involved

Share your expertise

To advance peace, sustainable development and business growth, the private sector must unlock the full potential of women as agents of change and respond to gender-specific needs in conflict situations.

Is your company operating in a high risk or conflict-affected area? If so, the United Nations Global Compact is interested in how you are applying a gender lens to your business practices.

Submit an example

The Foundation in the news

Am I hopeful about gender equality? Absolutely. Read Cherie's latest op-ed - Medium

Highlighting our work in Africa - our Founder talks to CNBC Africa

Balancing women's rights with their responsibilities - Oxfam Policy and Practice blog

Cherie named as one of London's most influential equality champions - Evening Standard

On our radar

In one industry the glass ceiling has already been shattered - World Economic Forum

Gender gap costs sub-Saharan Africa $95 billion a year - Bloomberg

Five myths about global women's economic empowerment - the Guardian

'Girls in the Garage' - a video about two budding entrepreneurs challenging stereotypes - USAID

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Collaborate with us

Our work is only made possible through collaboration with partner organisations and the support of individuals, private sector partners, trusts, institutions, foundations and others who give their time, expertise and funding. Find out more about our donors and partners.

If you would like to find out more about how you can support our work, please contact our Fundraising and Partnerships Director Laura Stebbing.

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