Attachments
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which established the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Despite the steady progress that both initiatives have made over the past two decades, the links between the two remain underexplored, and the potential of the private sector in advancing the WPS agenda remains largely untapped.
As the world is facing unprecedented humanitarian crises exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic1 , there is opportunity for the private sector to play an important role in recognising women’s contributions to sustainable development, economic growth, and peace and security.
By investing in women, contributions from the private sector can ultimately complement efforts to achieve not only the WPS agenda, but also the Sustainable Development Goals.
Investing in the WPS agenda can not only provide the foundation for accelerated social and economic development, but also drive business advantages. It makes business sense to put women’s interests at the core of business models and practices. Stable and sustainable communities - and, by extension, business environments - can only exist if the fundamental rights of more than half of the world’s population are protected and respected by all stakeholders.
Women, Peace and Security: Guidance for Business builds on existing frameworks such as the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Women’s Empowerment Principles, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This guide explains the role companies can play in contributing to the achievement of the key pillars of the WPS agenda, particularly in relation to women’s economic empowerment in fragile and conflict-affected areas. It highlights the need to scale efforts to make progress towards WPS by involving business actors in this important global agenda and encouraging them to apply a gender lens to responsible business in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
This guide opens with context-setting on the relationships between business, peace, security, and gender equality and the presentation of the business case for promoting the WPS agenda. It also illustrates a holistic approach that encompasses actions to respect women’s rights by following relevant global frameworks which emphasise the responsibility of business to “do no harm”. In addition, it provides suggestions for additional positive actions companies can take in support of the WPS agenda, including core business activities, strategic social investments and philanthropy, rightsholdercentred advocacy and public policy engagement, and partnerships and other collective action. Examples are included throughout the guide to illustrate the types of engagement companies can undertake in support of the WPS agenda.
Finally, this guide recommends that businesses take a two-pronged approach to enabling the WPS agenda.
Firstly, companies should do no harm to women in fragile and conflict-affected areas by following the relevant responsible business frameworks and conducting heightened human rights due diligence.
Secondly, once this pre-requisite has been fulfilled, companies can do good by enacting additional actions in support of the WPS agenda.