The United Nations Women and the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK) are ramping up cooperation to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the private sector, according to the U.N. Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality in Seoul, Friday.
As part of collaborative efforts, U.N. Women, together with the BCCK and the British Embassy in Seoul, launched the second year of the “EMPOWER” program on Monday. Since its inception in 2023, the program has effectively offered mid-career women in Korea valuable networking and capacity-building opportunities.
The launching ceremony, held at the British embassy, gathered around 100 participants, including British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks and BCCK Executive Director Lucinda Walker. Prior to the ceremony, 18 participants of the group held a workshop where they discussed future plans on how to develop the EMPOWER program.
“This year, U.N. Women and the BCCK will work together to ensure that participants not only empower themselves but also transform their workplaces to support the success of other women,” the U.N. organization said in a statement.
In the coming months, the two sides will undertake various activities to ensure that empowered women continue to thrive within their organizations, which would involve influencing business leaders to support gender-inclusive initiatives.
On May 2, U.N. Women and BCCK signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on various strategic initiatives aimed at empowering women in Korean businesses and fostering gender equality in workplaces.
This collaboration aims to create a platform to achieve the mutual goals of U.N. Women and the private sector for sustainable development, given the influential role and extensive network of BCCK in the private sector.
“The U.N. Women’s Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) provide us with the tools to empower ourselves and others. We are honored to partner with such a prestigious and effective organization,” the BCCK executive director said during the signing ceremony.
Lee Jong-shim, director of the U.N. Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, said, “We appreciate the leadership and commitment 토토 of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea. The centre is delighted to embark on this journey together with the chamber to make a positive impact on the private sector for gender equality.”