For the second year running, UN Women National Committee (NC) Australia is delighted to be Good2Give’s workplace giving charity partner for the month of March. March is the perfect time to put a spotlight on the work we do supporting UN Women’s global agenda of gender equality and women’s empowerment, given our International Women’s Day campaigns across Australia are in full swing.

UN Women is the United Nations entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment, which operates programs and transforms policy in more than 100 countries worldwide. UN Women NC Australia is the fundraising and advocacy arm of UN Women here in Australia. UN Women’s approach is unique in that it harnesses the power of both policy makers and grassroots activists to change systems and strengthen evidence-based programs to create equal opportunities for everyone to lead, learn, earn a decent living and live lives free from violence and discrimination.

Sadly, there is still no country in the world that has achieved gender equality, but at UN Women, we’ve set a deadline to change that: Planet 50/50 by 2030 – as a part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. We must be tenacious in our commitment to end gender inequality.

Why is this important?

When women’s voices, ideas and points of view – from the workplace to politics, at home or in society as a whole – are excluded, the world loses half its power. When they’re included, there are countless benefits – benefits to everyone, not just women, with flow on effects to business, families and communities. For example:

1. Where there is more gender equality, there is more peace and stability.[1]
2. Advancing gender equality and closing the workforce participation gap would inject billions of dollars into Australia’s economy.[2]
3. Organizations ranked in the top 25% when it comes to gender diversity among executive leadership teams were more likely to outperform on profitability (21%) and value creation (27%)[3]

Gender equality is good for business and communities, and is the right thing to do. Everybody makes choices daily, to stamp out discrimination or tolerate inappropriate behaviour; to lift up opportunities for women and girls to be leaders alongside men and boys; to listen. Which choice will you make, in your business, and in everyday life?

This year, UN Women NC Australia’s International Women’s Day theme is More Powerful Together — shining a light on the importance of collaborating across that which sometimes divides us – whether that be our race, faith, gender, age or political affiliation – to advance a gender equal world.

Show the world that you believe that we are #MorePowerfulTogether, by joining forces with the largest global movement for gender equality and becoming a monthly supporter of UN Women NC Australia.

Here’s one concrete example of UN Women working across divides to accelerate change: Sanap Wantaim is a UN Women program and solidarity campaign established to rally men and boys to stand alongside women and girls as partners, to stand together for a safe Papua New Guinea, advancing gender equality and mutual respect. It is driven largely by youth and has reached over 200,000 people around Port Moresby since its launch in 2016. Sanap Wantaim means ‘Stand Together’. Sanap Wantaim youth advocates are organising, educating and changing hearts, minds and importantly behaviour, to end violence and discrimination against women and girls.

Sanap Wantaim is a long-term initiative that is driving norms, attitude and behaviour change in a place where 2 in 3 women experience violence in their lifetime – double the already unacceptable global average. And Sanap Wantaim is positioned to expand beyond Port Moresby in the coming year, with your help.

To sustain programs like these, UN Women NC Australia needs long-term investment. And that’s where you come in. The argument for gender equality is clear. We need more partners – from business, from community, from every facet of society – willing to give a little, on an ongoing basis, to help us achieve Planet 50/50 by 2030. Are you in?

Support UN Women NC Australia this International Women’s Day – your monthly gift can improve the lives of women and girls today.

If you have workplace giving you can donate to UN Women’s International Women’s Day appeal by searching for #IWD2019.

Learn more about UN Women NC Australia by following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, or by visiting our website, www.unwomen.org.au

[1] http://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/can-gender-equality-prevent-violent-conflict

[2] The Australian economy could increase 12%, or by a massive $US225 billion a year ($297 billion at current exchange rates), if we could advance women’s equality, according to McKinsey Global Institute’s latest research published in April 2018. https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/economy/mckinsey-research-equality-women-boost-economy-12/

[3] The authors measured profitability by average EBIT margin and value creation by economic profit (EP) margin. Vivian Hunt, Sara Prince, Sundiatu Dixon-Fryle, and Lareina Yee, Delivering Through Diversity (McKinsey & Company,  2018). https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Organization/Our%20Insights/Delivering%20through%20diversity/Delivering-through-diversity_full-report.ashx