AIWF, an NGO Global Member of the UN Global Compact, submitted its second Communication on Engagement in September 2018, pledging to honour and uphold the Global Compact Ten Principles in its mission, partnerships and activities
The Arab International Women’s Forum was proud to submit its second Communication on Engagement as an NGO Global Member to the UN Global Compact in September 2018. The report outlined AIWF’s activities in the two-year reporting period (October 2016 – September 2018) and confirmed AIWF’s continued and longstanding support of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact with respect to human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
With this commitment, AIWF expresses its utmost dedication to advancing these Principles within its broad and international sphere of influence, and to making a clear statement of support to its stakeholders, its partners in the public, private and civil sectors, and its members. AIWF pledges to continue our participation and engagement with the activities and values of the UN Global Compact and was therefore pleased to produce a substantial progress report covering the programmes and initiatives of AIWF that have supported the values of the UN Global Compact in the period of engagement, especially in the areas of women’s and youth empowerment, economic opportunity for all, and addressing some of the Arab world’s most critical development challenges, including water scarcity, food insecurity and youth unemployment.
Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder & Chairman of the Arab International Women’s Forum, said: “AIWF was proud to present its report, which featured a full and detailed summary of many of our initiatives and engagements in the reporting period of 2016 – 2018 that are aligned with our commitment to the UN Global Compact Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as a concise summary of all AIWF programmes and activities from 2001 – 2018. AIWF looks forward to advancing our call for women and youth to be real drivers of change in the Arab region. Through public-private partnerships and international co-operation, seeking improvements in institutional support and legal frameworks to provide increased opportunities for women and youth in business and in economic and political life, we can meet the challenges of the Arab region head on.”
The UN Global Compact Principles most closely aligned with the work of AIWF in this reporting period were:
Principle 1 (‘Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights’);
Principle 6 (‘Businesses should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation’);
Principle 7 (‘Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges’);
Principle 8 (‘Businesses should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility’);
Principle 9 (‘Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies’); and
Principle 10 (‘Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery’)
The key events reported on within the period of engagement which upheld AIWF’s commitment to its NGO Global Membership of the UN Global Compact were:
26-27 September 2018: AIWF / CMI Women, Water & Youth Conference held in Amman, Jordan in partnership with the CMI, the Union of Arab Chambers, PepsiCo, PwC and CIHEAM-Bari, examining critical intersectional development challenges of water scarcity and food security, women’s economic participation and youth unemployment.
10 July 2018: AIWF Special Reception held in Beirut, Lebanon in honour of Saroj Kumar Jha, Regional Director of the Mashreq at the World Bank, highlighting key World Bank investment initiatives for Lebanon as announced at the CEDRE Conference in Paris in April 2018.
11 December 2017: 10th Young Arab Women Leaders Conference on Women-Led Innovation in STEM held in London at the Royal Academy of Engineering in continued partnership with PwC, with the Royal Academy as Host Partner, and with the valued partnership of the World Bank, PepsiCo and Shell.
19 September 2017: IBA / AIWF Women Business Lawyers Initiative, a third and highly successful joint one-day seminar by the IBA and AIWF on Advancing gender diversity in law and the professions, held in partnership with AIWF Global Partner Boodle Hatfield.
18 April 2017: 9th Young Arab Women Leaders Conference held in Morocco on Women in Sustainable Agriculture, with the valued support of PepsiCo and in continued partnership with PwC Middle East, examining opportunities for Moroccan women’s leadership in agribusiness, digital entrepreneurship and public life.
The full progress report can be accessed on the Arab International Women’s Forum page on the UN Global Compact Website. The 2018 progress report will be followed by further reporting within two years, and every two years thereafter in accordance with the UN Global Compact CoE Policy.
