RNS Insurance Brokers and Consultants, Guyana’s first female-owned insurance brokerage, has adopted the United Nations (UN) Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as part of its commitment to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
RNS General Manager, Ramona Singh, signed the Women’s Empowerment principles (WEPs) on December 5, 2022, and was congratulated by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
Singh shared that she is delighted to sign these principles, and will be implementing them in the organisation.
“We are delighted to sign up to these principles, and will be implementing them with concrete actions and organisational policies geared to empower the women in our workplace and community. To begin, we are joining other WEP signatories in Guyana in implementing a Domestic Violence Workplace Policy to help reduce the overall incidence of this issue nationally.”
“As a growing company, we will also work with our vendors and suppliers in encouraging them to embrace Gender Equality as part of their corporate goals,” Singh shared.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous has congratulated RNS Insurance Brokers and Consultants for taking the first step on their WEPs journey. She added the Un considers RNS as a key partner in closing gender gaps in the workplace, marketplace and community, and in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).
RNS Insurance Brokers was also acknowledged for its commitment by the Executive Director of UN Global Compact, another lead partner in the WEPs. UN Global Compact Executive Director Sandia Ojambo shared that, “For over a decade, the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) have helped companies accelerate gender equality and advance women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. With women representing half of the world’s population yet remaining under-represented in business, the WEPs provide the necessary roadmap to break down barriers to women’s economic empowerment. I welcome you to this growing community of signatories, and thank you for using the WEPs as a guide on your journey to sustainability, to lead and shape the path towards a more equitable world, where women and girls thrive.
“With one of the themes for International Women’s Day 2023 being #EmbraceEquity, we felt today was opportune to announce our participation in the UN Women’s programme as a Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatory. I have personally always been an advocate for a level playing field so all women and men can do well, and as the founder of my company, I intend to grow and expand with these Principles as guidelines as we drive profitable and sustainable growth,” Singh added.
RNS Insurance Brokers and Consultants has joined the cadre of other WEPs signatories in Guyana, which include Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Cerulean Inc, Nations School of Business, Caribbean Container Inc, and Denmor Garments among others.
UN Women introduced these companies to the WEPs under the Spotlight Initiative in Guyana, which is being implemented in partnership with the European Union. The Spotlight Initiative (SI) is a global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). This project within Spotlight leverages the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to support the Private Sector in reducing and eventually eliminating spillovers of domestic violence from the home into the workplace, and vice-versa.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) guide businesses on how to promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
Jointly established by the UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs are underpinned by international labour standards and human rights, and by the recognition that businesses have an important role to play in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Adopting the seven principles is the best way that businesses can deliver on the ambitions for gender equality and women’s empowerment, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and in the 17 SDGs.
