PROCTER & Gamble (P&G) on Tuesday announced a new commitment around a number of initiatives that will promote gender equality across the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) region. The declaration, which was made by P&G's IMEA and APAC President Magesvaran Suranjan during the company's inaugural #WeSeeEqual Summit in partnership with UN Women in Mumbai, is part of the company's citizenship focus on being a Force for Good and Force for Growth. "Gender equality is a core belief at P&G. Creating a world free of bias with equal representation and equal voice for everyone is both the right thing to do and the right business choice," said Magesvaran Suranjan. "We also want to spark conversations and change mind sets as champions for the cause of gender equality across the region. We will leverage the full strengths of our business and operations, and our advertising voice to tackle gender bias and encourage women's economic empowerment." Over the next 3 years, P&G aims to spend $100 million on deliberately working with Women-Owned Businesses in IMEA; will educate more than 23 million. adolescent girls on puberty and hygiene across IMEA P&G and its brands will use the company's voice in forums such as the #WeSeeEqual Summit, brand advertising like Ariel, Whisper, Always & Gillette and multi-stakeholder efforts to spark conversation and motivate change Co-hosted with UN Women, P&G's first IMEA #WeSeeEqual Summit brought together business and government leaders, and influencers to share inspiration and surface insights around the myths that prevent us from accelerating our progress for gender equality. Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, said "To get irreversible progress in gender equality takes sustained, intentional action. We need to work together on this wherever those inequalities are present - in schools and offices; in the media; in sports arenas, farms, factories and houses of parliament. We're driving for practical changes, like supply chain agreements that bring good business to women-owned companies, at the same time as we change the narratives about the place and power of girls and women in society – so they are both seen and treated as equals."
