Essence President Michelle Ebanks Joins UN Women, Global Innovation Coalition For Change In Launch Of Gender Innovation Principles
(New York, 7 September 2018)—Today, the Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC), a unique alliance with 27 partners from private sector, non-profit organizations and academic institutions, facilitated by UN Women to develop the innovation market to work better for women and to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment, is launching a set of global standards called the “Gender Innovation Principles”. The Principles aim to take a gender-responsive approach to innovation and technology.
After a year-long process, GICC established the ambitious Principles to help guide organizations toward including women and women’s needs throughout the various phases in the innovation lifecycle, such as design, implementation and evaluation.
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Last week, Michelle M. Ebanks, President of Essence Communications Inc., was just one of several movers and shakers in the business world who participated in UN Women’s and Global Innovation Coalition for Change’s launch of “Gender Innovation Principles,” which are a gender-responsive approach to innovation and technology.
The Principles include:
Principle 1. Make a high-level corporate commitment to adopt a gender-responsive approach to innovation
Principle 2. Design innovations that include women as end users
Principle 3. Adopt an adaptive approach to implementation to ensure innovations are gender-responsive and meet the needs of women
Principle 4. Evaluate the gender-responsive impact using a data-driven approach
Principle 5. Scale innovations that provide sustainable solutions to meet the needs of women and girls
Ebanks, along with UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, fashion designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Global Ambassador of international non-profit The Unmentionables Kimora Lee Simmons, Global Deputy Vice Chair of Transaction Advisory Services at EY Julie Hood, and former NFL player and Corporate Inclusion and Culture Advisor Wade Davis II, were speakers at the ceremony to commemorate the launch of the Principles.
“EY is proud to be at the forefront of developing the gender innovation principles with UN Women to promote gender equality through innovation. Reducing inequality—especially at a time of turbo-charged technological disruption—is a business priority, and the principles provide a platform for businesses to benchmark themselves and work towards better outcomes. As a father and a business leader, I believe we all need to support ways to help build a better working world,” said Steve Krouskos, Global Vice Chair of Transaction Advisory Services of EY, who led the workstream to develop the Gender Innovations Principles.
To learn more about the Principles visit www.giccprinciples.org.
