How the private sector can help women’s empowerment and peace

Social responsibility is a growing force in corporate decision making. To remain relevant, businesses know they must act on the issues that people care about, including gender equality. In 2010, for example, the Coca-Cola Company committed to economically empower five million women across its global value chain over the coming decade. Grocery giant Walmart has taken similar steps to tackle gender injustice, promoting inclusive policies throughout its retail, staffing, and supply chain operations.

These are welcome moves — but in the context of women’s empowerment and peace and security, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done. 

Multinational corporations are often perceived to be “part of the problem,” Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, told Security Council members on International Women’s Day (March 8), while calling for more engagement, greater accountability, and shared responsibility. This image isn’t restricted to extractive industries and large agribusinesses, but also technology companies and social media platforms, among others. 

There are a variety of ways in which private companies, knowingly or unknowingly, can exacerbate — or even profit from — conflict situations. Their supply chains may run through war-torn regions, resulting in a flow of funds, however unintentionally, to combatant groups. More directly, military equipment manufacturers, energy suppliers, and media outlets can profit by providing services to parties involved in violence. Deliberate or not, corporate activity has the power to prolong conflicts — and thus disproportionately damage the lives of women and girls. 

Private sector actors do have the means to make a major difference to women’s economic inclusion in conflict and post-conflict settings, however, particularly in developing countries, where they provide 9 out of 10 jobs. Yet, regrettably, the political will isn’t always there to facilitate partnerships with private companies. Changing this requires more engagement, greater accountability, and a fresh sense of shared responsibility.