Ringing the Bell for Gender Equality at the Bombay Stock Exchange

To mark International Women’s Day, UN Women Representative Dr. Rebecca Tavares joined leaders of industry at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai on 9 March to ‘Ring the Bell’ for Gender Equality. ‘Ring The Bell’ is a call to action for businesses to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality. It is a global initiative by UN Women together with UN Global Compact and Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative.

Addressing the invitees, Dr. Tavares said it was important to recognize women in the mission statements and policies of businesses. “Women don’t need privileges but an enabling environment to rise to their potential,” she added. She also spoke about the Women’s Empowerment Principles, which provide a set of guidelines to help the business sector promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Fluor Daniel India, a leading multinational engineering and construction firm in India, signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles at the event, signalling its support for gender equality. Amongst the panelists was Deena Mehta, the first woman director on the board of Bombay Stock Exchange and also its first woman president. The other panelists – Ashish Kumar Chauhan, MD and CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange, and Arun Kumar Jain, Managing Director, Fluor Daniel India – highlighted the pivotal role of the private sector in empowering women.

The event also saw a number of attendees signing up for HeForShe – UN Women’s solidarity campaign for gender equality.