On October 31, 2025, the workshop “Gender Equality: at the center of corporate action. Socialization of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP’s)”. This meeting, led by the IKI Interface project together with key allies such as UN Women, Global Compact and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente), brought together leading representatives of the industrial sector, banking, academia and various projects of the IKI Colombia network.
The central objective of the workshop was to demonstrate how the strategic integration of gender equity is not only a social imperative, but a key driver for competitiveness, climate risk management and business sustainability.
The WEP’s Principles: Roadmap for Competitiveness
The day opened with a joint presentation by UN Women and the Global Compact, who highlighted the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as a key strategic tool. These principles not only establish the roadmap for the design and implementation of inclusive policies and practices in the corporate sector, but also facilitate the creation of solid action plans with measurable performance indicators. Their value lies in promoting systematic self-assessment of the company’s approach to gender equality, thus enabling accurate identification of gaps and the consequent development of a robust and effective WEP’s action plan.
The triple value of promoting gender equality was highlighted: it is good for society, it boosts the economy and it benefits everyone within the organization. In addition to detailing the seven fundamental principles, the six key steps for companies to adopt the WEP’s, the concrete benefits they obtain by adhering and the tools they have at their disposal to start on this path were explained.
Learn more about the WEP Principles here:
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WEPs GAT Tool – Home
The National Framework: Gender and Climate in Colombia
The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development presented Colombia’s Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (PAGCC). This section was crucial to contextualize the role of the private sector within public policy. MinAmbiente shared the objectives, guiding principles and priority areas of the Plan, emphasizing the sectoral actions under the responsibility of the different ministerial portfolios. It was emphasized how inter-institutional coordination seeks to strengthen the country’s capacities and, in particular, the strategies to support rural women’s organizations that care for the environment were presented.
Consult the PAGCC and other gender and climate change tools here:
Gender and Climate Change Toolkit –
Sustainable Leadership and Inclusion: From Theory to Practice
The closing of the day was in charge of the consulting firm Equilátera with the presentation “Human Diversities: the new equation of sustainable and inclusive leadership”.
This intervention focused on practical implementation, sharing the results of a study on the organizational maturity of the food and beverage sector regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. After presenting representative figures of the current state of the industry sector, key concepts such as the “invisibility vortex” (one of the biggest obstacles to equity) were addressed and concrete tools and strategies for companies to build institutional coherence in DEI were shared.
Access the Equilátera diagnostic tool here.
The workshop reinforced the idea that effective corporate action on climate change and biodiversity must be comprehensive and inclusive. The integration of the gender approach, guided by international standards such as the WEP’s and framed in the national policy of the PAGCC, not only mitigates risks, but also enhances sustainable leadership and resilience of the Colombian business sector.
See the complete presentations of the event here