In 2019, Mary Kay joined forces with six United Nations agencies to form a groundbreaking multi-stakeholder partnership: the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator also known as “WEA” with a mission focused on alleviating the barriers to women’s entrepreneurship.
IMPACT OF THE WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACCELERATOR
Since the launch, WEA has engaged:
- 600,000+ WOMEN through 32 programs, trainings and activities and sensitized over seven million people to its mission.
- 110+ PARTNERS in global and regional high-level events and programs.
MARY KAY JOINS WEPS IN THE ASIA PACIFIC
On 2023 International Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, Mary Kay Asia Pacific region joined the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The WEPs provide a holistic framework for companies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community and drive positive outcomes for society and business. In celebration, Mary Kay China released its first-ever WEPs report titled, “Thinking Like a Woman.”
Recognition: In November 2023, Mary Kay received a Gender Equality Award from the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) for the SDG Pilot Village Project in Waipula, China, launched in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2017.
WEA DIGITAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE
The objective of the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge was to build an enabling context for women entrepreneurs by addressing the barriers to women’s entrepreneurship, including the digital gender divide, complementing the theme of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) on innovation and technology from a gender perspective.
In March 2023, on the sidelines of CSW67, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Mary Kay Global, announced the ten winning companies of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) Digital Innovation Challenge at a packed event hosted at the New York City MetLife headquarters.
In attendance were representatives of the United Nations, the private sector, investors, and civil society organizations.
By the numbers:
- 250 submissions from women-owned and -led startups received by International Telecommunication Union
- 54 countries represented
- 10 digital best practices selected
- Three special winners announced by Mary Kay during the Commission on Status of Women (CSW67)
Three startups, Tiny Totos, Gwiji for Women, and Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx), were awarded Special Recognition status for their best-practice innovations.
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