CORRECTED: UN Global Compact joins partners to ring the bell for gender equality at more than 100 stock exchanges

New York, NY, March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CORRECTION: In the original version of this announcement issued earlier today, the locations of a number of stock exchanges were incorrectly listed. Please find an updated and corrected list of participating exchanges and organizations below. Please also note the total number has increased to 105.

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 2 March 2021 — For the seventh consecutive year, the UN Global Compact will participate in Ring the Bell for Gender Equality — a collaboration of stock exchanges around the world ringing opening or closing bells to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March and promote the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

The initiative is a partnership between the UN Global Compact, IFC, Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, UN Women, the World Federation of Exchanges and Women in ETFs to draw attention to women’s economic empowerment, and the opportunities for the private sector to advance gender equality and sustainable development.

Stock exchanges around the world are working with investors and businesses to take practical action to advance gender equality through listing requirements, voluntary guidance documents, investment products, internal policies and training and awareness raising. In March 2020, 77 exchanges rang their bells for gender equality. This year more than 100 stock exchanges are participating in the initiative and local partners are hosting virtual events around the world where in-person ringings are not safe due to the ongoing pandemic.

Ring the Bell for Gender Equality events around the world encourage participants to scale-up efforts to achieve gender equality in their markets, industries and organizations by adopting and implementing the Women's Empowerment Principles. A joint initiative of the UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs provide a holistic roadmap to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Private sector, civil society, Governments and the UN are working together to achieve gender equality targets and the other Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Commenting on the initiative, Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact said: “The Covid-19 pandemic risks reversing progress towards greater gender equality. I hope this year’s Ring the Bell for Gender Equality reminds business leaders that gender equality is a key driver of financial success and must be central to our efforts to build back better from this difficult time.”

This year, UN Women’s theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’. This theme directly aligns with the work of the UN Global Compact on gender including the WEPs , which more than 4,500 CEOs have signed, as well as a successful first year of the Target Gender Equality accelerator programme.

For more information, contact media@unglobalcompact.org

Here is a list of participating exchanges and organisations:

Exchange/Organisation	Date of Event
Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos (BYMA)	11-Mar
Armenia Securities Exchange	TBD
Australian Securities Exchange	08-Mar
Chi-X Australia	TBD
Sydney Stock Exchange	04-Mar
Wiener Börse	08-Mar
Baku Stock Exchange	09-Mar
Bahrain Bourse	08-Mar
Dhaka Stock Exchange Ltd	14-Mar
Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange	05-Mar
Euronext Brussels	08-Mar
Banja Luka Stock Exchange	TBD
Botswana Stock Exchange	08-Mar
B3 - Brasil Bolsa Balcão	08-Mar
Bulgarian Stock Exchange	08-Mar
NEO Exchange	08-Mar
Toronto Stock Exchange	12-Mar
Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago	09-Mar
Shanghai Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Shenzhen Stock Exchange	05-Mar
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing	08-Mar (TBC)
Taipei Exchange	TBD
Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp.	TBD
Bolsa de Valores de Colombia	09-Mar
Bolsa Nacional de Valores	11-Mar
Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières S.A.	08-Mar
Zagreb Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Nasdaq Copenhagen	08-Mar
Bolsa de Valores de Quito	09-Mar
The Egyptian Exchange	09-Mar
Nasdaq Helsinki	08-Mar
Euronext Paris	08-Mar
Georgian Stock Exchange	10-Mar
Deutsche Börse AG	08-Mar
Ghana Stock Exchange	10-Mar
Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX)	08-Mar
The National Stock Exchange	TBD
Bolsa de Valores Honduras	12-Mar
Nasdaq Iceland	08-Mar
Bombay Stock Exchange	08-Mar
National Stock Exchange of India Limited	08-Mar
Indonesia Stock Exchange	09-Mar
Tehran Stock Exchange	Last 2 days
Euronext Dublin	08-Mar
Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Borsa Italiana	08-Mar
Jamaica Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Japan Exchange Group, Inc.	08-Mar
Amman Stock Exchange	TBD
Kazakhstan Stock Exchange	05-Mar
Nairobi Securities Exchange	11-Mar
Boursa Kuwait	08-Mar
Kyrgyz Stock Exchange CJSC	10-Mar
Beirut Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Luxembourg Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Macedonian Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Bursa Malaysia	08-Mar
Malta Stock Exchange	08-Mar
BIVA (Bolsa Institucional de Valores)	08-Mar
Bolsa Mexicana de Valores	09-Mar
Bourse de Casablanca	TBD
Namibian Stock Exchange	TBD
Nepal Stock Exchange Limited	TBD
Euronext Amsterdam	08-Mar
NZX Limited	08-Mar
FMDQ Securities Exchange PLC	08-Mar
Nigerian Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Oslo Børs	08-Mar
Pakistan Stock Exchange	TBD
Palestine Exchange	10-Mar
Bolsa de Valores y Productos de Assuncion S.A.	TBD
Bolsa de Valores de Panama S.A.	10-Mar
Bolsa de Valores de Lima	TBD
The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc.	08-Mar
Warsaw Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Euronext Lisbon	08-Mar
Qatar Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Bucharest Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Moscow Exchange	9-10 March
Rwanda Stock Exchange	TBD
Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)	08-Mar
Belgrade Stock Exchange	11-Mar
Singapore Exchange	08-Mar
Johannesburg Stock Exchange	08-Mar
BME - Bolsas y Mercados Españoles	08-Mar
Colombo Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Nasdaq Stockholm	08-Mar
SIX Swiss Exchange	08-Mar
Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Stock Exchange of Thailand	08-Mar
Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange	8-9 or 10 Mar
Tunis Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Uganda Securities Exchange	TBD
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange	08-Mar
Dubai Financial Market	08-Mar
Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange	08-Mar
Aquis Exchange PLC	08-Mar
London Stock Exchange Group	08-Mar
Bolsa de Valores de Montevideo	05-Mar
Cboe Global Markets	08-Mar
Intercontinental Exchange | NYSE	04-Mar
Nasdaq - US	01-Mar
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC)	08-Mar
Hochiminh Stock Exchange	08-Mar
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange	08-Mar

About the Partner Organisations:

United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.

Women in ETFs (WE)

Women in ETFs is the first women’s group for the ETF industry. Founded in January 2014, WE is a non-profit organization that brings together over 5,600 members, including women and men, in chapters in major financial centers across the United States, Canada, EMEA and Asia Pacific to: 1) CONNECT: Create opportunities for professional advancement of women by expanding connections among women and men in the ETF industry; 2) SUPPORT: Offer guidance for the current and next generation of women in ETFs and 3) INSPIRE: WE achieves this by organizing events at our chapters globally that support our goals of education, networking, philanthropy and idea sharing across the industry and beyond.

For more information, visit: www.womeninetfs.com to learn more, join, or sponsor. Follow us on Twitter: @WomeninETFs and on Linkedin: Women in ETFs

About IFC

IFC – a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group – is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2020, we invested more than $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

The Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative

The SSE initiative is a peer-to-peer learning platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, regulators, and companies, can enhance corporate transparency - and ultimately performance - on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment. The SSE initiative is convened by four organizations - the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Global Compact, the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). To learn more about becoming a Partner Stock Exchange or participating as a regulator or investor, visit sseinitiative.org Follow us on Twitter: @sseinitiative

United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on four strategic priorities: Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems; Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy; All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence; Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality. Learn more at: http://www.unwomen.org and https://www.empowerwomen.org/en/weps/about. Follow us on Twitter @UN_Women @Empower_Women and on LinkedIn: UN Women

The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE):

Established in 1961, the WFE is the global industry association for exchanges and clearing houses. Headquartered in London, it represents over 250 market infrastructure providers, including standalone CCPs that are not part of exchange groups. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE’s 57 member CCPs collectively ensure that risk takers post some $800bn (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, meanwhile, are home to nearly 48,000 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is over $74.4 trillion (at end 2018); around $95 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through the infrastructures WFE members safeguard (at end 2018). The WFE is the definitive source for exchange-traded statistics, and publishes over 350 market data indicators. Its free statistics database stretches back more than 40 years, and provides information and insight into developments on global exchanges. The WFE works with standard-setters, policy makers, regulators and government organisations around the world to support and promote the development of fair, transparent, stable and efficient markets. The WFE shares regulatory authorities’ goals of ensuring the safety and soundness of the global financial system. With extensive experience of developing and enforcing high standards of conduct, the WFE and its members support an orderly, secure, fair and transparent environment for investors; for companies that raise capital; and for all who deal with financial risk. We seek outcomes that maximise the common good, consumer confidence and economic growth. And we engage with policy makers and regulators in an open, collaborative way, reflecting the central, public role that exchanges and CCPs play in a globally integrated financial system. Follow us on Twitter @TheWFE and LinkedIn: The World Federation of Exchanges.

CONTACT: UN Global Compact Media United Nations Global Compact (212) 907-1301 media@unglobalcompact.org