UN Women’s global Ring the Bell for Gender Equality partners

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This report was prepared by Anna Falth and Mihwa Park at the Women’s
Empowerment Principles Secretariat at UN Women HQ with substantive
contributions from UN Women regional and country offices, and UN Women
National Committees. UN Women is grateful to the collaboration with theglobal Ring the Bell for Gender Equality partners (IFC, UN Sustainable Stock
Exchange Initiative, UN Global Compact, and the World Federation of Exchanges)
and participating exchanges across the world.
Design: Oliver Gantner

Table of contents
Introduction

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

Introduction

2

The 2023 bell ringing symphony6

1. Argentina

7

17. Guatemala

23

33. Palestine40

2. Armenia

8

18. Iceland24

34. Panama

41

3. Australia

919. India

25

35. Philippines

42

4. Austria

10

20. Indonesia

26

36. Portugal

43

5. Bahrain

11

21. Jamaica

27

37. Rwanda

44

6. Bangladesh

12

22. Jordan

28

38. South Africa

45

7. Bolivia

13

23. Kazakhstan

29

39. South Korea

46

8. Brazil

14

24. Kenya

30

40. Sri Lanka

47

9. Costa Rica

15

25. Kuwait

31

41. Thailand

48

10. Cote d’Ivoire

16

26. Kyrgyzstan

32

42. Tajikistan

49

11. Ecuador

17

27. Malaysia

33

43. United Arab Emirates

50

12. Egypt

18

28. Mexico

34

44. United Kingdom

51

13. El Salvador

19

29. Nepal

36

45. United States of America

52

14. Finland

20

30. Netherlands

37

46. Uruguay

53

15. Georgia

21

31. Nigeria

38

47. Viet Nam

54

16. Germany

22

32. Pakistan

391

Introduction

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

In celebration of 2023 International Women’s Day,
UN Women co-organized Ring the Bell for Gender Equality(RTB) for the ninth consecutive year in collaboration with
the International Finance Corporation (IFC), UN Global
Compact (UNGC), UN Sustainable Stock Exchange
Initiative (SSE), and the World Federation of Exchanges(WFE) (“the RTB partners”).

Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2023

In line with the theme of International Women’s Day(IWD), the theme of this year’s RTB was Innovation andTechnology for Gender Equality. The event was celebrated
by 117 exchanges and central counterparty clearing houses
from 97 different countries, up from just seven exchanges
eight years ago. For the full list of participating exchanges
see here.

The events celebrated achievements of the private sector
in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Showcasing
their incredibly influential roles in setting the bar for listedcompanies to contribute to gender equality, many stock
exchanges had adopted gender standards for listed firms
and encouraged women to invest in public markets.

The 117 RTB events across the world represented an
opportunity for RTB partners to raise awareness of genderequality and sustainable development in the private sector,
and the 2023 IWD theme “Innovation and technology forgender equality.”2

In addition to the bell ringing ceremony, many of the
RTB events also included panel discussions with experts
from various sectors focusing on women’s economic andfinancial inclusion, as well as on women’s empowerment
in digital transformation – given this year’s IWD theme.
Through this global event, the private sector reassured
their commitments to and pivotal role for advancing
gender equality and the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). As of March 2023, 35
exchanges are now signatories to the WEPs as part oftheir commitment to promoting gender equality – anincrease of 25 exchanges since 2019.

This year’s theme: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality
This year’s RTB theme was “Innovation and technology for Gender Equality”, in line with the IWD theme
and the priority theme of the 2023 session of the Commission on the Status of Women, emphasizing thattechnology and innovation are essential for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

Globally, 37 per cent of women do not use the internet, with 259 million fewer women accessing the internet
than men.1 Removing barriers to access, skills development and leadership in technology and innovation
for women and girls can have profound impact on their access to life-long education, and health-careservices– especially for those in vulnerable situations.
Transitions towards sustainability and digitalization have also a great potential to advance women’s economic
empowerment. Digital transformation can create millions of decent jobs for women that could put themon equal footing with men, further contributing to sustainable inclusive growth. It is forecasted that75 per cent of jobs will be related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) relatedareas, meaning if women are unable to actively participate in the trend of digital transformation, theiropportunities to access decent work will be diminished. Today, women hold only 22 per cent of positions
in artificial intelligence, to name just one STEM field. 2 This unequal pace of digital transformation andaccess to technology also undermines their ability to become equipped with the knowledge, awarenessand skills that allows their safe online experience.
Bringing women into technology fields results in more inclusive solutions with greater potential for innovations
that meet women’s needs and advance gender equality. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes withmassive costs. It is therefore imperative that women and girls are at the center of technology and innovation
for sustainable development.
The 2023 CSW agreed conclusions, adopted by consensus by UN member states, laid out the roadmap
for advancing “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving genderequality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” 3

1. https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day
2. www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2018.pdf
3. www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw67-2023/session-outcomes3

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

4

What are exchanges doing to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment?
4. Touch points refer to various channels or platforms
through which investors and market participants caninteract with the stock exchange and engage in
trading activities, facilitate investor participation,market transparency, and the efficient functioning ofstock exchanges. They provide avenues for investors
to access and engage with the exchange’s trading
ecosystem, enabling buying and selling of securities.

The RTB partners shared a brief survey of four questions with committed exchanges in 2022 to assess their commitment
and actions to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
Twenty-three exchanges participated in the survey and shared their status of implementation.
The survey results indicated that there are continuous efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment
both internally and externally in the market. Notably, 35 exchanges have adopted the WEPs and have been reportingon their progresses on their WEPs journeys.

Internally

Externally

78%

61%

13%

70%

44%

52%

26%

Had implemented
internal genderequality measures

Had evaluatedand disclosed its
progress ongender equality

Had reported
on their WEPs
implementation

Collaborated topromote broader
market action ongender equality

Had built genderequality into its
touch points 4

Promotedtransparency on themarket’s gender
performance

Had encouraged
listed companies
to adopt the WEPs

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

What can your Exchange do?
●

Make gender equality a core objective in yourexchange’s day-to-day work●

Lead by example by implementing internal
gender equality measures●

Evaluate and disclose your progress on genderequality – internally and externally●Sign and adopt the WEPs, and report onyour progress●

Encourage your listed companies to also sign
the WEPs

RTB partners join forces to scale their workwith exchanges
IFC and the UN SSE, in strategic collaboration with
UN Women, are scaling up their work with exchanges inemerging markets, advancing sound environmental,social, and governance practices and promoting genderequality in listed companies.
In 2022, the three organizations produced a guidancenote on how exchanges can advance gender equality andthree market monitors on gender equality in corporate
leadership to rank stock exchanges by the gender balanceof these issuers’ boards and senior management. The
partnership expects to launch training for exchanges andtheir listed companies focused on sustainable finance,
including gender-lens investing, disclosure on gender
metrics, and nexus with climate change.

5The 2023 bell ringing symphony

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

UN Women has presence in about 90
countries around the world. Every year,
Ring the Bell for Gender Equality events
raise awareness of gender equality inthe private sector.

IcelandFinlandUnited Kingdom
Germany

United States of America

GuatemalaCosta Rica

Austria

Egypt

PanamaGeorgia
Armenia

JordanJamaica
Nigeria

El Salvador

Kazakhstan

Palestine

PortugalMexicoNetherlands

Cote d’Ivoire

Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan

KuwaitUAE

RwandaIndia

This year, UN Women offices co-organized or participated in 48 RTB events
during the month of March 2023.

Philippines

For the full list of participating exchanges,
please see here.

Thailand

Viet Nam
Sri Lanka

Kenya

South Korea

Bangladesh

PakistanBahrain

Ecuador

Nepal

Malaysia
Indonesia

BrazilBolivia

Argentina

UruguaySouth Africa

Australia

61. Argentina
BOLSAS Y MERCADOS
ARGENTINOS

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

10 March 2023 (virtual)

Within the context of the International Women’s Day,
UN Women Argentina together with Bolsas y Mercados
Argentinos (BYMA), IDB Invest, IFC and Global Compact
Local Network in Argentina organized the seventh editionof RTB.
Taking place virtually, the event benefited from a keynote
by Patricia Pomies, Global Chief Operating Officer of
Globant. The discussion was moderated by Claudio
Zuchovicki, Secretary General of the Ibero-American
Federation of Stock Exchanges (FIAB) and Directorof BYMA.

7

2. Armenia
ARMENIA SECURITIES EXCHANGE
2 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

The RTB event was organized by UNDP Armenia in partnership with the Armenia
Securities Exchange (AMX). The Exchange’s General Manager, Hayk Yeganyan; UNDP
Deputy Resident Representative in Armenia, Konstantin Sokulskiy; UN Women
Programme Specialist, Dion Battersby; and senior executives of Armenian and Georgianbanking sectors welcomed the event participants. At the event, recent WEPs signatories
from Armenia had an opportunity to make a joint statement to continue working on
their WEPs journey.
“Economic empowerment of women is a big deal. UNDP, together with partners, devotespecial attention to advancing the Women’s Empowerment Principles and we hope thatthe signatory companies will become champions in applying WEPs across their activities,
prioritizing gender-sensitive practices,” said Konstantin Sokulskiy.
Photo: UNDP Armenia

8

3. Australia

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)In celebration of IWD on 8 March, UN Women Australia
National Committee joined the RTB event at the Australian
Securities Exchange (ASX). The Exchange welcomed
members of the financial community to ring the opening
bell and participate in a discussion on attracting, developing
and retaining female talent in business, led by ASX’s Rob
Nash and Rebecca Hill, Co-Head, Wealth Management
Australia at Morgan Stanley. Rebecca shared how sheforged a successful career in male-dominated sectors andspoke about the women who had mentored her in theearly days of her career. She also emphasized the crucialrole sponsorship plays and how sponsors can “speak on
your behalf when you’re not in the room.”

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women

94. Austria

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

VIENNA STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women Austria National Committee joined the RTB
event at the Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse)on 8 March 2023. After a welcome by Wiener Börse CFO
Andrea Herrmann, 150 women business leaders andentrepreneurs from Austria discussed topics related to
women’s entrepreneurship, and challenges in the current
economic environment and opportunities for financing
growth through the capital market.

Photo: Vienna Stock Exchange

105. Bahrain
BAHRAIN BOURSE

13 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDAs part of the regional Gulf RTB tour organized by
UN Women, UN Women’s Deputy Regional Director in
Arab States was invited to attend the fifth RTB event
organized at Bahrain Bourse on 13 March. Bahrain Bourseannounced its endorsement of the WEPs. The event was
attended by representatives of the Supreme Council for
Women, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, theMinistry Finance and National Economy, in charge of
Bahrain Bourse, the Central Bank of Bahrain, CEOs of
private sector companies, prominent executive womenleaders in various listed companies, as well as other key
stakeholders. This event marked the first step towards
planned WEPs work in Bahrain in 2023.

Photo: Bahrain Bourse

116. Bangladesh

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

DHAKA STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women partnered with the Dhaka Stock Exchange(DSE), IFC, Global Compact Network Bangladesh and the
Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs to hold the
RTB event at the exchange.
“The Dhaka Stock Exchange strongly believes in the goodresults that gender parity and diversification can bringthrough the empowerment of women, particularly in theareas of social protection systems, access to public services
and sustainable infrastructure with the help of efficientand productive use of digital technology,” said Professor
Dr. Hafiz Md Hasan Babu, Chairman, DSE.
Photo: RTB partners/UN Women

12

7. Bolivia
BOLSA BOLIVIANA DE VALORES
8 March 2023 (Closing Bell)On 8 March 2023, UN Women participated in the RTB
event held at the Bolivian Stock Exchange (BBV). The event
was co-organized by UN Women, Global Compact Network
Bolivia and the Confederation of Private Entrepreneursof Bolivia.
At the event, BBV reaffirmed its commitment to genderequality. For the past three years, BBV has been promoting
gender equality through training for the financial andstock markets. BBV has also made efforts to train theiremployees on issues of women’s empowerment andleadership, in addition to providing them with equal
opportunities for their professional development. In her
opening remarks, Nidya Pesántez, UN Women Representative in Bolivia emphasized the gap in women’s access tofinancial services in Bolivia. She pointed out the positive
correlation between financial inclusion, poverty reduction
and development, and their link with innovation andtechnology.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

13

8. Brazil
B3, SÃO PAULO
STOCK EXCHANGE

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

8 March 2023

RTB in Brazil event included a panel on Black Women:
the racial barriers for gender equality. The session wasmoderated by Carolina Bandeira, lawyer and leader ofthe BL4CK nucleus at B3. The panelists spoke about thechallenges of black women in the labour market, andhighlighted the importance of taking an intersectionallens to efforts to advance gender equality. They drewattention to the need for a systemic approach by theprivate sector and that systemic solutions should be
adopted accordingly. This includes the importance ofengaging partners and influencing their networks to join
the commitment of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Photo: São Paulo Stock Exchange

149. Costa Rica

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BOLSA NACIONAL DE VALORES
15 March 2023

UN Women in Costa Rica and Global Compact Network
Costa Rica co-organized RTB with Bolsa Nacional de
Valores (BNV) on 15 March 2023. The forum was titled“Women Leaders of 2023 – What should companies doto promote women’s leadership” to recognize women’s
leadership in Costa Rica.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women15

10. Cote d’Ivoire

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BOURSE RÉGIONALE DES VALEURS MOBILIÈRES
8 March 2023 (Opening bell)

On 8 March 2023, UN Women and the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM)
brought together prominent women business leaders, directors of companies andfinancial institutions, and presidents and managers of women’s foundations andassociations to the RTB at BRVM’s HQ in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
In his opening remarks, BRVM Managing Director paid tribute to women contributing
to Cote d’Ivoire’s development and to West Africa’s financial sector and called for action
in capital market to achieve gender equality. Ms. Dior Latifa Diack, Deputy Director of
Innovation and B2B Solutions, Orange, Cote d’Ivoire, delivered the keynote speechemphasizing the need to guarantee access to digital technology for all. UN Women’s
Representative, Antonioa Ngabala-Sodonon, said “The participation of women andgirls in the technology sectors results in more creative solutions and offers the greatest
potential for innovation that meets the needs of women.” She emphasized that theexclusion of women and girls from the digital world has debited $8 million from GDP
in middle-income countries over the past decade, and that this loss could reach overa US$1 billion by 2025 if nothing is done.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women16

11. Ecuador

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BOLSA DE VALORES DE QUITO
28 March 2023 (Opening Bell)In Ecuador, UN Women, Bolsa de Valores de Quito and IDB Invest co-organized the RTB
event. The event focused on the need to mobilize private financing to close the existing
gender inequality gaps in the market, promoting compliance with the 2030 Agenda.
Lena Savelli, UN Resident Coordinator in Ecuador; Ana Elena Badilla, UN Women
Representative in Ecuador; Diana Torres, President of the Quito Stock Exchange; andJuan Carlos de la Oz, Representative of IDB Invest, spoke at the event.
In this fourth edition of RTB for Gender Equality in Ecuador, a round table was held toanalyze the progress and results of gender bonds. The three financial institutions withthis kind of financial instruments – Banco Pichincha, Banco Solidario and Cooperativa
Chibuleo – discussed the response of the financial market to the issuance of their bonds
and how these products are empowering both women-owned businesses, and projects
led by and for women. Within this framework, Lena Savelli highlighted that RTB for
Gender Equality draws attention to gender gaps in the private sector and motivatesthe sector to take action.
Ana Elena emphasized the importance of inclusive development, the need to closethe digital gender gap, and promote women and girls’ access to STEM education andemployment. The private sector has an important role in closing the digital gender gap
through initiatives that promote innovation, technological change and education in thedigital age to achieve gender equality.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women17

12. Egypt
THE EGYPTIAN EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDIn Egypt for the ninth year, UN Women joined the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Egypt
Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), and external stakeholders from the private andpublic sector, and the international community to celebrate the International Women’sDay. The event focused on encouraging the private sector to create more employment
and leadership opportunities for women and to bridge the digital gender gap. Speeches
were delivered by senior representatives of EGX, FRA, Embassy of Sweden, IFC,
UN Women Egypt, Global Compact Network Egypt and the Parliament.
In his remarks, Dr. Mohamed Farid, FRA Chair, highlighted measures to increase Egyptian
women’s corporate board representation by at least 25 per cent, including throughcapacity building. Mr. Rami El-Dokany, EGX Executive Chair, emphasized the increase
from 93 to 100 per cent of listed SMEs that have at least one woman on their board.
Ms. Christine Arab, UN Women Country Representative, highlighted that closing thegender digital gap is critical to achieving gender equality and called for improvement
in online safety for children, adolescent girls and boys, and women.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women18

13. El Salvador
BOLSA DE VALORES DE
EL SALVADORRING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

29 March 2023 (Opening Bell)On 29 March 2023, UN Women participated in the RTB
event jointly organized by El Salvador Stock Exchange(BVES), and IDB Invest. In her opening remark, Maria
Noel Vaeza, Regional Director for the Americas and the
Caribbean, emphasized the role of the stock exchanges
in influencing their listed companies to advance genderequality and women’s empowerment. She also thanked
and congratulated BVES for being a WEPs signatory.
Rolando Duarte, President of BVES, stated that “Ourcommitment to advancing living conditions of womenin El Salvador is reinforced every day. We see morecompanies are realizing the importance of this agenda
and we see them struggling to continue the path togender equality. We will continuously be giving them
support to advancing women’s career in the private
sector of El Salvador”.

Photo: UN Women

1914. Finland
NASDAQ HELSINKI

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women20

15. Georgia

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

GEORGIAN STOCK EXCHANGE
31 March 2023 (Closing Bell)

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women

The RTB event in Georgia was held in partnership with the Georgian Stock Exchange(GSE) with support from UN Women and IFC. This event provided an opportunity tohighlight the significant role of the banking and finance sectors in achieving genderequality. The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, government
agencies, the UN system, international and local financial institutions, companies andbusiness associations alongside civil society.
As Kaori Ishikawa, the UN Women Country Representative in Georgia underlined:“This is the sixth RTB event in Georgia. The initiative highlights the importance of genderequality to economic growth and the power of the private sector to bridge diversity
gaps and lead by example. Access to gender-sensitive financial services remains achallenge for women and especially for women entrepreneurs in Georgia. To address
this challenge, this year the topic of this annual event was dedicated to the importanceof designing inclusive financial products and services for women.”
The event was part of the women’s economic empowerment component of the“Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” project, which is supported by theGovernment of Norway.

21

16. Germany

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BÖRSE FRANKFURT

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women2217. Guatemala
BOLSA DE VALORES NACIONAL S.A.
16 March 2023 (Opening Bell)On 16 March 2023, UN Women in Guatemala joined Bolsa
de Valores Nacional S.A to ring the bell for gender equality.
The RTB event involved in panel discussion on innovationand technology to align with this year’s IWD theme.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

23

18. Iceland
NASDAQ ICELAND

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

UN Women National Committee Iceland celebrated
the IWD with Nasdaq Iceland, Confederation of Icelandic
Employers and the Association of Businesswomen in
Iceland by ringing the opening bell for gender equality on
8 March 2023. The event took place at Nasdaq Iceland
and women CEOs of listed companies in Iceland rang thebell this year.
The stated theme for the day was “DigitAll: Innovationand technology for gender equality”, referring to theimportance of innovation, advancement in technology
and education to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls around the world.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women24

19. India

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BOMBAY STOCK EXCHANGE
6 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women

On 6 March 2023, UN Women participated in the RTB
event held at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The
event included panel discussions where speakers
emphasized that women need increased access to capital,
assets and support to achieve their leadership potential.
They recognized the crucial role of the private sector inadvancing the SDGs. A new programme “FinEMPOWER:
Empowering Women towards Financial Security” waslaunched. It is a year-long joint capacity building programme of BSE and UN Women to empower women
through financial security.
India currently has a total of 372 WEPs signatories, andinterest from the corporate sector in signing and adopting
the WEPs has grown almost sixfold from 54 signatories in
April 2019, a month after the WeEmpowerAsia programme
was launched.

25

20. Indonesia

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)The Indonesia Stock Exchange organized the RTB ceremony on 8 March 2023 to mark International Women’sDay. That same day, Indonesia Business Coalition for
Women’s Empowerment (IBCWE) convened a workshop
for the companies on how to watch out for gender bias.
The workshop was held as part of this year’s RTB ceremony organized by the Indonesia Stock Exchange incollaboration with UN Women, IBCWE, IFC, and Indonesia
Global Compact Network to encourage listed companies
to advance gender equality. UN Women’s representative,
Dwi Faiz, Head of Programmes, emphasized the importance of partnerships with the private sector to advancegender equality in the workplace, marketplace andcommunity. She also highlighted the growing numberof WEPs signatories in Indonesia, which is fosteringcollective action.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women26

21. Jamaica
JAMAICA STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDOn 8 March 2023, UN Women participated in the RTB
event held at the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE). Ms. TonniAnn Brodber, Representative of UN Women Multi Country
Office, Caribbean, welcomed the audience by introducing
a recent report published by Sustainable Stock Exchange
in coordination with UN Women and IFC on how stock
exchanges can advance gender equality.
In her remarks, Dr. Marlene Street Forrest, JSE’s Managing
Director, stated, “This year’s RTB theme recognizes thatthe beginning of the digital age (third revolution) was
more skewed towards men. While the fourth revolution
provides numerous positive outcomes, it must be managed
properly so that the shifts in employments and skills do notfurther displace women and increase gender inequality.”
Photo: Jamaica Stock Exchange

2722. Jordan
AMMAN STOCK EXCHANGE
13 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

UN Women co-organized the RTB event – held at the Amman Stock Exchange – with
IFC and the Global Compact Network Jordan on 13 March 2023. The Jordanian Ministerof Investment, Her Excellency Kholoud Saqqaf, participated in the event. The CEO of
the Amman Stock Exchange, Mazen Wathaifi, highlighted their efforts to spread a
culture of sustainability and achieve the SDGs. The Exchange had joined the WEPs tofurther their efforts into advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment andcalled on listed companies to make a public commitment to the WEPs and promote
gender equality listing criteria and gender data disclosure in sustainability reporting.
Speakers highlighted the links between gender equality, closing the digital gender gap
and achieving sustainable development. They recognized women’s contributions in theadvancement of transformative technology and highlighted the challenges and costsof excluding women from the digital world. “Technology and innovation offer new
pathways towards women’s economic empowerment under the Government’s Economic
Modernization Vision. An inclusive digital economy that enables greater access andaffordability, online safety, and digital education opportunities is essential for advancing
gender equality in the labour market. UN Women is committed to working with theprivate sector to close the digital gender divide,” said Nicolas Burniat, UN Women
Representative in Jordan.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women28

23. Kazakhstan

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

KAZAKHSTAN STOCK EXCHANGE
6 March (Opening Bell)UN Women participated in RTB Kazakhstan on 6
March 2023 at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange. Umut
Shayakhmetova, Chairperson of the Management Board
of Halyk Bank JSC, and Maria Dotsenko, Representativeof UN Women in Kazakhstan, opened the trading with ablow to the gong. A discussion on the subject “DigitALL:
Women in FinTech” was held with the participation ofleading experts in the field of digital technologies andfintech. They discussed topics related to supporting
gender inclusiveness in the context of development ofdigitalization and IT technologies.

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women29

24. Kenya
NAIROBI SECURITIESEXCHANGE

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

This RTB event in Kenya was organized by UN Women– in partnership with the Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE), Global Compact Network Kenya, and the IFC – on
8 March at the NSE. “As a stock exchange, we are uniquely
positioned to influence our market in a way few otheractors can. We play a central role in the economy in which
we operate,” said NSE Chief Officer, Human Resourcesand Administration, Ms. Lucy Kamar. UN Women Kenya,
Women’s Economic Empowerment Team Lead, Elizabeth
Obanda said “We know that technology and innovation
are essential to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda
and the SDGs. We also know that digitalization has thepotential to create millions of decent jobs for women
towards the achievement of sustainable inclusive growth.”

Photo: RTB partners/UN Women30

25. Kuwait
BOURSA KUWAIT

7 March 2023 (Closing Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDAs part of the regional Gulf RTB tour organized by
UN Women, the Kuwait Women’s Economic Empowerment
Platform (WEEP) event took place on 7 March 2023. The
event was organized by the Supreme Council for Planningand Development and the Women’s Research and Studies
Center at Kuwait University, in collaboration with theUnited Nations in Kuwait, UNDP and UN Women. The
Kuwait Stock Exchange was among the participants.
The WEEP Kuwait comes together to advance women’s
leadership and participation in Kuwait’s private sector
by sharing good practices, collaborating on the WEPs
implementation, and supporting women-owned and ledbusinesses and start-ups.

Photo: Bursa Kuwait

31

26. Kyrgyzstan

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

KYRGYZ STOCK EXCHANGE (KSE)
3 March 2023 (Opening Bell)The RTB event in Kyrgyzstan was co-organized jointly
by the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange, UN Women and IFC. The
speakers discussed the impact of digital technologies on
women and girls, their access to digital finance and theopportunities provided by digital innovations to advancegender equality in Kyrgyzstan.
The event featured representatives from the Kyrgyz
Presidential Administration, Ministry of Digital Development, the Financial Market Regulatory Service, theEmbassy of Switzerland, and UN Women Kyrgyzstan.

Photo: KSE (Kyrgyzstan Stock Exchange)

32

27. Malaysia
BURSA MALAYSIA

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women

At exactly 9:00 am on 8 March 2023, UN Women joined Bursa Malaysia and key partners
to ring the bell at the exchange. This RTB event was held as part of the ‘IWFCIM Investment
Forum 2023,’ organized by the International Women’s Federation of Commerce andIndustry in Malaysia (IWFCIM). The inaugural IWFCIM Investment Forum – supported
by Bursa Malaysia, Capital Markets Malaysia, UN Women and Alliance Bank – brought
together 22 speakers to discuss women entrepreneurs and women in businessfocusing on three key themes: Investment and fundraising; Technology and innovation;
Sustainability and ESG.
UN Women spoke in the panel ‘A Business Case for Sustainability: Investing in Women
Entrepreneurs,’ highlighting UN Women’s work in Malaysia through the WEPs Activator
Campaign, and how to support gender-inclusive entrepreneurship, through the WeRise
toolkits for entrepreneurs and the UN Women Care Accelerator programme. The Forum
attracted nearly 150 participants, with representation from key business stakeholders,
including banks, academic, civil society, social enterprises, and investors.

3328. Mexico
BOLSA INSTITUCIONAL DE VALORES,
BOLSA MEXICANA DE VALORESRING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

7-8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

There were two RTB events held in Mexico to commemorate IWD. The first one took
place on 7 March 2023, at the Institutional Stock Exchange (Bolsa Institucional de Valores,
BIVA). The second event was convened on 8 March 2023, at the Mexican Stock Exchange(Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, BMV).

7 March event
Representatives of UN Women, the Government of Mexico, IDB Invest, IFC, Global
Compact Network Mexico joined BIVA’s General Director and the Deputy Governor of
the Bank of Mexico for the event.
In her remarks, Lourdes Colinas, UN Women National Officer in Mexico, highlighted theimportant role of stock exchanges in accelerating progress on sustainability and influencing
companies to reduce gender gaps in the workplace, marketplace, and community,
including the gender pay gap. She invited BIVA and all the companies present to become
WEPs signatories and to develop new products, such as sustainability-linked bonds
with gender criteria and gender bonds. She emphasized UN Women as their ally topromote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Photo: BIVA

34

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

8 March event
Representatives of UN Women and the Ministry of Finance were joined by BMV’s General
Director, two Deputy Governors of the Bank of Mexico, the President of the National
Banking and Securities Commission, the Secretary of Women of Mexico City, the Presidentof the Global Compact Network Mexico, and the President of Women in Finance at theevent organized by the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores.
Lourdes Colinas, UN Women National Officer in Mexico, highlighted this year’s theme
for the International Women’s Day, and the importance of harnessing technology andinnovation to empower women and girls. She emphasized the crucial role of stock
exchanges in accelerating progress on sustainability and influencing companies toreduce gender gaps in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Therefore, shecongratulated the BMV on becoming a WEPs signatory and an ally for promoting genderequality in the sector and invited all the companies present to sign the WEPs and work
towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Photo: Pacto Mundial Red México

35

29. Nepal

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

NEPAL STOCK EXCHANGE
9 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women

UN Women collaborated with the European Union, IFC,
Global Compact Network Nepal, and the Nepal Stock
Exchange (NEPSE) for this year’s RTB event. Focusing
on the theme of Digitization for Financial Inclusion, theevent brought together women entrepreneurs, women
working in the digital sector, the banking and financial
technology sectors in Nepal, and representatives fromNEPSE. Participants discussed how the gender divide has
further left women and girls behind, particularly in termsof their economic empowerment, and ways to address it.
The event also called on private companies to show
their commitment for gender equality by joining the
WEPs community.

36

30. Netherlands
EURONEXT NETHERLANDS

8 March 2023 (Opening and Closing Bell)

SIGNEDOn 8 March, the UN Women National Committee in the
Netherlands rang the bell for gender equality, together
with Euronext Netherlands and Global Compact Network
Netherlands.
The day evolved around the theme ‘Investing in women,
investing in the future’ and was filled with various events,
speeches and panel sessions with leading voices like Dr
Eva de Mol, Researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
Chantal Korteweg, Dutch UN Womens’ Representative
2023 and leaders from listed companies that have been
advancing gender equality in their workplace and beyond.
Leading up to the IWD, large companies in the Netherlands
signed and committed to the WEPs, including Euronext.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

37

31. Nigeria
NIGERIAN EXCHANGE GROUP
8 March 2023 (Closing Bell)

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

38

32. Pakistan
PAKISTAN STOCKEXCHANGE

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women collaborated with the Pakistan Stock Exchange(PSX), IFC, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance(PICG) and Women on Board for the RTB event on 8
March. Distinguished women leaders and professionals
from the tech sector; eminent women entrepreneurs,
innovators, and women corporate leaders, and men
advocating for gender equality and inclusion participatedin the celebration. This year’s celebrations included boththe bell ringing and panel discussions on gender equality
and women’s empowerment.

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women3933. Palestine
PALESTINE EXCHANGE
13 March 2023

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDIn Palestine, UN Women partnered with Palestine
Exchange, the Palestine Capital Market Authority and
IFC to organize the RTB on 13 March 2023. The event
marked the fifth RTB event in Palestine. Participating
private sector partners presented their innovative models
and solutions through technology to narrow the gender
gap in terms of access to policies and services, including
electronic business development platforms, e-banking
services digital financial services and e-service packages
and products, to enhance women and youth financial
inclusion and access to sustainable and gender responsive
services, with a focus on women and youth.
Photo: UN Women40

34. Panama

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

LATIN AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women participated in the RTB in Panama held on
8 March 2023 at the Latin American Stock Exchange(Latinex). The event highlighted a recent joint report“The Sustainable Stock Exchange Market Monitor”
jointly produced by UN SSE, IFC, UN Women and FIAB.
The report provided a first of its kind analysis on the issueof gender balance in the boardroom in nine of the mainmarkets in Latin America, including Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama
and Peru.

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women4135. Philippines

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

THE PHILIPPINES STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women participated in the RTB event held at
Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) on 8 March. The PSE
in rang the bell to raise awareness on the importance ofgender equality and women empowerment. “This activity
is also a call to action for capital market stakeholders towork together on the advancement of gender equality,”
said PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon in his
welcome remarks. The following day, a session on the
WEPs was organized for PSE employees in partnershipwith UN Women.

Photo: The Philippine Stock Exchange4236. Portugal
EURONEXT PORTUGAL
8 March 2023 (Closing Bell)

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNEDOn 8 March 2023, EuroNext Portugal rang the bell forgender equality. The event was organized by Global
Compact Network Portugal and Euronext Portugal withthe participation of UN Women. At the event, held at theirtechnology and innovation center in Porto, panelists fromvarious sectors participated to discuss gender equality.
Mihwa Park, WEPs Coordinator at the WEPs Global Secretariat at UN Women HQ called on participating companies
to join the WEPs network.
Photo: UN Women4337. Rwanda

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

RWANDA STOCK EXCHANGE
17 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women teamed up with Rwanda Stock Exchange(RSE), and RTB parnters for the seventh year to co-organize
the RTB event. Opening the event, Mr. Pierre Celestin
Rwabukumbi, Chief Executive Officer of RSE, stressed
the role stock markets around the world can and must
play in advancing gender equality.
Tikikel Tadele Alemu, Liaison Specialist at UN Women in
Rwanda, emphasized the role of the public and private
sectors to cooperate to close the gender digital divide.
She further called upon stock exchange stakeholders in
the private sector to adopt the WEPs, highlighting theimportant role of private sector in advancing genderequality and women’s empowerment.

Photo: UN Women Rwanda/Pearl Karungi

4438. South Africa

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE
10 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women in South Africa celebrated IWD at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on 10 March. Celebrations
started with the JSE’s Chief Operating Officer, Itumeleng
Monale, welcoming attendees and reaffirming JSE’s
commitment to achieving a progressive, inclusive andsustainable future for all, as well as to support initiatives
aimed at driving education, women empowerment andinclusion. She recognized the importance of the public
and private sectors working together to unlock andfast-track initiatives that will drive digital integration andtransformation. The keynote address was delivered by
Nonkululeko Gobodo, Chief Executive Officer at Awakened Global, who highlighted the importance of women
releasing themselves from self-limiting beliefs and findtheir authentic power to innovate and be at the forefront.

Photo: RTB Partners/UN Women45

39. South Korea

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

KOREA EXCHANGE

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)On 8 March 2023, the UN Women Centre of Excellence
for Gender Equality in the Republic of Korea (the Centre)
jointly hosted the RTB event with Korea Exchange (KRX),
Global Compact Network Korea and IFC at the KRX
building in Seoul. “While digitalization has great potential
to advance the well-being of societies, we need to provide
women with safer and more affordable access to digital
tools,” Jeongshim Lee, Director of the Centre, said in
her remarks. She added, “We would like to encourage
investments in technology and innovation with the clear
intention to generate positive, measurable impact on
the wellbeing of women and girls.” She also encouraged
participating companies to sign and implement the WEPs,
and to disclose gender data and leading by example on
important issues such as women’s leadership, equal pay
between women and men, and prevention of sexual
harassment.

Photo: UN Women/Jaeyeon Jeong4640. Sri Lanka
COLOMBO STOCKEXCHANGE

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

SIGNED

7 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women co-organized the RTB event held at the
Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) on 7 March together
with World Federation of Exchanges, Global Compact
Network Sri Lanka, the Australian Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, IFC, and SSE. Thirteen of the leading
companies listed on CSE pledged their support to increase
women’s representation at both their management andboard levels.

Photo: Colombo Stock Exchange4741. Thailand

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

THE STOCK EXCHANGE OF THAILAND
9 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

Photo: Stock Exchange of Thailand

UN Women joined the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on 9 March for the RTB event.
The bell ringing ceremony was followed by a panel discussion on improving women’s
inclusion in value chains. The event – co-organized with Thailand’s Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), the Australian Embassy in Thailand and UN Women – was part ofa campaign to celebrate the 2023 International Women’s Day.
“I strongly believe that through initiatives like RTB, our work with private sector organizations will help raise awareness about the WEPs, and I would like to take this opportunity
to invite all of you to co-create more equal playing field for women in the businessworld. The actions you can take would include developing supplier diversity policies
and providing fair opportunities for women-owned businesses to participate in procurement markets.” said Sarah Knibbs, Regional Director ad interim, UN Women Regional
Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Rinjai Chakornpipat, SET’s Senior Executive Vice President and Head of the Market Division,emphasized the Exchange’s commitment to gender equality. “SET is committed toincreasing women’s participation in the capital market, particularly among listed companies,
by collaborating with agencies that focus on corporate governance assessment. We
provide guidelines on increasing the proportion of women on boards and issuinganti-discrimination policies.”48

42. Tajikistan

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

CCENTRAL ASIAN STOCK EXCHANGE
17 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

Tajikistan’s first ever RTB event took place on Friday 17
March 2023. It was co-organized by the Central Asia Stock
Exchange (CASE), UN Women and IFC. The event was
supported by the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan, theDeputy Finance Minister and Director of the Agency for
Securities Market Development, and the Head of the
UN Women Tajikistan.
The event theme was “Sustainable Development andWomen in Leadership in Tajikistan”. Speakers included
the Chair of CASE, the Chair of Bank Eskhata, the CEOof Alif Bank, Baiterek Holding’s Director of Strategy andCorporate Development (Kazakhstan) and Tajikistan’snational gender experts. The discussion was moderated
by the Director of IMKON Consulting, Zamira Samadova.
Photo: IFC

49

43. United Arab Emirates

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

ABU DHABI SECURITIES EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women took part in a subregional tour of Gulf countries to explore private sector
engagement at the occasion of the International Women’s Day (see more here). The
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) rang the bell for gender equality with two guestsof honor: Janneke van der Graaff-Kukler, Deputy Regional Director of UN Women in
the Arab States and Ms. Hana Al-Rostamani, CEO of the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)(see here). The regional event included speeches from UN Women and Al-Rostamanion the importance on gender equality in the private sector and the role of Arab womenin the financial sector at large; from the importance of financial inclusion for women
entrepreneurs, to the power of representation of women in decision making positionsin the financial sector.
“UN Women recognizes the need to mobilize private capital markets to finance genderequality. Applying a gender lens enables finance to be transformative for women andgirls around the world. Increasingly investors and private sector partners are looking to
us for ways to provide concrete, measurable impact through their investments. One suchavenue is UN Women’s regional approach to surge women’s labour force participationin the Arab States by five per cent by 2030,” highlighted Janneke van der Graaff-Kukler
during her speech.

Photo: Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange50

44. United Kingdom
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE
8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women National Committee in the United Kingdom
joined invited guests at the London Stock Exchange
to ring the bell for gender equality. Catherine Johnson,
General Counsel and Global Chair of Diversity & Inclusion,
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG); Murray Roos,Group Head of Capital Markets, LSEG; and Charlie Bronks,
Head of ESG at Crown Agents Bank, and Board Memberof UN Global Compact Network addressed the importanceof investing in women-led organizations and achieving
gender diversity among stock exchange employees. This
would contribute to healthy sustainable markets.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

51

45. United States of America
NASDAQ

8 March 2023 (Opening Bell)

SIGNED

Photo: Nasdaq

UN Women participated in the RTB event held on 8 March2023 at Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York.
In honor of the occasion, Anita Bhatia, then Assistant
Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of
UN Women, rang the opening bell. Anna Falth, Global
Head of the WEPs Global Secretariat at UN Women also
participated in the event.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

52

Introduction
46.
Uruguay

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

BOLSA DE VALORESDE MONTEVIDEO S.A.
9 March 2023 (Opening Bell)At the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the
RTB event was held on 9 March at the Montevideo Stock
Exchange (BVM). This fourth consecutive edition of RTB
in Uruguay was promoted locally by UN Women, IDB, IDB
Invest, the Montevideo Stock Exchange and the Global
Compact Network Uruguay. H.E. Omar Paganini, theMinister of Industry, Energy and Mining, led the bell ringing
ceremony together with BVM. UN Women was represented
by Magdalena Furtado, Country Programme Coordinatorat UN Women Uruguay. Following the opening remarks,a panel discussed the importance of digital education,
the participation of women in STEM careers, the role ofwomen entrepreneurs in technology and the financing oftechnological projects.
Photo: RTB partners/UN Women53

47. Viet Nam
HO CHI MINH STOCK EXCHANGE
9 March 2023 (Opening Bell)UN Women joined Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE)
for RTB on 9 March. Various organizations from public
and private sector participated, including the companies
listed on HOSE, and women-owned businesses in Ho Chi
Minh City and neighboring provinces.

RING THE BELL FOR GENDER EQUALITY • 2023

54

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