UN Women is partnering with Srikandi BUMN, Danantara, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises and Forum Human Capital Indonesia to launch the first Women’s Empowerment Principles Corporate Action Lab (WEPsCAL) in Indonesia. 

The initiative brings together a committed group of companies to build more gender-inclusive workplaces through a journey of capacity-building and action until early 2026.

WEPsCAL in Indonesia continues the partnership between UN Women and Srikandi BUMN to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment in the business sector. This partnership was formalized in February 2025.

WEPsCAL is a flagship initiative under the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific, a regional innovation platform supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This dynamic, cohort-based platform is designed to support companies in assessing their progress and in using data, tailored tools and targeted support to innovate and implement actionable gender equality strategies aligned with Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) focus areas.

Although research shows that increasing women’s representation in the workforce can generate significant economic gains, the employment gender gap in Indonesia—and globally—remains a challenge. According to Statistics Indonesia, the female labour force participation rate has been stagnant at around 50 per cent for decades. Limited access to resources, discriminatory practices and cultural norms—including women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work—continue to hinder their ability to enter and thrive in the workforce. The Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Economic Governance reported in 2018 that 1.7 million women aged 20–24 left their jobs due to marriage or childbirth.

This initiative responds to persistent barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in the workforce—barriers that remain deeply entrenched in Indonesia and across the region. Indonesia’s first WEPs Corporate Action Lab was themed ‘Accelerating Corporate Action for Family-Friendly Workplaces’. Twelve companies—WEPs Changemakers—spanning diverse industries and organizational sizes are participating in the inaugural cohort. They will apply the WEPs to drive transformative change in creating family-friendly workplaces that promote gender equality and enable women to succeed in the labour market. 

Participating companies are:

• Perum Perumnas
• Perusahaan Umum Lembaga Penyelenggara Pelayanan Navigasi Penerbangan Indonesia (AirNav Indonesia)
• PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero)
• PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk
• PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk
• PT Bio Farma (Persero)
• PT Mineral Industri Indonesia (Persero)
• PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero)
• PT Pertamina
• PT PLN (Persero)
• PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero)
• PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk

“At Danantara, we recognize that inclusive and gender-responsive workplaces are not only a moral imperative, but a strategic cornerstone for sustainable institutional transformation. Our participation in WEPsCAL reflects our deep commitment to advancing women’s empowerment across the state-owned enterprise ecosystem and supporting Indonesia’s broader vision for equitable and resilient national development,” said Wiwik Wahyuni, Senior Director HC Transformation & Talent Development, Danantara Indonesia.

“Indonesia and Australia are on a shared journey toward women’s economic equality. By partnering with UN Women, it is expected that the program can contribute to achieving Indonesia’s target of 70 per cent female labour force participation by 2045,” said Sophie Mackinnon, Acting Counsellor, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

"Family-friendly policies in the workplace are not only a means to advancing women's economic empowerment, but also a one step forward towards transforming social norms by helping women and men to challenge gender roles and promoting shared caregiving responsibilities," said Dwi Yuliawati, Head of Programmes, UN Women Indonesia. "Through this initiative, we are excited to witness the WEPs changemakers in starting their journey to foster an inclusive workplace. We trust that the initiative from the first cohort will create important multiplier effects, including increased women's labour force participation."

Looking ahead, the WEPs Changemakers will develop new strategies and pilot solutions tailored to their companies’ needs and goals for building more inclusive workplaces. The WEPsCAL in Indonesia will run through early 2026, during which the participating companies will engage in one-on-one capacity-building and technical support, cohort-sharing sessions and regional learning exchange sessions with other WEPsCAL cohorts and WEPs Signatories. The cohort model will foster shared learning and mutual support.

The launch of Indonesia’s WEPs Corporate Action Lab marks a significant step towards advancing gender equality in the business sector. It strongly aligns with Indonesia’s priorities on women’s economic empowerment, as reflected in the Roadmap Care Economy 2025–2045 and the Indonesian Golden Vision 2045.

The WEPs provide a globally recognized framework for companies of all sizes and sectors to adopt gender-responsive policies and practices across their value chains. Globally, 11,000 companies have committed to the WEPs, including 219 in Indonesia.

WEPsCAL is also being implemented in Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines under the Gender Action Lab.