Coca-Cola Company, United Nations Women Form Global Partnership to Accelerate Women's Economic Empowerment

The Coca-Cola Company and UN Women today announced a partnership to promote women's economic empowerment. Responding to both UN Women's Strategic Plan and The Coca-Cola Company's global 5 BY 20 initiative, this partnership aims to enable the empowerment of women entrepreneurs by building upon the strengths of both organizations.

The Coca-Cola Company's 5 BY 20 initiative seeks to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs across the Coca-Cola value chain by 2020. Specifically, the Company is developing and implementing programs to help break down barriers for women entrepreneurs in the small businesses that the Coca-Cola system touches. Examples of businesses include fruit farmers, shopkeepers, recycling collectors and artisans.

"We believe there is no better time to invest in women as engines of economic growth and sustainable development. Women are the fastest-growing economic force, and no business or economy will be able to grow without them," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. "This partnership with UN Women, which leverages their extensive expertise, will greatly impact our efforts to enable the empowerment of women around the world."

UN Women's Strategic Plan lays out a range of initiatives that it will support, from promoting laws and policies that provide women protection and equal rights, to employment, income-generating opportunities and access to economic resources. UN Women is also encouraging companies to sign the Women's Empowerment Principles - Equality Means Business, a set of measures geared to promote women's empowerment in the workplace and marketplace.