Fenerbahçe Sports Club strengthened its commitment to gender equality by signing Women's Empowerment Principles
HeForShe Turkey partner Fenerbahçe Sports Club has become a signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which aim to empower women for equal participation in economic life in all sectors and at all levels.Date:
Jointly established by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the Women Empowerment Principles(WEPs) are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 Agenda and to provide guidance to businesses on empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community. The principles offer a great platform for companies to invest in women and support women’s leadership and decision-making.
Fenerbahçe Sports Club joined forces with the HeForShe movement in 2018 with support of Tüpraş, one of the companies within Koç Group, an Impact Champion of HeForShe, to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in sports. In February, Fenerbahçe Sports Club set a great example as being the first sports club in Turkey and in Europe by becoming a signatory to the Women's Empowerment Principles.
“We are proud to add another step to what we have been doing for women and girls for a year and a half and becoming a signatory to the WEPs,” stated Fenerbahçe Sports Club Board Member Simla Türker Bayazıt.
“Fenerbahçe Sports Club becoming a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles is yet another sign of its commitment towards gender equality and taking concrete actions to enable women and girls to thrive in sports,” said UN Women Turkey Country Director Asya Varbanova, pointing out to this great achievement. “Being only the second sports club in the world to sign these Principles and one of the very few HeForShe champion clubs, we hope that Fenerbahce can inspire others in the sports community to join this global movement towards an equal playing field in the world of sports.“
As a result of HeForShe collaboration, Fenerbahçe Sport Club aims to become a gender-responsive sports club and set an example nationally and globally. In 2019, a gender analysis of Fenerbahçe Sport Club was completed to ensure that gender inequalities are taken into account at all stages of their work. Based on the results, a roadmap for becoming a gender-responsive sports club has been developed. In addition to capacity building trainings for employees, athletes and technical staff, Fenerbahçe advocates for ending violence against women and challenging stereotypes in sport.