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March 17, 2021 at 09:14 AM
What You Need to Know
- The panel was part of Target Gender Equality Event.
- The event gave businesses a way to support UN efforts to support women.
- MetLife was one of four top-level sponsors.
Executives “at the top of the house” must drive advancement of gender equality, said Michel Khalaf, the CEO of MetLife Inc., who spoke Tuesday in a virtual panel discussion at the UN Global Compact’s Target Gender Equality Live Conference.
The UN Global Compact gives businesses a chance to support United Nations’ projects.
But “it is crucial that we build grassroots support across the organization as well,” Khalaf said, according to a written version of his remarks. “In my experience, the best ideas come from teams who can openly challenge the status quo and feel accountable for progress.”
Khalaf appeared on the panel with representatives from the United Nations and executives from the Gap, Natura and other companies.
The UN and Women
The United Nations adopted “Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business,” in 2011. The 16-page document, which is available in languages ranging from Chinese to Turkish, starts with the principle “Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality.”
Another principle is, “Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.”
This year, the UN Global Compact organized the gender equality virtual event to support International Women’s Day and the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women.
MetLife was one of four top-level corporate sponsors for the gender equality event. The other three were the Project Management Institute, the Coca-Cola Co. and EY.
MetLife and Inclusion
Khalaf, who became MetLife’s CEO in 2019, has spoken often in the past about the difficulties his own sister faced with getting a suitable education.
