As Aydem Energy, which has been operating in the fields of electricity generation, distribution and retailing for more than 40 years, we have added a new one to the steps it has taken to strengthen gender equality. Our company has been entitled to become one of the signatories of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), created in partnership with the United Nations Social Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Unit (UN Women) and with the United Nations Global Compact.
With this signature, Aydem Energy and our group companies have committed to act to strengthen the presence of women in every field and level of life and to adhere to the Women's Empowerment Principles. Our company, which shall pioneer and blaze the trail to gender equality and women's taking more roles in society and business life, will also play an important role in the transformation of the energy sector with its projects and contribute to the sustainable development of Turkey.
“We will continue to bring women's power to our economy”
İdris Küpeli, our CEO of Aydem Energy, indicating that as Aydem Energy, we invest in the development areas of the society as well as in their commercial activities, while adopting the approach of justice and equality in every field, has stated that we are against gender-based discrimination as well as all forms of discrimination. Concerning the issue of balancing of the place of women and men in social and business life, which is one of the important criteria of social welfare and development, pointing out that we continue our work with the "Aydem Equal Life" initiative, Küpeli has stated the following regarding being a signatory of WEPs: “In order to empower women and ensure gender equality in all fields, we adopt equal opportunity as a fundamental stance against gender-based discrimination by transforming our policies, ways of doing business, and locations. We shall continue to increase the number of our female colleagues working under the umbrella of Aydem Energy at all levels, as well as continuing our work to bring female power to the economy, social life and to development. I am sure that our signing of WEPs shall motivate us in achieving these goals and will be an important step towards the transformation of our Company, industry and country.”
Aydem Equal Life, the initiative of Aydem Energy focusing on gender equality, carries out activities aimed at ensuring that every individual benefits fully and equally from rights, resources and opportunities, and equally shares the responsibilities of life. Within the scope of the project, all employees are provided with gender training through internal trainers, equal talent pools are created in the recruitment processes, diversity and inclusion trainings are applied, and the physical spaces are rearranged with an egalitarian perspective. Re-addressing its procedures and policies through the lens of gender equality, Aydem Energy has issued the “Aydem Energy Procedure for Combating Domestic Violence”, under the consultancy of Sabancı University, within the scope of combating domestic violence and has created training on defining domestic violence that all employees have benefited from. Aiming to reflect the gender equality approach to all business processes, the Company carries out projects to raise awareness through regular communication activities and seminars.
About Women's Empowerment Principles
The Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), as a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact, has been developed through the work and negotiations of a multi-stakeholder group comprising of the business world, non-governmental organizations, universities, local governments, public institutions and UN representatives. Consisting of 7 basic principles, WEPs aims to contribute to the private sector's strengthening of its current studies on gender equality, developing of institutional policies and programs, and analyzing of its current works, key indicators and reporting practices.
The 7 basic principles of WEPs consist of the following titles:
1. Establishing of high-level corporate leadership for gender equality,
2. Treating of all women and men fairly at work – respecting and supporting of human rights and nondiscrimination principles,
3. Ensuring of the health, safety and well-being of all the women and men workers,
4. Promoting of education, training and professional development opportunities for women,
5. Implementing of enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women,
6. Promoting of equality through community initiatives and advocacy,
7. Measuring and publicly reporting on progress to achieve gender equality.