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Procter & Gamble strengthens Equality & Inclusion in APAC, Middle East and Africa

Procter & Gamble announced on 10th May, 2022 new commitments aimed toward advancing Equality & Inclusion across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, at its fourth annual #WeSeeEqual summit for the region. The event saw participation from advocates and personalities from the private and public sectors who came together to discuss the challenges that society faces on equality and inclusion, and how different stakeholders can accelerate progress in the new normal.

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Built on the theme, ‘#Unlearn and #Unleash’, the summit saw P&G commit to several actions needed to advance progress towards creating an equal and inclusive world. Magesvaran Suranjan, P&G President for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa,  announced the following commitments:

  • P&G will spend a cumulative total of USD 300 million by working with women-owned and women-led businesses across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region, from the year 2021 to 2025.
  • P&G will achieve equal representation of female directors behind the camera for the company’s brand advertisements in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, by 2024.
  • P&G will improve the accessibility of its brand advertising, including social media content and websites, by making it accessible to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024.
  • P&G will introduce the ‘P&G ReLaunch program’ – to welcome back talented professionals who took a break from the workforce and are looking to restart their careers in STEM roles, with targeted support and development. The program will be first launched in India, Egypt, Singapore, Japan, and the Philippines.

“At P&G, we remain fully committed to creating a world where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. We believe in the power of our differences and the impact we can make when we come together, united by our shared values and purpose. We are making great progress, yet we know there is more work to be done. So we are announcing bold new commitments and expanding existing actions which will enable us to do more. We will continue to use the voice of our company and our brands in forums such as #WeSeeEqual to drive discussion and actions on the issues that matter,” said Magesvaran Suranjan.

The company also shared strong progress on commitments across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region made last year as part of the annual #WeSeeEqual summit. In 2021, P&G announced its ‘Share the Care’ parental leave policy, which has introduced greater leave benefits and flexibility for all new parents within the company. P&G has also achieved its commitment to achieving gender balance across its management workforce by 2022 in the AMA region, completing this ahead of schedule. On its commitment to educate more than 30 million girls on puberty and hygiene by 2024, through its brands Always and Whisper’s “Keeping Girls in School” program, the company has already reached more than 15 million girls, achieving the halfway mark in one year.

Held in partnership with UN Women, the fourth annual regional #WeSeeEqual Summit engaged business leaders, government officials, and personalities in conversations around strategic actions that can be taken to advance equality and inclusion.

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The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G’s continued commitment to creating a more equal and inclusive world and is also a winner of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for Women’s Empowerment in 2019. As one of the world’s largest advertisers, P&G and its brands will also continue to leverage their influential voice in media and advertising to drive further awareness, tackle gender bias, spark conversations, and motivate change.