EPIC Launch at the UN General Assembly
A high level event was organized at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday 18th September 2017, during the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly. The purpose of the event was to launch the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), a global coalition which will collaborate at the global, regional and national levels to support governments, employers, workers and other stakeholders to make equal pay between women and men for work of equal value a reality, and reduce the gender pay gap.
EPIC will focus on realizing Sustainable Development Goal target 8.5 which calls for equal pay for work of equal value through advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building, technical advisory services, data analysis and monitoring. It will also play a catalytic role in enhancing global action on women’s access to decent work.
The launch consisted of four consecutive panels which brought together Heads of State and Government, the heads of the three establishing partners’ organizations as well as top executives from multinational companies, heads of workers’ organizations and other key stakeholders. A reception was organized immediately following the event for the various actors to meet and discuss these issues in a more informal setting.
Audience
The high level launch brought together senior Government and UN officials, senior officials from other International Organizations, top business executives and leaders of trade unions and employers’ organizations, civil society and individuals that have been instrumental in promoting and implementing equal pay policies.