Manila, Philippines — Moving from commitment to targeted, sustained action is key to advancing gender equality in the private sector. Ten companies from the Philippines' technology and tech-enabled sectors were recognized this month as the country’s first ‘WEPs Changemakers’ after completing the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Corporate Action Lab. Conducted from August 2025 to May 2026, the innovation and peer-learning programme enables companies to design, pilot, refine and track initiatives that advance women’s leadership and help create more inclusive, gender-responsive organizations.At the culmination event, participating companies presented their progress, sharing lessons from implementation and receiving recognition as the first generation of ‘WEPs Changemakers’ in the Philippines. The 10 WEPs Changemakers are:ACCIONA Construction Philippines, Inc.Airspeed International CorporationCoWorq Business Support ServicesGenpact Services LLC (Philippines)Infosys BPM PhilippinesManila Water Company, Inc.Petsure Services, Inc.PSG Global Solutions, Inc.Stratpoint TechnologiesUpgrade Energy Philippines, Inc.Participating companies identified challenges, developed and tested company-specific solutions, and exchanged insights with peers addressing similar gender equality challenges. They explored practical approaches to strengthening women’s leadership pathways, supporting caregiving and work-life needs, improving internal company policies, and embedding greater accountability for gender-responsive business practices.“Advancing women’s leadership is not the result of a single action – it is driven by sustained commitment, innovation, and the courage to challenge long-standing norms. Let us build on our progress and work together to make gender equality a lived reality in our workplaces, our communities, and beyond”, said Arnaud Peral, Resident Coordinator, UN in the Philippines.  The culmination event featured a showcase of emerging lessons and promising practices from the first implementation of the WEPs Corporate Action Lab in the Philippines. These insights will be captured in a learning compendium released in coming weeks. The publication will document the cohort’s journey, innovations, key lessons and practical approaches for advancing women’s leadership in the technology and tech-enabled sectors.“The completion of this first cohort is not only milestone for the participating companies, but also for the broader private sector as we look to their increasing contribution to promoting gender equality in businesses and communities”, said Ma. Rosalyn Mesina, Country Programme Coordinator, UN Women Philippines.This inaugural Lab, which was co-implemented with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), forms part of the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is being implemented for an initial period of four years, with a particular focus on the Philippines, as well as Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia.“Australia congratulates the ten pioneering companies that participated in the Philippines’ first WEPs Corporate Action Lab. By moving beyond commitments and taking practical action to address barriers to women’s participation and leadership in the technology sector, these companies have demonstrated the kind of leadership needed to advance workplace gender equality and create more inclusive workplaces”, said Daniel Simson, First Secretary (Economic), Australian Embassy in the Philippines.For participating companies, graduation from the programme marks the beginning of a broader role as WEPs Changemakers: organizations that can help inspire and influence other businesses to advance gender equality through practical and inclusive action.Scaling UpBuilding on the momentum of the inaugural cohort, preparations are already underway for the next series of WEPs Corporate Action Labs in the Philippines. In partnership with the Governance Commission for GOCCs, a new Lab will launch shortly, focusing on strengthening inclusive workplaces and gender and development initiatives across government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs).“GCG is proud to stand alongside UN Women as partners in advancing the WEPs in the public governance sector. This is a historic achievement for GCG and the GOCC sector as it reflects our shared commitment to building workplaces where women are empowered to participate fully and where gender equality is at the heart of public service”, said Commissioner Geraldine Marie Berberabe-Martinez of the Governance Commission for GOCCs. To our future GOCC-focused WEPs Corporate Action Lab cohort, we look forward to walking this journey with you. Together, we hope to strengthen public institutions where women can contribute and lead,” she added.A parallel Lab focused on the theme ‘Business Action for Gender-responsive and Inclusive Skills Development’ will launch in September with support from GIZ through the Germany-ASEAN cooperation project ‘Regional Cooperation on Labour Market Policy and Technical and Vocational Education and Training for a Twin Transition in ASEAN (RECOTwin)’.   

Severe weather, high energy costs and thin margins go hand-in-hand for many small business owners in the Philippines – and the recent energy crisis has accentuated their problems. Women-led businesses, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas, often face additional difficulties in accessing finance, technology, information and business support. A United Nations initiative has set out to change that and has already provided over 16,700 women business owners with assistance, including over US$ 2 million in clean energy loans.“When clean energy financing is intentionally designed to reach women-led small businesses, it can unlock a powerful pathway toward climate resilience, economic security and local development,” said Parimita Mohanty, Programme Management Officer at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The EmPower: Women for Climate Resilient Societies initiative, a joint programme led by UN Women and UNEP, supported by the Governments of Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland, is breaking down the financial barriers faced by women, supporting green livelihoods and jobs, and offering a roadmap for more inclusive climate action.Unlocking renewable energy entrepreneurship in IloiloIn Iloilo, the first province in the country to pass a renewable energy ordinance with its own budget allocation, clean energy is directly transforming local public services. Through a strategic collaboration under EmPower, provincial officers are embedding gender equality into local energy efficiency plans.  In practice, this means ensuring women's needs and priorities are reflected in renewable energy investments, from more reliable health services to safer public spaces and new green job opportunities. The lessons from Iloilo are now informing EmPower's support to 31 other provinces across the Philippines as they advance a more gender-responsive clean energy transition.EmPower, through the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc., partners with microfinance institutions, including Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI) and the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), giving rural women entrepreneurs access to financing specifically for renewable energy technologies, combined with practical business training.“Our goal with this joint initiative is to show how we can stimulate resilient and inclusive grassroots economic growth through supporting women entrepreneurs,” said Rosalyn Mesina, Country Programme Coordinator at UN Women Philippines. “Truly, we are seeing that women are proving to be viable clients for green finance when products and tools are designed according to their realities, needs, and constraints - and once addressed, the impact goes beyond their businesses, but the communities where they belong.” Here are the stories of four entrepreneurs who benefitted from EmPower support. Mary Grace Moreno: Livestock farming with solar energy In the town of Maasin, Mary Grace runs a small livestock business of over twenty pigs, an enterprise easily hurt by intense summer heat and unpredictable power outages. “We need to run the fans to keep the animals cool during the day, and we need to feed the pigs at night, so our energy costs are high,” said Mary Grace. For years, her business relied on an unstable electricity supply, including a low-cost solar system she bought online but which could provide power for only an hour. Through EmPower’s partnership with NWTF, Mary Grace secured a small loan to install a higher quality solar home system. This gave her energy independence, cutting her monthly electricity bills, and enabling her business to be more sustainable. Avelina Simpia: Pastry and online food vending with a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) home system In nearby Zarraga, Avelina faced an energy bottleneck for her pastry production and food vending business, which she runs with her daughter Cherile. For her, electricity is a necessity for food preparation, keeping her products fresh and operating her online store. Rising power rates kept her profit margins thin, making it difficult to save money or expand her shop.Partnering with ASHI under EmPower, Avelina took out a clean energy loan to install a rooftop solar PV home system last year. Generating her own electricity has dropped her operating costs, increasing profits, which she plans to re-invest in growing her business.Rosenne Baco Fiscal: Hog and poultry farming with a solar PV home systemRosenne operates a hog and poultry business in Zarraga. In livestock farming, heat mitigation and consistent ventilation are critical to animal health and survival. Relying on an unpredictable local grid meant that sudden power failures during extreme heatwaves put her entire livestock population at risk, while high electricity prices stunted her ability to grow even when power was available.Through EmPower, Rosenne integrated a reliable solar setup into her farming infrastructure. This clean energy alternative provides continuous and reliable energy for an egg incubator, lighting and ventilation systems. Rosenne has improved animal safety, increased her production capacity, and strengthened her business in a historically male-dominated sector. Beyond small businesses: Commercial solar energy in Batangas
While the solutions in Iloilo demonstrated how clean energy helps micro-businesses, in Batangas the model scales up to power larger women-owned operations as well. Through the technical assistance provided by MCPI under EmPower, local thrift banks, such as Bangko Kabayan, can support larger-scale green infrastructure investments.Mary Rose Bathan Buen, Commercial Solar-Powered Ice Plant 
In the town of Balayan, Mary Rose runs an industrial business for the local fishing community. Backed by a pioneering, clean energy loan from Bangko Kabayan, she installed Balayan’s first ice production plant, which works using solar power.Mary Rose’s plant serves as an economic anchor for the coastal community. For local fisherfolk, quick access to affordable ice is crucial to bring their catch to market, preventing post-harvest food waste, protects fisherfolk’s incomes, and creating local green jobs. Sparking commitments to accelerate gender responsive actions
EmPower looks to build on tested local solutions and scale them through stronger partnerships with government, financial institutions, and women entrepreneurs. “By helping to reduce the perceived risks of green technology, supporting financial institutions to design products that respond to women’s realities, and demonstrating strong demand from women-led businesses, EmPower is helping build an investment-ready model for energy transition in the Philippines,” said UN Women’s Mesina.  

An indigenous community in Lake Sebu that has safeguarded traditional crop varieties, protected forests and lakes, and passed knowledge from one generation to the next has become the first in the Philippines to receive the FAO Villages Recognition, joining a growing global network of rural communities whose local solutions are helping shape the future of sustainable agrifood systems. The FAO Villages Recognition Initiative launched in 2025 honors rural communities that are advancing sustainable agrifood systems, conserving biodiversity, preserving food traditions and local knowledge, and fostering inclusive rural transformation. Agrifood systems encompass the interconnected components involved in the journey that brings food and non-food agriculture products like abaca from farm to consumers. "[This] recognition acknowledges that rural communities are the living heart of agrifood systems preservation and transformation, and Lake Sebu perfectly embodies this vision," said Mario Samaja, who spearheaded the development of the FAO Villages Recognition Initiative.The T’boli and Ubo-Manobo indigenous groups of Lake Sebu were cited for their stewardship of heirloom rice and traditional crop varieties, forests, lakes and traditional knowledge, which was strengthened through years of collaboration among the indigenous communities, the municipality of Lake Sebu, the provincial government of South Cotabato, national government agencies, academic institutions and development partners. In Sitio El Lumet, Barangay Luhib, Lake Sebu, one of the most remarkable achievements of this collaboration has been the conservation of 102 traditional rice varieties. Community seed banks, participatory rice breeding and improved seed conservation technologies were introduced to ensure that this unique genetic heritage continues to strengthen food security and climate resilience for future generations.Farmer Nonito Malingay from the T’boli and Ubo tribes, whose community has helped conserve more than one hundred heirloom rice varieties, reflected on what this work represents: "Our traditional crops are not just food. They are our life. They are our ancestors’ legacy, and our children’s inheritance. They are our living treasure."The partnerships have also transformed local livelihoods. Investments in demonstration farms, rice micro-mills, farm equipment and capacity development improved productivity and market opportunities. Women-led enterprises created new value from traditional crop varieties through post-processing, creating new sources of income that enable T’Boli women weavers to continue pursuing the art of T’Nalak weaving, which forms a large part of their culture. Known as dreamweavers, T’Boli women receive guidance from Fu Dalu, the god of abaca, in weaving their T’Nalak designs.For Chita Sulan, a T’boli farmer and T’Nalak weaver, heritage conservation has served as an opportunity to empower women and create better livelihoods."I learned that being a woman is not a hindrance. When our enterprise was built, I stood up for our women members so we will have our processing center," said said Sulan, who serves as President of the Lake Sebu Indigenous Women and Farmers Association, composed of over 100 women weavers and farmers.As the first Philippine member of the FAO Villages global network, Lake Sebu now joins more than 300 recognized villages worldwide. The community's achievements demonstrate that some of the world’s most effective solutions for sustainable agrifood systems are already being practiced by rural communities that have learned, over generations, how to live in harmony with nature while preserving their cultural identity.FAO Representative in the Philippines Lionel Dabbadie believes the significance of this recognition extends far beyond Lake Sebu: "Some places are recognized for what they have achieved. Others are recognized because they hold solutions the world urgently needs. Lake Sebu is both."

For many micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines, managing rising energy costs while remaining competitive is an increasingly difficult balancing act, made more challenging recently due to the ensuing energy crisis brought about by global geopolitical tensions. Limited access to efficient technologies, financing and technical expertise often prevents businesses from adopting solutions that could reduce costs and strengthen their long-term resilience.
Recognizing these challenges, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), is supporting Filipino MSMEs unlock the benefits of energy efficiency through the Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND) Project.Supported by Germany's International Climate Initiative (IKI), the project is helping lay the foundation for a more climate-smart industrial sector by promoting resource-efficient production, strengthening energy management practices, and supporting the development of a Climate-Smart Industry Roadmap for MSMEs. Beyond reducing energy consumption, the project seeks to help enterprises adopt sustainable business practices and access emerging green financing opportunities.The initiative will be implemented across selected areas of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Panay Island, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon, where MSMEs will receive technical assistance, training and practical tools to identify and implement energy-saving measures suited to their operations.“Through the TRANSCEND Project, UNIDO is assisting MSMEs in turning energy efficiency into a business advantage—reducing costs, improving productivity, and strengthening resilience to negative climate impacts,” said Teddy Monroy, UNIDO Country Representative in the Philippines. “By supporting local enterprises in adopting sound energy management practices and helping develop a Climate-Smart Industry Roadmap, we are creating an enabling environment where businesses can grow sustainably while contributing to the Philippines’ climate ambitions.”The initiative aligns closely with the Philippine MSME Development Plan 2023–2028, which identifies sustainability as a key driver of enterprise development. As businesses become more energy efficient, they could lower operating costs, improve compliance with environmental standards, and become better positioned to participate in domestic and international value chains where sustainable production is increasingly expected.

MSMEs account for around 99 per cent of registered businesses in the country. Yet many continue to face barriers to adopting low-carbon technologies due to limited information, high upfront investment costs and constrained access to finance. By addressing these barriers, the TRANSCEND Project seeks to demonstrate that climate action is not simply an environmental responsibility but a practical business strategy that delivers measurable economic benefits.“MSMEs are central to the Philippines’ inclusive economic growth and industrial transformation. As sustainability and resource efficiency increasingly shape markets and value chains, energy efficiency must be recognized not only as an operational measure, but as a strategic pathway toward stronger productivity, resilience, innovation, and competitiveness,” said Edwin Pasahol, Division Chief of the Department of Trade and Industry's Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (DTI-BSMED). “Through our partnership with UNIDO under the TRANSCEND Project, we are working to translate the country’s climate and sustainability commitments into practical support for MSMEs, providing enterprises with the knowledge, tools, and enabling environment needed to adopt climate-smart practices and access emerging green market and financing opportunities. This partnership reinforces DTI’s commitment to ensuring that the transition toward a low-carbon economy is inclusive, enterprise-driven, and creates meaningful opportunities for MSMEs across the country.”Over its five-year implementation, the project is expected to generate around 4,000 MWh in energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. These outcomes will contribute to the Philippines' Nationally Determined Contributions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change while supporting the country's broader transition towards a climate-resilient, low-carbon economy.As part of the wider TRANSCEND programme, the initiative demonstrates how strategic investments in innovation, sustainable production and enterprise development can deliver benefits that extend beyond environmental gains. By helping MSMEs become more energy efficient, resilient and competitive, UNIDO and DTI are enabling businesses not only to adapt to a changing climate, but also to unlock new opportunities for inclusive and sustainable industrial growth.