The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. 

The goals of the European Union are: promote peace, its values and the well-being of its citizens; offer freedom, security and justice without internal borders; sustainable development based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive market economy with full employment and social progress, and environmental protection; combat social exclusion and discrimination; promote scientific and technological progress; enhance economic, social and territorial cohesion and solidarity among EU countries; respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity; and establish an economic and monetary union whose currency is the euro. More

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels. UN Women works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Established in 2010, UN Women: (1) supports the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council and the United Nations General Assembly in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms; (2) helps Member States implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support; (3) holds the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress; and (4) forges effective partnerships with civil society.

UN Women stands behind women's equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on five priority areas to unlock rapid transformation: (1) increasing women’s participation and leadership; (2) ending violence against women; (3) engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes; (4) enhancing women's economic empowerment; and (5) making gender equality central to national development planning and budgeting.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity. Today, the ILO helps advance the creation of decent work and the economic and working conditions that give working people and business people a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and progress. Its tripartite structure provides a unique platform for promoting decent work for all women and men. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues. More

Canada’s International Development Efforts: The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development leads Canada’s contributions to international assistance and works to advance Canada’s international development efforts. Canada is strongly committed to advancing gender equality and promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls. Canada recognizes that gender equality is not only an objective in itself but a prerequisite to achieving lasting poverty reduction and sustainable development. A key focus for Canada's work to promote sustainable economic growth and gender equality is women's economic empowerment, including a commitment to increase women's economic opportunities, strengthen their economic leadership and advancing the rights of women and girls worldwide.

Launched in 2000, theUnited Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a call to companies globally to voluntarily align their operations and strategies withten universally-accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals. By doing so, business can help ensure that markets advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. The UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world – with over 7,500 corporate participants and over 3,500 other stakeholders in more than 140 countries, andLocal Networks in 101 countries.