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SINGAPORE, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Declarations announced at P&G and UN Women #WeSeeEqual Gender Equality summit

that saw participation from global equality advocates Indra Nooyi and Bonang

Matheba.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) today announced new declarations aimed to propel

gender equality across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, at its third

annual #WeSeeEqual summit for the region. Hosted virtually for the first time,

the event saw distinguished advocates and personalities from private and public

sectors come together to address the challenges of gender and women's equality,

which have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

Built on the theme '#Unsaid and #Undone', the summit brought together leading

voices on Gender Equality to challenge the current discourse and commit to the

actions needed for progress. P&G President for Asia Pacific, Middle East and

Africa, Magesvaran Suranjan, announced the following declarations:

-P&G will educate more than 30 million adolescent girls on puberty and hygiene

across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, through its Always and Whisper

'Keeping Girls in School' program over the next three years.

-P&G is committed to spending a cumulative total of $200 million US dollars by

deliberately working with women-owned businesses across the Asia Pacific,

Middle East and Africa region, by 2025.

-P&G is introducing 'Share the Care', a new parental leave policy in the Asia

Pacific, Middle East & Africa region. Under its new 'Share the Care' program,

all new parents will be entitled to a minimum of 8 weeks' fully paid leave,

with an additional 6 weeks' recovery leave for birth mothers.

-P&G is committed to achieve a 50-50 gender balance across its management

workforce in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa by the end of calendar

year 2022.

Magesvaran Suranjan said: "We have made great progress on gender equality and

we can't allow it to be eroded. We need to act now to ensure that while we

continue responding to the health and economic crisis, we find ways to progress

women's economic empowerment and equality, in education, in the home and in the

workplace. At P&G, we will keep using the voice of our company in forums such

as #WeSeeEqual to drive discussion and action on the issues that matter."

Held in partnership with UN Women, the third annual regional #WeSeeEqual Summit

engaged business leaders, government officials and celebrity influencers in

candid conversations around gender equality - the focus of UN Sustainable

Development Goal #5 - as well as discussions around strategic actions moving

forward to address gender inequality .

In addition to global and regional P&G leaders, the Summit also saw

participation of influential personalities and global leaders, including:

-Anita Bhatia, UN Women Deputy Executive Director

-Indra Nooyi, former Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of PepsiCo

-Bonang Matheba, South African Media Personality, Entrepreneur and

Philanthropist

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Ms. Anita Bhatia said, “Progress made over

the last few decades in gender equality is at risk of being rolled back due to

the impact of COVID-19. But the pandemic has also forced us all to think

differently and given us the opportunity to re-build better – without the power

imbalances and gender discrimination of the past. For that to happen we need to

work together with partners, including corporates, governments and civil

society. Today’s #WeSeeEqual Summit and  other multi-stakeholder initiatives

like the Action Coalitions of the upcoming Generation Equality Forum are

crucial opportunities for change and progress towards achieving gender equality

once and for all.”

The acknowledgement of societal and family challenges, the importance of

equality-based policies, the recognition of stereotypical expectations of men,

and the role of advertising and media in changing bias were some of the key

topics discussed across the various panels throughout the summit. To inspire

corporates and society alike, the summit also hosted P&G Chief Brand Officer,

Marc Pritchard and South African Media Personality, Entrepreneur and

Philanthropist, Bonang Matheba, to share their experiences and insights on

leveraging their voice in advertising and media to reach millions of people,

challenge rigid gender roles and empower both men and women.

In addition to the declarations, the 2021 Summit also saw the establishment of

the P&G Young Leaders Council which serves to advise the company on gender

equality matters internally and externally.

The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G's continued commitment to create a

more equal world, and was recently recognized with the U.S. Secretary of

State's Award for Corporate Excellence for Women's Empowerment. P&G is

advancing gender equality through various initiatives region-wide as part of

its ongoing commitment to equality and inclusion and is part of the Company's

efforts to deliver 2,021 Acts of Good in 2021. 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.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of

trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always(R), Ambi Pur(R),

Ariel(R), Bounty(R),  Charmin(R),  Crest(R), Dawn(R),  Downy(R),  Fairy(R),  

Febreze(R),  Gain(R),  Gillette(R),  Head & Shoulders(R),  Lenor(R),  Olay(R),  

Oral-B(R), Pampers(R),  Pantene(R),  SK-II(R),  Tide(R),  Vicks(R),  and

Whisper(R). The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries

worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information

about P&G and its brands.

SOURCE:  Procter & Gamble

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   Caption: P&G President for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Magesvaran Suranjan

speaking at the third annual #WeSeeEqual summit