Women in PNG to Benefit as IFC Helps Rhodes Achieve World First for Gender Equality

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Port Moresby, PNG, January 20, 2021-Rhodes PNG Limited is the first construction and engineering company in the world to be recertified with EDGE, the leading global assessment system for gender equality, underscoring the company's commitment to providing greater access to higher paying jobs and leadership roles for women in the construction industry in Papua New Guinea.

With support from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, the company has now been recertified under the EDGE system. The recertification under EDGE, or Economic Dividends for Gender Equality, also confirms Rhodes PNG's position as the employer of choice for women in the PNG construction industry, where women are underrepresented in leadership and nontraditional roles.

"This prestigious recertification underscores our deep commitment to gender equality," said Rhodes PNG Managing Director, Emanuel Papas. "We are proud of our work to build equity across our team, conferring us the benefits of a gender diverse workforce."

This achievement also comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has been exacerbating gender-based violence. Recent research from IFC, in partnership with the Business Coalition for Women, found family and sexual violence was costing PNG employers almost 10 days of work per employee each year.

Gender inequality is widespread in PNG, presenting significant barriers to growth. The country ranks 160th out of 161 nations on the United Nations Development Programme's 2021 Gender Inequality Index. At the same time, labor productivity is limited by persistent gender gaps in access to education, with women less than half as likely as men to hold paid jobs in the formal sector. Women also face structural barriers to entering more productive industrial jobs, including in construction.

While Rhodes PNG is currently the only EDGE gender certified organization in PNG, its pioneering efforts in addressing issues in relation to gender equality are seen as an example for other companies not only in the construction and engineering industry but other sectors in PNG and elsewhere.

"Gender equality is great for business, and has been proven to drive productivity, profitability and performance," said IFC's Resident Representative for Papua New Guinea, Markus Scheuermaier. "Our work has helped Rhodes achieve and maintain this important standard, and we hope that other PNG businesses will also invest in gender equality."

EDGE gender certification evaluates companies' workplace gender equality performance against global and industry benchmarks. Certification gives a competitive advantage by positioning a company or organization as a gender equal environment to work in, invest in, and do business with. EDGE is currently working with 200 large organizations in 44 countries and 29 industries.

IFC's Gender and Economic Inclusion Group provided technical assistance to Rhodes PNG towards its EDGE recertification, having also worked Rhodes PNG on its initial certification awarded in 2019.

About Rhodes PNG
Rhodes PNG Ltd. is a vertically integrated building supply and construction company with operations throughout PNG, Australia, USA and the Pacific. Rhodes delivers all sorts of buildings (warehouses, camps, sheds, training centres, hospitals, schools, staff housing) to all kinds of clients (extractives, government agencies, aid bodies, communities, corporates, families). Experts in prefabricated steel buildings and solid construction systems, Rhodes offers full turn-key services and is a leader in technology-driven sustainability and innovation.

About Pacific Partnership
IFC's work in the Pacific is guided by the Pacific Partnership. Australia, New Zealand and IFC are working together through the Partnership to stimulate private sector investment and reduce poverty in the Pacific.

About IFC
IFC-a member of the World Bank Group-is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

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