Airport operations specialist Menzies Aviation has signed up to the United Nations’ (UN) Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

The firm said it wanted to show its commitment to “advancing gender equality and inclusivity”.

It also aims to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals in its operation and the communities in which it operates.

Juliet Thomson, chief people officer at Menzies Aviation, said: “We’re proud to show our support and commitment to advocating gender equality at Menzies Aviation.

“Our people are at the heart of our business and our success, and we want them to experience equity of opportunity, to feel respected and supported to learn and develop, and to be able to be themselves.

“We look forward to implementing the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) framework and taking the next step in our own journey to create a more inclusive, diverse and equitable business that benefits every employee.”

The WEPs were created to provide a framework to advance gender equality and set a global norm for the private sector.

They aim to improve transparency, accountability and the tracking of progress and results.

Seven global gender equality goals focus on promoting equal opportunities, fair treatment, and non-discrimination for women, while also encouraging corporate leadership to drive positive change.

Menzies has previously participated in the UN Target Gender Equality programme in 2022.

In that year it launched its Women in Leadership programme, completed by more than 70 people with more cohorts planned.

And earlier this year it launched an allyship campaign to empower colleagues at work, supporting women and other under-represented minorities.

Menzies also supports IATA’s 25by2025 industry-wide campaign to improve diversity and inclusion metrics across the aviation industry by up to a minimum of 25% by 2025.

The firm said it is “making strides to increase the proportion of females in its own senior leadership population from 19% in 2022 to a minimum of 25% by 2025, and middle leadership from 31% in 2022 to at least 40% by 2033”.

Menzies’ move to support the UN WEP is part of a broader commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive culture where employees can thrive.

The firm is implementing unconscious bias training, and has established a long-term plan to improve its practices and employee experiences, with a greater focus on family friendly policies as outlined in its 2022 Annual Review & Sustainability Report.

Established by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the WEPs are informed by international labour and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment.