Jakarta, 12 March 2026 — In commemoration of International Women’s Day 2026, business leaders, investors, and policymakers gathered today at the Main Hall of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) to mark Ring the Bell for Gender Equality (RTBFGE) 2026. Under the theme “Women’s Leadership for Just and Prosperous Economies,” this event highlighted what the private sector can offer to advance gender equality and drive a just and prosperous economy for all.
RTBFGE was convened by the Indonesia Stock Exchange in collaboration with UN Women, the UN Global Compact Network Indonesia (IGCN), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE). This event is part of the global Ring the Bell for Gender Equality campaign – a joint initiative by United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchange, UN Global Compact, UN Women, and World Federation of Exchanges. Now a powerful global tradition, the campaign highlights the critical role of capital markets in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year, approximately 114 stock exchanges across over 90 countries participated.
Despite the progress in women’s empowerment, significant gender gaps persist in Indonesia’s labour market. In 2025, women’s labour force participation stood at 56.7% — substantially lower than men’s participation rate. At the corporate leadership level, gaps remain equally pronounced.
According to the Asia Market Monitor 2025 developed by the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, the International Finance Corporation, and UN Women, 49% of firms in Indonesia still have all-male boards — significantly higher than the Asia regional average of 15%. Meanwhile, only 19% of Indonesian firms have at least 30% women on their boards. These findings highlight the urgency of accelerating action to strengthen women’s representation in corporate leadership and decision-making — a critical step toward building more resilient and inclusive economies.
Vice Chair of the National Economic Council, Mari Elka Pangestu delivered the keynote speech at the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2026 event, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of women’s leadership for companies and the business sectors. Photo: UN Women/Putra Djohan
Mari Elka Pangestu, Vice Chair of the National Economic Council, said in her keynote speech, “Today, what we are doing is not just ringing the bell. Today, what we want to do is send a message that must be heard in every boardroom, by every investor, and by every decision-maker in this room and beyond, that women’s leadership is an investment that will make companies more profitable, better, and more competitive.”
Risa Effenita Rustam, Director of the Indonesia Stock Exchange, said, “Promoting women’s leadership is not only an agenda for equality, but also a strategic investment for the future of the business world and for more equitable and prosperous economic development.”
The 2026 RTBFGE featured a speed coaching session designed to transform dialogue into measurable action. Bringing together corporate executives and industry leaders as mentors, more than 100 participants engaged in peer learning and discussions focused on:
- Building family-friendly workplaces, including corporate childcare initiatives and policies that promote shared caregiving responsibilities;
- Strengthening women’s leadership pipelines and internal networks;
- Addressing barriers identified through recent research on women’s leadership in corporate settings;
- Applying practical tools such as the Women’s Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Toolkit (WEPs GAT) and Gender Equality Assessment, Results and Strategies (GEARS);
- Addressing violence and harassment in the workplace.
“Women’s participation and leadership are essential to building a fair and prosperous economy. By ensuring policies that support equality in the workplace, recognizing and equitably distributing unpaid care work, strengthening digital inclusion, and transforming social norms, institutions, and society as a whole, we can unlock women’s full potential and advance progress toward gender equality”, said Ulziisuren Jamsran, UN Women Indonesia Representative and Liaison to ASEAN, highlighting this year’s Ring the Bell theme. “Today’s bell ringing sends a strong signal of the private sector, state-owned enterprises, and the business community’s commitment to accelerate women’s empowerment and promote a more inclusive economy”. In 2025, UN Women, together with its strategic partners, initiated the Asia-Pacific Sustainable Finance Lab, designed to support stock exchanges across Asia in accelerating commitments to gender equality in capital markets.
Each session concluded with participants identifying the concrete next steps within their organizations, reinforcing accountability and sustained progress.
“Gender equality is not only a social issue, but also a business imperative for sustainable economic growth. Through the momentum of Ring the Bell 2026 for Gender Equality, which we organize annually in collaboration with IDX, UN Women, IBCWE, and IFC, we encourage companies in Indonesia to accelerate the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles and ensure that women have equal opportunities to lead, innovate, and contribute to decision-making”, said Y. W. Junardy, President of the UN Global Compact Network Indonesia (IGCN)
Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE) emphasized the importance of a data-driven approach and measurable strategies in accelerating women’s leadership in companies. “Through the Gender Equality Assessment, Results, and Strategies (GEARS), IBCWE consistently supports companies in identifying gender gaps, developing priority action plans, and monitoring the progress of policy implementation and gender equality outcomes regularly and systematically. Since the end of last year, IBCWE has also collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the RealGains Project to strengthen workplace environments that support women’s career growth in Indonesia’s key export sectors,” said Wita Krisanti, Executive Director of IBCWE.
Ring the Bell serves as a powerful symbol of private sector commitment to advancing gender equality and driving the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in the workplace. Established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the WEPs provide a comprehensive framework to guide businesses in promoting women’s leadership, equal opportunity, and inclusive practices across the workplace, marketplace, and community. To date, more than 12,000 companies worldwide have signed the WEPs, including 227 companies from Indonesia.
As Indonesia advances its development agenda, today’s event reinforced a clear message: investing in women’s economic empowerment and leadership is essential to achieving just and prosperous economies for all.
