In celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March 2026), the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative is pleased to announce that stock exchanges around the world will again host bell-ringing ceremonies to raise awareness for gender equality. This year’s International Women's Day takes place under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” The 2026 call to action underscores the need to mobilize capital markets to strengthen transparency, accountability, and incentives that support women’s rights and economic empowerment—ensuring that markets work for women and girls, not against them.
The SSE is working alongside the UN Global Compact, UN Women, International Finance Corporation: IFC and World Federation of Exchanges for the 12th consecutive year to organise the “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” initiative.
These global bell ringing events aim to bring attention to the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to raise awareness about the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
Gender equality is a driver of economic growth and enterprise development: progress towards gender equality is a core contributor to more economically prosperous and socially cohesive societies. Studies show that the loss in human capital wealth due to gender inequality is over $160 trillion. Further, companies with higher levels of diversity at the executive level are found to show higher performance than their less diverse counterparts on both profitability and long-term value creation measures
Stock exchanges are uniquely positioned to influence their market in a way few other actors can. If you’d like to host an event or learn more about supporting gender equality, please contact the SSE Secretariat.
We hope you will join us in 2026 to continue building momentum for equality.
Advancing Equality - Through Collective Action
Register here
All SSE partner exchanges are asked to consider concrete actions they can take to further promote gender equality as part of the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality event series. Please visit our Gender Equality page to learn more.
About the Ring the Bell initiative
The “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” annual event series was first launched in 2015 by the UN SSE, UN Global Compact and UN Women, with just 7 participating exchanges. The group of global organizing partners was expanded in 2016 to involve collaborators from UN SSE, UN Global Compact, UN Women, IFC and the World Federation of Exchanges. By 2022, participation in this annual event included over 110 exchanges around the world. Beyond raising awareness for the role of women in business and finance, exchanges also support mobilizing finance for gender-equality-themed investment products, improving women’s access to financial markets and promoting greater levels of female participation in corporate board rooms. The SSE supports these efforts through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical guidelines, advisory services and training. To learn more about how the SSE supports exchanges to promote gender equality, visit our Gender Equality workstream page.
About our Partner Organizations
International Finance Corporation (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 2024, IFC committed a record $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. Follow us on Twitter: @IFC_org or any of our other social media platforms: www.ifc.org/SocialMediaIndex
The Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative
The SSE initiative is a UN Partnership Programme organised by UNCTAD, the UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and the PRI. The SSE’s mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policymakers and relevant international organizations, can enhance performance on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SSE seeks to achieve this mission through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical assistance and advisory services. To learn more about becoming a Partner Stock Exchange or participating as a regulator or investor, visit sseinitiative.org Follow us on Twitter: @sseinitiative
United Nations Global Compact
The ambition of the UN Global Compact is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 20,000 participating companies, 5 Regional Hubs, 66 Country Networks covering 85 countries and 9 Country Managers establishing Networks in 16 other countries, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life. In collaboration with the UN Global Compact, UN Women engages the private sector through the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – a global framework and engagement platform to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community. As of 2025, WEPs has attracted over 10.000 CEOs and their companies in 190 countries to accelerate this agenda. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality. Learn more at: www.unwomen.org and www.weps.org Follow us on Twitter @UN_Women, @WEPrinciples and on LinkedIn: UN Women, WEPs.
The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE):
Established in 1961, the WFE is the global industry association for exchanges and clearing houses. Headquartered in London, it represents over 250 market infrastructure providers, including standalone CCPs that are not part of exchange groups. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.1 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, together with other exchanges feeding into our database, are home to over 49,054 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is over $116.58 trillion; around $155 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2024). The WFE is the definitive source for exchange-traded statistics and publishes over 350 market data indicators. Its free statistics database stretches back more than 40 years and provides information and insight into developments on global exchanges. The WFE works with standard-setters, policy makers, regulators and government organisations around the world to support and promote the development of fair, transparent, stable and efficient markets. The WFE shares regulatory authorities’ goals of ensuring the safety and soundness of the global financial system. Click here to view the WFE’s website, sign up for the industry’s Focus magazine or to visit the WFE on LinkedIn. Follow us on Twitter: @TheWFE