Colombo, October 18, 2021 – Leading Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer Brandix has embarked on a journey to strengthen the company’s gender equality policies and procedures with technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to support and provide an inspiring workplace culture for its employees.

In line with this agreement, Brandix together with UNFPA, the lead UN Agency working towards prevention and response to gender-based violence in Sri Lanka, will collaborate to build awareness on the Abuse and Harassment-Free Policy for Brandix. This will entail reviewing the carefully developed policy of Brandix, providing technical assistance for further enhancement and delivery, and conducting sensitization and training sessions for internal stakeholder groups.

Navchaa Suren, Representative a.i. for UNFPA in Sri Lanka, and Ishan Dantanarayana, Group Chief People Officer of Brandix, formally signed the agreement on the collaboration.

As an organization with nearly 90% female representation across its employee base, Brandix’s zero-tolerance Abuse and Harassment-Free Policy and grievance procedure enables employees to report any form of abuse or harassment in the workplace. The Policy extends Brandix’s Code of Conduct and goes into depth on how everyone must be treated with dignity, equality, respect, and ethics – and the importance of personal and organizational accountability in ensuring a safe and inclusive workplace for all.

“As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Brandix has always strived to operate in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and this policy is one such significant step towards achieving SDGs 5 and 8, ‘Gender Equality’ and ‘Decent Work & Economic Growth’. Female employees represent the majority of our organization’s workforce and ensuring a respectful and safe work environment is a commitment we consistently strive to deliver on. We greatly value the technical support and guidance from UNFPA to align Brandix’s gender equality policies with global best practices. We will ensure that it is effectively actioned and continue our efforts to provide an inclusive work environment for our team members with their wellbeing as our priority,” stated Ishan Dantanarayana, Group Chief People Officer at Brandix.

Navchaa Suren, Representative a.i. for UNFPA in Sri Lanka stated, “Gender equality is a human right. Women are entitled to live with dignity, and freedom from want and from fear. It is also a precondition for advancing development and the eradication of poverty, as empowered women can contribute more productively to communities and nations. UNFPA is pleased to provide technical support to Brandix to roll out its Abuse and Harassment-Free Policy.”

Over the ensuing months, Brandix will focus on increasing awareness and sensitivity to abuse and harassment in the workplace through focused training programs conducted with the support of UNFPA. With values of Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, and Excellence (RITE) ingrained in its DNA, Brandix will continue to work towards an inspiring workplace for all – devoid of any bias or discrimination and committed to inclusivity.